Defendant Karina Cooper shows emotion as she watches Former Tama County deputy Travis Foster’s body cam footage from the morning of June 18, 2021 during her trial at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Karina is seen screaming and asking for an ambulance several times in the footage. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

CEDAR RAPIDS — Emotions ran high inside the Linn County Courthouse on Wednesday as the first degree murder trial of Karina Cooper, a rural Traer resident accused of killing her husband Ryan on June 18, 2021, began with opening arguments from the prosecution and defense. Aaron Hawbaker and Nichole Watt, Cooper’s defense team, welcomed her into the courtroom dressed in a gray sweater — a marked contrast from the jumpsuits she has been appearing in since her arrest in February of 2024.

Assistant Iowa Attorney General Israel Kodiaga painted Karina Cooper as a calculating and motivated participant in her husband’s death. The prosecution argued that Karina didn’t act out of impulse but planned the murder alongside Huston Danker, a man with whom she was having an affair. Mentioned several times in their argument were digital communications, particularly Snapchat messages, which they said showed Karina expressing a desire for Ryan’s death and laying out a plan to make it happen.

“Folks, you’ll see evidence that way back starting earlier that year, early 2021. A plan was being hatched by these two lovers. The defendant and Huston Danker, to kill Ryan Cooper,” Kodiaga said.

Kodiaga emphasized that Karina Cooper’s own carelessness helped build the case against her: one bullet casing, allegedly missed during the cover-up, was left behind and tied her to the crime scene. Their case suggests this was not a moment of passion but a deliberate, premeditated act.

“You will see that there are messages as early as March, where the defendant talks to Huston Danker, and they’re planning to be a family,” Kodiaga said.

Attorney Nichole Watt delivered the defense’s opening statement. In less than 90 seconds, Watt said the name Huston Danker 11 times, claiming that he shot Ryan Cooper in the face and killed him. Watt also contended that Danker took advantage of Karina Cooper’s state of mind.

“Karina Cooper was in a dream world, and then it became real and then she was in too deep. She did not want her husband dead. She did not want his life insurance money. You’ll see, you’ll hear, the money’s still there in trust for her children,” Watt said. “Nobody rode off into the sunset to the mountains. Huston Danker killed Ryan Cooper.”

Watt’s argument was that Karina Cooper did not plan, carry out, or benefit from the crime, and that the prosecution’s narrative oversimplifies the dynamics at play.

The first day of testimony in the murder trial of Karina Cooper provided jurors with a haunting and detailed account of the morning her husband, Ryan Cooper, was found dead inside their home near Traer. Four witnesses took the stand Wednesday in Linn County District Court, each adding new layers to the prosecution’s case that Karina played a role in Ryan’s June 2021 death.

Deputy Kyle Fangman of the Tama County Sheriff’s Office was the first to testify. He arrived at the Cooper residence just after 4:40 a.m. on June 18, 2021, responding to Karina’s 911 call. Fangman described a disturbing scene: Ryan Cooper was slumped in a recliner with gunshot wounds to the face, and Karina was positioned on top of him, screaming but not performing CPR. He recalled her being “covered in blood,” and said she showed visible distress, though he noted Ryan’s body was already cold, indicating he had likely been dead for some time.

Next to testify was Deputy Travis Foster, who arrived shortly after Fangman. Foster said Karina appeared “almost completely inhibited,” emotionally overwhelmed to the point of being unable to give clear or coherent answers, continuing to scream hysterically. While her emotional state was evident in body cam footage from both deputies, her inability to explain what happened struck Foster as unusual.

The third witness, Aaron Cooper, Ryan’s brother, described receiving a frantic phone call from Karina early that morning, before Cooper called 911. Aaron rushed to the home, where he too found Karina Cooper seated over Ryan’s body. Aaron testified that he checked for signs of life but found none as Ryan was cold and unresponsive. He also recalled an unsettling conversation with Karina in the days after the killing, in which she asked whether bullets always leave shell casings behind. Knowing she was experienced with guns, Aaron found the question suspicious.

The day concluded with testimony from Karina and Ryan’s teenage son, who spoke to the court with no photos or video being broadcast or published. He explained that he had typically slept on the living room couch, near where his father was later found. However, he said Karina had recently told him to stop sleeping there. On the night of the shooting, he was awakened by her screaming and saw her moving quickly between rooms. At one point, she handed him the phone during the 911 call and told him to talk to the dispatcher.

After further testimony Thursday and a break for the Fourth of July holiday on Friday, the trial will continue next week and is expected to include digital evidence and forensic findings that will play a central role in both sides’ arguments.