Nancy Cooper's Family Retains Temporary Custody Of Her Two Daughters

The judge presiding over the custody hearing today between Nancy Cooper's family and her husband, continued the case until October 13th. Nancy's family will retain custody of the girls until then, with a few conditions imposed:

• counseling for the children to begin as soon as reasonable.
• The children are not to be in a car with Donna Rentz (Nancy's mother). In his affidavit, Brad said that Donna was not a safe or reliable driver.
• The girls are not to be around any dogs. One of the girls has an allergy to dogs.
• Brad will be allowed contact with the girls a minimum of four times a week via telephone or webcam, to last a minimum of fifteen minutes.
• Brad will be allowed two supervised weekend visits before October. He will be allowed four hours a day.

Both sides seem to be happy with the decision. Brad's attorneys said in a statement late today that he is pleased with the decision because it will mean his children will be shielded from the investigation.

"While he will miss the daily joys of fatherhood, he fully intends to remain a vital force in his children's lives," the statement said. "Though it is painful to contemplate any additional day without his girls, Mr. Cooper accepts this as a heart-rending but necessary step toward achieving justice."

Brad Cooper is still seeking the release of Nancy's autopsy report. He feels that the results will help him defend himself against the insinuations that he had anything to do with her murder.

The police are remaining quiet on many details of the homicide, especially the way she was killed. The only thing they have said is that the murder was not random. So far, no one has been named as a suspect or even a person of interest in the crime.

Brad Cooper: "I Cheated. But So Did She."

In an affidavit filed Wednesday, the husband of the murdered jogger in North Carolina tells about his troubled marriage, saying that he cheated, and claiming that his wife did too.

"Three years ago, I made a mistake while married to Nancy. I had a single indiscretion and slept with another woman one time," said Cooper. "I deeply regretted [and still regret] that it happened."

Brad does not disclose the name of the woman he had the affair with in the affidavit, but in an affidavit filed by his wife's friends, the woman is identified at Heather Heider-Metour.

Nancy Cooper's friends and family have pointed fingers at her husband since her body was found. They say he was abusive to her, denying money for things her and the children needed. They say he even threatened suicide at one point, though he denies that.

In his affidavit, Brad states that Nancy had an affair herself about the same time he revealed his indiscretion. "Nancy admitted that she also had an extramarital relationship while married to me, four years ago," Cooper said in the document. "Nancy insisted that she did nothing wrong, that her relationship with the other man only happened once, it wasn't sexual and that no one even knew his name."

The Coopers were attending marriage counselling, but in April 2008, Nancy prepared a separation agreement. As of her death, Brad had not signed the agreement.

Brad Cooper Wants Autopsy Reports Released

The twists and turns continue in the Nancy Cooper murder investigation. Allegations of extra-marital affairs involving both Brad and Nancy abound as things heat up in the battle over custody of the couple's two daughters. Another custody hearing is scheduled for this Friday when Nancy's family will ask a judge to extend their custody arrangements for the two girls. Brad intends to prove that he is fit and should have his children back.

When Nancy Cooper's body was first discovered, her family filed for and was granted emergency custody of the two girls. They convinced a judge that Brad was unstable, and possibly a danger to his children. Their claims of infidelity in the marriage and emotional abuse toward Nancy were enough to convince the judge.

Now, Brad is fighting back with claims of infidelity on Nancy's part as well. Also, one of the members of council for Nancy's family was retained by Nancy herself in a possible separation/divorce proceeding before her death. Brad's attorneys have filed a motion to have Alice Stubbs removed as the family's council, citing a conflict of interest in the case because of her ties to Nancy before she died.

In another twist, attorney's for Brad Cooper have said that the information Stubbs received from Nancy during their separation agreement makes Stubbs a witness rather than council in the case. Citing the ruling of the highly publicized murder case of Eric Miller, where a judge forced an attorney to reveal his client's confession after he committed suicide, Brad's attorneys say that Stubbs' information from Nancy should be revealed also. Attorney-client privileges do not exceed death in some cases, is their argument.

In the case of the autopsy report, Brad's attorneys have not been told the cause of death. Brad wants the autopsy report released. He and his attorneys feel it is critical to challenge the "unsubstantiated insinuations that he played a role in Nancy Cooper's death. So far, the report has not been released.

As of yet, no suspects have been named in the case, and a custody hearing for the children is scheduled for this Friday.