TOLEDO – For a man of few words, Ryan Cooper’s family members offered up many of their own as part of two powerful victim impact statements made during Karina Sue Cooper’s sentencing hearing last Friday which took place more than two months after she was found guilty of first-degree murder in connection with her husband’s death.

The proceedings were held in the Tama County Courthouse in the main courtroom with Sixth Judicial District Chief Judge Lars Anderson presiding – the same judge who presided over Karina Cooper’s jury trial in Linn County District that ended on Friday, July 11, with a guilty verdict.

Karina Cooper, now 48, was arrested and charged on Feb. 19, 2024, with first-degree murder in connection with her husband Ryan Cooper’s death following a more than two-and-a-half year investigation by both the Tama County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. He was found deceased in the home he and Karina shared with their three minor children west of Traer in the early morning hours of Friday, June 18, 2021. He had been shot twice in the face.

Karina Cooper’s co-defendant and former lover, Huston William Danker, now 28, pled guilty last month to first-degree murder also in connection with Ryan Cooper’s death on what would have been the first day of his own trial mere moments before jury selection was set to begin in Johnson County District Court. During the proceedings on Aug. 12, he acknowledged to the judge that he and Karina Cooper were lovers and had planned the murder together over the course of four to five months.

But on Friday, Sept. 19, it was Ryan whom both Heather Cooper and Michelle Wilson wanted to focus on as they gave their victim impact statements from the witness stand. During their statements, which were given one after the other, Karina Cooper had no choice but to face them from her location at the defense table. To her right, attorney Aaron Hawbaker with the Waterloo Adult Public Defender Office sat, while to her left, Tama County Sheriff Casey Schmidt was seated. She was wearing orange prison garb with her feet tethered together.

More than 30 people filled the public gallery Friday afternoon including many of Ryan Cooper’s loved ones. Members of Karina Cooper’s family, the Alpers family, were also present including her mother and siblings, and were seated directly behind the defense table.

Assistant Attorneys General Israel Kodiaga and Michael Ringle along with Assistant Tama County Attorney Geneva Williams appeared for the State, while Tama County Attorney Brent Heeren, who had been attending a sentencing hearing in a separate courtroom that afternoon, arrived later and stood in the back of the room.

The proceedings began around 2:50 p.m. and lasted roughly 35 minutes. After addressing the results of Karina Cooper’s trial in July, Judge Anderson turned to her motion for a new trial filed on Aug. 26.

When asked by the judge if either side had anything further to add in support of the motion and the State’s resistance filed on Sept. 17, Hawbaker replied, “No, your honor, we would stand on the pleading.”

Ringle also said he had nothing to add, telling the judge, “No, the State would rest on record created in this matter at trial, and just note that the greater weight of credible evidence favors the verdict rendered in this case.”

Judge Anderson then ruled against Karina Cooper’s motion for a new trial, citing the “weight of the evidence.” While he declined to cite all the evidence supporting the guilty verdict, he highlighted “Ms. Cooper’s relationship with Mr. Danker and the messages with Mr. Danker, both before and particularly the night and morning of the murder. Messages which directly implicate Ms. Cooper in Ryan Cooper’s death.”

He then turned to sentencing, asking if either side wanted to speak.

“The State is just requesting that the court impose the sentence of life in prison without parole,” Ringle replied.

“It’s required by statute, your honor, so no,” Hawbaker added.

He then gave Karina Cooper the opportunity to address him, as required by Iowa law, before rendering judgment in her case.

“There’s no requirement that you say anything, but if there is anything you would like to say, this is your chance,” he told her.

“I respectfully say no your honor,” she replied.

Heather Cooper: ‘We will spend forever showing them what a loving marriage is’

Ryan Cooper’s sister-in-law, Heather Cooper, then made her way from the gallery to the witness stand to give her victim impact statement.

“I want to thank you for this time today, for our family and friends to have a chance to tell Ryan’s story and share our grief and pain,” she began, reading from several pages of typed testimony. She then addressed the three years her family spent following Ryan’s death “living in fear, scared of the unknown for the next, scared for our nephews and our niece,” before focusing on the very early hours and days of the investigation back in 2021.

“At first, we thought, was this an unknown grudge [against] a person [in] the Cooper family? Then as rumors escalated, and time with authorities, it became, ‘Could she really have done something like this?'”

Heather also touched on what her husband Aaron Cooper, Ryan’s brother, experienced.

“I watched my husband live in fear those first few nights, unable to sleep in our home. Being first on scene left horror images in his head and unable to sleep at night. Worried for ourselves, worried for our dad. It’s a fear I wouldn’t wish upon anybody. Why did she put him through that? Was it her last stab? Were we that terrible to her? Hearing leads passed around, but nothing made sense. Huston [Danker]? What was this about? She never explained. She chose to let us live in the unknown.”

Of Ryan and Karina’s three minor children – present in the home before, during, and after their father’s murder – Heather said their faces displayed “pure terror” the morning their father died.

“I sat in my vehicle hugging them, fiercely, their aunt. Nothing but pure love and fear inside. How does a mother look at her child with fear in their eyes every day and not say anything? Our lives that day were forever changed. But nothing prepared me for this.”

‘This’ being the guilty verdict rendered by the jury.

“The day (the) verdict came in, I had an idea of how I would feel: grateful. Justice was served, right? But it wasn’t. It was a different kind of sadness. Honestly, it felt like a death. Like she had died. Life forever changed, a family forever broken.”

Heather went on to explain how Karina “hardly came around” after Ryan’s murder, how she was “distant” and couldn’t seem to leave family events fast enough. Heather then transitioned to the man Ryan was to his family and friends.

“Your honor, during trial, you were given a lot of information about the character of her. I want to share Ryan. And what this world is missing.

“He was a quiet man, you heard many say. Gentle, kind. Got along with anyone. If he wasn’t in those shops, hanging around with friends, you could find him on a farm – two little boys in their cowboy boots following shortly behind. He was the one that knew everyone. … He was the guy that left his home in a disaster during a storm to go help the neighbor. He would go on family trips, and we would find him helping the owner out, not because he was asked or because he thought he needed to or needed anything in return. He was a simple man, kind, caring, thoughtful towards others.”

Heather then spoke about how her husband and Ryan farmed together.

“My husband would tell you the year before Ryan died was one of his favorite times in the business. They were finally getting the dynamic. Mom was gone. Sister stepping into that role. It was a full circle, family business. Something to be proud of. Ryan would have told you he could not wait to show his boys how it was done. Counting down the years, he could finally throw them up in that tractor and say, ‘Get it done.’ We were happy. Now there’s a hole in the business.”

She then went back to how the children were affected by Ryan’s murder, touching on how his three youngest suffered “massive trauma no child should ever have to witness,” but received no therapy in the years leading up to their mother’s arrest – a statement to which Karina reacted by shaking her head.

“As we move forward as a family of eight,” she continued, “I want her to know what she gave up. We will be at every baseball, football, volleyball and whatever game they choose. I will sit in that stand, and I will yell proudly. I want them to look up and smile. And I want them to know that they are loved and supported. … We will spend forever showing them what a loving marriage is.”

As she neared the end of her statement, Heather thanked law enforcement for being a “constant” presence in her and Aaron’s lives before expressing bewilderment at Karina’s behavior with investigators.

“How many times did she call? Maybe once? Twice? In three years? Three years (of) anger and mixed emotions, trying to decide if we would have to remain around her forever, never really knowing the truth. The detectives on the case became our family, supporting our family, helping us through emotions. We were met with support and kindness. We never would have made it through these last few years without the support of the family and friends and the community coming together – putting these kids first. Her friends became ours. Her family became ours. I know Ryan is proud. The guy, always helping, would be proud.”

In her final remarks, Heather looked forward, stating that while Karina “deserves the worst,” it was time to focus her energy elsewhere.

“I don’t want her to be the topic anymore. I want to enjoy life without (it) hanging over us. So this is it – last she will see of us. Last, I will address her. Last, I will care to give her any thought. She can now – Go. To. Prison.”

Heather then walked back to her place in the gallery, passing just to the right of the defense table. As she walked by, Karina took a sharp breath in.

Michelle Wilson: ‘We will never stop celebrating Ryan’s life’

For her part, Michelle Wilson, Ryan’s older sister by a decade, spoke much slower than Heather Cooper, seemingly weighing every word while also struggling with emotion.

Wilson began with a powerful set of facts – stating that almost from the beginning, her family knew their sister-in-law, Karina Cooper, was involved in Ryan’s murder but were forced to live behind a facade so that investigators could put together an “airtight” case.

The newspaper is printing Wilson’s victim impact statement below in its entirety.

Well, today’s the day. The day I can finally speak out about how this narcissistic psychopath made the incomprehensible choice to rid her pathetic life of my brother, [paused, caught her breath a bit] Ryan Cooper. I began writing notes for this statement over four years ago. The first note started just one day after Ryan’s murder. The day we sat in the building right next door and learned who was responsible for this heinous crime.

Ryan was my little brother, 10 years younger than myself. From the time he was old enough to walk, he was kicking around in cowboy boots and farming from the living room floor with his extensive set of Case IH, diecast farm implements and his Peterbilt semi tractor and trailers. That kid was no doubt going to be a farmer.

As he grew up, he quickly moved on to dirt bikes, four wheelers and real tractors. He loved all kinds of toys, even in his adulthood. During planting and harvesting seasons, Ryan couldn’t wait to get out of school and into the cab of a tractor. There was never any question about what Ryan wanted to be when he grew up. He was a farmer.

It was also clear from a young age that Ryan had a fondness for little ones. I have so many photos of Ryan holding and playing with my babies, his nieces and nephews. Even more than being a farmer, he wanted to be a dad. Nothing made him prouder and more overjoyed than having a family of his own. His four children, Cole, Cayd, Cable, and Cortlyn were his most cherished treasures. And he loved them, every ounce of his being.

On June 18, 2021, all of this was taken from Ryan, and Ryan was taken from us. Back in July, just two months ago, we all heard the horrific details of the day that Ryan was murdered and the absolutely disgusting five months of planning that led up to that day. But what ensued in the coming months, weeks – coming days, weeks, months and years was atrocious. Imagine your brother had been murdered. Imagine the person responsible for his murder [had been] living in your brother’s home along with him and his three young children. The heinous crime was committed in their home while three of the children slept upstairs and no efforts were made by the person responsible to protect [them] from either the purported random intruder or from the horrific crime scene.

Within 24 hours, you’ve been assured by law enforcement that the evidence collected thus far undeniably demonstrates her involvement. Though much of the evidence is unable to be disclosed, you know just enough to begin putting the pieces together. Meanwhile, you are grieving and processing the murder of your brother. You are planning a funeral. All the details being decided alongside your brother’s murderer – and that’s just the beginning. The person responsible for your brother’s murder now has custody of your brother’s children. This person who is typically a passionate, intense, assertive and aggressive person, (now) has nothing to share with law enforcement, offers no details or insights into who or how someone could come into their home and murder your brother. And never sees a single update on the status of the case from law enforcement.

Over the next 32 months, you want to see your brother’s children. You want to remain part of their lives. You want them to know how important they are to you. But in order to do that, you have to spend birthdays, holidays, vacations, other family events and community activities with your brother’s murderer. You want to be there for anything and everything your niece and nephews might need. But along with spending time with the kids, you must also spend time with your brother’s murderer. You want to help support their wellbeing and provide for their basic needs as they’ve lost not only their father, but (also) the place they call home.

So you provide them and your brother’s murderer a family acreage. During all this time, your brother’s murderer is parading around the community, portraying herself as a grieving widow and a victim. She is manipulating anyone and everyone who would listen. She rarely ever speaks your brother’s name – only occasionally mentioning him in conversation and then referring to him only as ‘husband.’ She sought praise and accolades for her actions, her efforts in building this new life for herself and her children. The new life that began when she murdered your brother.

She even expresses to others how she felt the Cooper family was failing to support her and the children – like we had just abandoned them altogether and were choosing to exclude them from our family. Thankfully, many could see through her lies, but, unfortunately, many others were caught up in her manipulation. As much as we wanted to face Ryan’s murderer, confront her about her actions, to tell her we weren’t believing her lies – we had to keep up the facade. We continued to hug her. We continued to tell her we loved her. All the while she’s still believing she’s successfully hiding her deepest, darkest secret that she murdered our brother in cold blood. We did that for the children, to protect and maintain our relationship with Ryan’s children. And we did that to allow the investigators time to assemble and prepare the solid, masterful and airtight case we heard at trial.

Ryan, we will never stop saying Ryan’s name. We will never stop celebrating Ryan’s life. And we will never stop supporting Ryan’s greatest and most beautiful legacy, his children. Cole, Cayd, Cable, and Cortlyn will forever know how much their father loved them and how so very proud of them he was. Ryan will forever be remembered as a wonderful father, son, brother, uncle, friend, truck driver, neighbor. He was a man of few words. He spent hours on the phone, hours on end, making phone calls. And you all remember the headset and the miles and miles he paced while talking on his phone. And though it seemed he only had a few close friends, the attendance at his funeral and the miles-long line of semis at his funeral procession say the most about who he was to our community.

Ryan was sentenced to death by this murderer. Those of us left on earth were sentenced to life without Ryan. There is no justice. There will be no forgiveness. What I hope for now is simply closure. There is no sentence for you that would adequately punish you for your evil, vile, selfish, delusional, and narcissistic actions. I will waste no time and no energy in addressing you about that. My full, complete and final message to you is — go to hell.”

Judgment

Following Wilson’s statement, Judge Anderson handed down his sentence.

“Ms. Cooper is adjudicated to be guilty of the offense of murder in the first degree in violation of Iowa Code … and judgement is entered accordingly. She is sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. Her custody is placed with the Director of the Division of Adult Corrections. Her temporary custody would be County Sheriff,” he said.

The judge then ordered Karina Cooper to pay victim restitution in the amount of $150,000 “as required by Iowa Code” to the Estate of Ryan Cooper. She was also ordered to pay supplemental restitution to Crime Victim Services in the amount of $14,944.76 plus that same amount to the Crime Victim Compensation Program. She will also pay court costs as established by the clerk of court

When asked, Hawbaker declined court-appointed counsel fees.

Judge Anderson waived payment of Category B restitution after reviewing an affidavit filed by Hawkaber that went uncontested by the State.

As required by law, Karina Cooper will provide a DNA sample to the Department of Correctional services for the purposes of DNA profiling.

Just before the hearing ended, Judge Anderson addressed Karina Cooper directly, telling her she committed a “senseless crime.”

“Mr. Cooper was, by what I heard at trial and from the State today, a hardworking, kind, generous man who loved his children and his many friends. Ms Cooper, your actions – whether you were the one who shot Mr. Cooper, or whether as a result of aiding and abetting Huston Danker resulted in his death – they deprived your children of not only a father, but of a mother. And I can’t really state any more eloquently than was stated in the victim impact statements, the broader impact it’s had on Mr. Cooper’s many friends and family.”

Sheriff’s commentary

On Sunday afternoon, Tama County Sheriff Casey Schmidt spoke with the newspaper about the Karina Cooper case, focusing on both the sentencing hearing on Friday and the yearslong investigation that was, at times, criticized by some in the community.

“Friday was met with a whole slew of emotions. I think that a lot of people were ready for Friday. It was met with so much emotion, and rightfully so. And I think, ultimately, at the end of the day, in the conversations that I’ve had — and even me personally — I am ready to never have to say Karina Cooper’s name again. And I think a lot of people are ready to move on.

He then turned to the investigation.

“It has been such a long process and long investigation, and the reason why it was such a long investigation … we put forth the best effort, we put forth the best case that we possibly [could]. And I know that there was a lot of doubt. I know that there was a lot of skepticism, especially when Karina was walking free and essentially living her life when Ryan couldn’t. I think there are many reasons for that, but the main reason is that we want to make sure, as law enforcement, that we put together and we investigate the best possible case. … But a lot of that takes time.”

He also spoke about the lead detective in the case, Tama County Investigator Trevor Killian.

“Trevor Killian the last couple years has been laser-focused in his capacity as our investigator. … I can’t even put into words how much time and effort goes into [such an investigation] that nobody sees. … All the credit goes to Trevor for really investing himself and investing time into this case and making sure that every aspect of it was tight. … And, obviously, in concert with DCI [Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation], and the AG’s office in preparation, [but] there wasn’t anybody that knew the case better than Trevor.”

To end his comments, Sheriff Schmidt spoke about Ryan Cooper, his legacy, and the greater Traer community.

“It’s clear that the legacy of Ryan has touched so many people – and Ryan’s life touched so many people. And in this day and age, we focus so much on the defendant and their rights, I feel like a lot of times … we forget about empowering victims.

“Ultimately, I have a lot of faith [that] the Traer community will be there when needed. It’s humbling to have a community like Tama County that I know will step up when needed. It’s the truth. I love the Cooper family. … You get close with victims’ families, especially when it’s a higher-profile case. I think Heather and Michelle said it best in their statements [on Friday]. … Sometimes, justice can take time. And I don’t want people to lose faith that just because it takes time, (it) doesn’t mean that justice won’t be rendered or won’t be served.

“Specifically, in the Cooper case, justice was served and the right people were held accountable.”