Of all the local death row inmates, Richard Cooey has been the one whose name just keeps popping up.First, he tried to escape from prison and got a lot farther than most folks thought he would, and then he actually came within hours of death before some judges granted him an extension on one of his legal claims.
Earlier this year, Cooey even claimed he was too fat to be killed.
Now comes a new story .. and maybe the most believable of them all. Cooey claims he was already an experienced killer before he murdered two Akron college students in 1986, according to a new report from the Associated Press:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A prosecutor in Ohio tells The Associated Press that she is launching an investigation into a death row inmate's claim that he committed an unsolved murder more than two decades ago.
Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh says she'll ask police to look into the claim by Richard Cooey, who is scheduled to be executed Oct. 14 for killing two college students in 1986.
Cooey says he killed a man who hit his sister but was never prosecuted for it.
Documents obtained by the AP indicate Cooey made the claim to prison employees while awaiting execution five years ago. The allegation was not investigated at the time.
Cooey's attorney Eric Allen says he needs to study the claim before commenting.
In a federal lawsuit filed earlier this month, Cooey argued that he is too fat to be put to death. He said executioners would have trouble finding his veins and that his weight could diminish the effectiveness of one of the lethal injection drugs.
It doesn't sound like this revelation could stall Cooey's date with death, but it does add fuel to the fire for police to interview him again sooner than later.
Still, what the AP doesn't report -- and maybe doesn't know for sure -- is how many times local police have already interviewed Cooey behind bars. For that matter, as much as I'd like to interview the guy for a news story, he scares the hell out of me. Anyone who can do what he did to those two women 22 years ago has to be considered as "pure evil."
Still .. while this claim is new news to most of us, this may be old news to local police ... I'll have to check with some sources and see what I can find out.
3 comments:
Eric, this claim by Cooey was in a Beacon Journal story two years ago which detailed Cooey's time in the death house. Why the AP and Walsh are picking this up now is bizarre.
Eric,
I don't know if you knew or remember, but Doug was one of the first on scene when they discovered Wendy and Dawn. He was also along for the arrest of Cooey a day or so later. This case continues to haunt him to this day. I can only imagine how it haunts the girls' family and friends. I'm not so sure about my feelings on the death penalty concept, but I know that there are many people--Doug and I included--that feel that this scum has manipulated the system and the numerous victims long enough. I don't care if he murdered ten people before Dawn and Wendy--do away with the jerk--I can't bring myself to call him a man. He is NOT a man. Oy--need to stop now.
CJ
remember that farm where they were hanging pigs from the front end loader & then swinging at them?? They should do that to this porker, but it would be too kind!!!
Post a Comment