State v. Cooper

217 N.W.2d 589, 1974 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 1331
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedApril 24, 1974
Docket56155
StatusPublished
Cited by38 cases

This text of 217 N.W.2d 589 (State v. Cooper) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Cooper, 217 N.W.2d 589, 1974 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 1331 (iowa 1974).

Opinion

MASON, Justice.

James Cooper appeals from judgment and sentence based on a jury verdict convicting him of murder in the second degree.

Following a preliminary hearing in which defendant was charged with murder probable cause was found and defendant was bound over to the grand jury. A county attorney’s information filed September 29, 1972, charged Cooper did willfully, deliberately and premeditately with malice aforethought kill Louise Limerick on May 29, 1972, in violation of section 690.2, The Code, 1971.

Trial commenced December 7. The guilty verdict was returned December 14.

The incident giving rise to defendant’s arrest on the murder charge occurred in Council Bluffs. Cooper, age 49, was residing in the home of Mrs. Limerick. On May 29, he had begun drinking at home at about 7 a.m.; later in the morning and in the early afternoon defendant had additional drinks at local bars. By 1:30 p.m. he was intoxicated and was helped to his residence and into his bed by a drinking companion. Defendant suffered from alcoholism and also had been a patient at various mental health institutions on many occasions. At approximately 3:30 p.m. a shooting occurred in the Limerick home. The evidence was conflicting in part but essentially it appears defendant, hearing a noise and seeing someone, believed it to be one John Fedor, whom defendant said he wanted dead. Defendant fired his rifle and fatally wounded Mrs. Limerick. Cooper called the Council Bluffs police station and stated he had shot Louise.

*591 The record discloses the call was received at 3:05 p.m. Shortly thereafter Detective Zimmerman and several other police officers arrived at the Limerick home moments apart. Officers Hempel and Major arrived first and entered the house through the front door. Cooper was in the living room at the time. He told the officers, “She’s in here,” and started walking through a dining area into the kitchen. Hempel first observed a .22 caliber rifle on a table in the center of the room. Mrs. Limerick was on the floor behind the table. Hempel had no further conversation with Cooper at that time.

Zimmerman and Detective Peterson entered the home through the rear entrance leading to the kitchen. Zimmerman saw defendant standing against one of the kitchen walls with one of the police investigators and observed Mrs. Limerick lying on the kitchen floor with a gun shot wound above her right ear. Zimmerman was acquainted with both Cooper and Mrs. Limerick. When Zimmerman asked the investigators what the circumstances were Cooper said “I shot her.” Although her condition was critical Mrs. Limerick was still alive when the detective directed Hempel to take charge of Mr. Cooper and take him to the police station.

Zimmerman had no further conversation with Cooper before he was taken to the station. The detective and some other police officers remained to assist the ambulance crew in getting Mrs. Limerick on a cot and into the ambulance for a trip to the hospital. The house was secured and the police proceeded with .the investigation.

At trial Hempel testified Cooper was not interrogated in any way on the trip to the police station in the patrol car. He detailed the matters he included in warning Cooper of his constitutional rights ta counsel guaranteed by amendment 6 and his constitutionally protected privilege against self-incrimination under amendment 5 of the federal constitution in the manner enunciated in Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694, 10 A.L.R.3d 974.

When the officer asked Cooper if he understood the rights he replied his name only. Although neither officer asked Cooper any questions defendant said he had shot Louise and he didn’t know why. He also told the officers they had no idea of what the tension had been for the last six months. Nothing further was said and no further questions were asked. Hempel had no further contact with Cooper.

Richter, the assistant Pottawattamie county attorney who did not participate in the prosecution of the State’s case, talked to Cooper the first time in the juvenile office at the police station between 6:30 and 7 p.m. May 29. He was casually acquainted with Cooper before the incident. Don Clark, a police officer, was also present. Richter testified that before the conversation started he advised Cooper of his constitutional rights under amendments 5 and 6 of the federal constitution. He then detailed the matters he included in warning Cooper of these constitutional rights. The witness also said that when he asked Cooper if he understood his rights Cooper replied he did and that another officer had told him the same thing. Richter then proceeded to question Cooper about the events of the entire day of May 29 leading up to the shooting of Mrs. Limerick.

Richter testified Cooper told him he had been lying in bed and observed a gray head through what would be the kitchen door which leads into the bedroom and thought the person was John Fedor with whom he had had some problems over two chain saws taken from Mrs. Limerick. Cooper told Richter he grabbed the gun and fired one shot from his bed.

After the conversation with Cooper Richter returned to the Limerick home to see if what Cooper had told him was possible. After this investigation Richter next talked to Cooper May 31 between 6:30 and 7:30 *592 p.m. in the presence of Detective Zimmerman in the jail cell area of the police station.

Richter testified Cooper on this occasion volunteered that some of the things he had related to Richter on the 29th were not exactly the way it happened. Cooper then made some changes saying he had not shot Mrs. Limerick from the bed or through the doorway as he previously claimed but had gotten out of bed, went into the dining room and shot her from the doorway leading into the kitchen. During this conversation Richter inquired of Cooper about some empty cartridges found in the Limerick home. Cooper believed he had fired the gun into the floor to make sure it would not misfire.

Defense counsel elicited from Richter upon cross-examination Richter had lied to Cooper during the May 29 conversation about Mrs. Limerick’s condition. This was the conversation which had commenced, according to Richter, between 6:30 and 7 p.m. Richter admitted that during the questioning Cooper had asked about Mrs. Limerick’s condition and that he had replied he did not know. However, the record discloses as a matter of fact Mrs. Limerick had passed away around 4 p.m. May 29. Richter testified he first learned of her death when he left the juvenile room during the questioning but did not inform Cooper of that fact when he returned and continued the interrogation even though defendant had again inquired as to her condition. Instead, Richter told Cooper he did not know. Richter admitted upon cross-examination he had lied to Cooper. The substance of Richter’s testimony, including the lie about Limerick’s death, had first come out at the preliminary hearing.

I. Defendant assigns three issues for review in seeking reversal. Although stated in somewhat different words they, in effect, challenge the court’s ruling regarding admissibility of statements made by defendant to Richter, the assistant county attorney.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
217 N.W.2d 589, 1974 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 1331, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-cooper-iowa-1974.