Behind The Lies

by Mark R Beckner

  “Did he say how Naomi was shot?”

  “He doesn’t know. He said maybe someone came in after he passed out and Justin had left. Now that he knows about an affair, he thinks maybe it was the guy she was screwing around with.”

  “Isn’t it more likely Ryan shot Naomi out of anger?”

  “Hell no, he would never do anything like that. He is devastated by her death.”

  “Is there any reason to believe Justin may have shot Naomi?”

  “Why would he do that?” Rich responds with a surprised look. “Justin is Ryan’s friend and partner has been for a long time. He had no beef with Naomi.”

  “Just have to ask,” says Masters. “Did you know Ryan owned a handgun?”

  “Yes, he has a small revolver.”

  “Does this look like his handgun?” asks Masters as he shows Rich a photo of the gun.

  “Yes, it looks like the one he owns,”

  “Okay Rich, thank you for your time today.”

  “You don’t think Ryan shot Naomi do you?” asks Rich.

  “At this point, we don’t know”, answers Masters.

  “He would never hurt Naomi like that.”

  “You’d be surprised what people will do when it involves relationships.”

  “No, not Ryan.”

  “Okay Mr. Cooper, thank you for your time today.”

  After Richard Cooper had left, Tippen says to Masters, “Sounds like Ryan may really believe Justin was there the night of the murder.”

  “He might,” responds Masters, “but it may just be a rouse. The evidence thus far points to Cooper. I’m anxious to get some results from forensics. If King was there drinking with Cooper, where is the extra glass? We should also expect to find his prints somewhere in that living room or kitchen.”

  There is not much else for the detectives to do except wait until they receive some forensic results from the crime scene. The evidence may help answer some questions, and be useful in the re-interviewing of Ryan Cooper.

  Both Masters and Tippen agree to take Sunday off to relax and recharge their bodies for what will likely be a long week.

  “See you first thing Monday,” says Tippen as she walks out the door.

  “Yep, have a good one,” replies Masters.

  Following Week

  On Monday morning, Masters fires up his computer and among his multiple emails is one from the Douglas County Coroner. He opens it up and attached is the autopsy report for Naomi Cooper. He scans to the summary.

  Manner of death: Homicide.

  Cause of death: Extreme penetrating trauma to the upper chest caused by two .38 caliber hollow-point bullets. Extensive damage was observed to the heart, right lung, aorta, and sternum.

  Toxicology Report: No alcohol or drugs detected.

  Justin King is back in the office at KC Spark Electric when he is advised by Lisa that Cooper has taken some time off to recover and plan Naomi’s funeral. She also informs him of numerous voice messages on the business voice mail system. Many are friends and associates expressing sorrow for Naomi’s death. Others are from clients wondering if the business will be able to complete current projects.

  “Call them back Lisa and thank them, then assure them there will be no delays on their projects,” instructs King. “I’m going to need you to step up and do some of the accounting Ryan was doing. Can you do that?”

  “Yes of course,” Lisa answers. “Justin, did you know about Naomi having an affair?”

  “Huh? oh yeah, she told me almost two weeks ago.”

  “Really? Did you tell Ryan?”

  “No, Naomi said she was going to tell him. Why are you asking me these questions?”

  “Just curious why she would tell you?”

  Ignoring the question, King says, “I also need you to pull a copy of the partnership agreement for me, specifically the morals clause and dissolution of the partnership.”

  “What are you thinking?” says Lisa.

  “Nothing, just want to be prepared should Ryan be arrested and sent to prison.”

  “You think he killed her?”

  “Isn’t it kind of obvious?” retorts King.

  As soon as they arrest Ryan, I’ll have grounds to start proceedings to dissolve the partnership and become sole owner, thinks King. So thankful Ryan insisted on adding that clause to the agreement.

  Detective Tippen walks into the detective bureau with some good news. “I just got the gunshot residue results back from the lab. They found residue on Cooper’s right hand.”

  “That’s a big piece right there,” says an excited Masters. “I’d call that probable cause to arrest.”

  “Would you like me to get started on an arrest warrant affidavit?” asks Tippen.

  “Yes, let’s get the body of the affidavit completed with what we know now, and then add as we get more information from forensics. No rush. Cooper may have killed his wife out of anger, but I don’t think he is a threat to anyone else. Oh, I forgot to ask, did the gun come back registered to Cooper?”

  “Yes,” replies Tippen, “he is the registered owner.”

  “That pretty much eliminates an intruder theory, don’t you think?” asks Masters. “Didn’t Cooper tell us his gun was hidden in his office?”

  “Yes he did,” responds Tippen. “What do you make of his amnesia story?”

  Masters laughs, “That’s bullshit. I’m sure he passed out from drinking after he shot his wife, but not having any memory of it? Nah, he just doesn’t have any other defense.”

  Both detectives are growing more confident that as the evidence grows they will soon have this case solved.

  Meanwhile, Ryan Cooper has become increasingly concerned over the police believing he killed his wife. Cooper has contacted an attorney, Chris Inglesby. Inglesby is a former Assistant DA in El Paso County, which includes Colorado Springs. He quit the DA’s office two years ago to open a private practice in Castle Rock. He had risen to the level of being one of their best homicide prosecutors. He did this for three years prior to leaving.

  Cooper meets with Inglesby and tells him the story of Naomi’s death, still claiming not to remember much of anything, other than he believes his business partner and friend, Justin King, was at his house prior to him passing out.

  “You say that Justin denies being at your house?” asks Inglesby.

  “Yes, he claims I have the day mixed up, that it was Tuesday night when he was there.”

  “And why are you so sure it was Wednesday night?”

  “Because it was the night Naomi had her book club. That’s where she was when Justin came over,” insists Cooper.

  “What is the last thing you remember before passing out?”

  “As I can recall, Justin made us some drinks of rum and coke. We were chatting and drinking, and then, I don’t really know what happened, but apparently I passed out. The next thing I knew, it was morning, and I woke up feeling awful. It took me a few moments to not feel faint. That’s when I found Naomi on the floor.”

  “Do you often drink and pass out?”

  “No, I can’t remember the last time I got drunk.”

  “The police theory will probably be that you shot Naomi, then continued to drink until you passed out.”

  “No, I did not shoot Naomi.”

  “Okay, let’s wait until we hear what evidence the police actually have. I’m sure they are processing evidence as we speak. In the meantime, do not answer any more questions from the police without my presence. Not on the phone or in person, you got that?”

  “Yeah, I got it. Thank you.”

  Late that afternoon, Tippen obtains additional testing results back from the lab while Masters and another detective are out interviewing the neighbors on Sandy Lane. She is anxious to share them with Masters. Based on the testing results:

  Ryan Cooper’s fingerprints were found on the drink glass retrieved from the round table next to the recliner. A small unidentified print was found on the bottom of the same glass. The liquid in
the glass was determined to be rum.

  Ryan Cooper’s fingerprints were found all over the half-empty bottle of rum, also retrieved from the round table.

  The letter to Ryan from Naomi had no fingerprints or smudges on it.

  Ryan Cooper’s fingerprints were found on the revolver.

  Ryan Cooper’s blood test showed a small amount of alcohol and no drugs.

  No fingerprints were found on the round table or coffee table.

  A small amount of Naomi Cooper’s blood was found on the left sleeve of Ryan Cooper’s shirt.

  No gunshot residue was found on Cooper’s clothing.

  About an hour later, Masters returns to the office. He tells Tippen they were unable to get any information from any of the neighbors. No one saw or heard anything that night. No one saw any cars parked in the driveway or in front of Cooper’s home.

  “Well,” says Tippen, “I’ve got some good news. Take a look at these results.”

  Masters quickly reads over the findings. “This is fantastic. If the ballistics tell us the bullets came from Cooper’s gun, we have a pretty solid case.”

  “Yes we do,” says an excited Tippen.

  Tuesday

  By mid-morning the next day, Tippen had completed the affidavit for an arrest warrant and is with Assistant County DA Jean Simmons. Simmons has just finished reading the affidavit.

  “What do you think?” asks Tippen.

  “Oh, this is plenty of probable cause for an arrest,” replies Simmons. “This looks like a solid case for first-degree murder. No sign of a fight before she was shot?”

  “No,” advises Tippen, “it looked as though she had just gotten home. Her purse was on the kitchen table, she was dressed in the same clothes she had on at book club, and the time of death was estimated to be between eight and eleven the night before. However, we know she couldn’t have arrived home much before nine, so that narrows it down even more. It’s all in the affidavit.”

  “Yeah, but he may try to claim heat of the moment type thing, or that she attacked him first,” says Simmons.”

  “He may,” responds Tippen, “but as of right now we have no evidence of that. He has already claimed to not remember anything.”

  Simmons signs off on the affidavit. Tippen takes the affidavit to one of the District Judges. After reading the affidavit, the Judge agrees there is probable cause to arrest for First Degree Homicide and signs the warrant for the arrest of Ryan Cooper.

  That afternoon, Masters and Tippen, accompanied by two patrol officers, arrive at the home of Ryan Cooper. Masters knocks on the front door. Initially, there is no answer. Masters knocks again, louder this time. Five seconds later, Cooper opens the door. He is wearing blue jeans and a Bronco’s t-shirt. It appears as though he hasn’t shaved in a couple of days.

  “Yes detectives, what is it?” he asks.

  “Mr. Cooper,” announces Masters, “we have a warrant for your arrest on charges of First Degree Murder and Felony Domestic Violence. We are placing you under arrest. Please turn around and place your hands on top of your head.”

  “What?!” exclaims Cooper, “I did not kill my wife!”

  “Just turn around Mr. Cooper, right now we have a warrant. Let’s make this easy.”

  In frustration, Cooper turns around and places his hands on top of his head. “Someone came in my house and killed Naomi while I was passed out,” says Cooper in a loud voice.

  “Right now is not the time to debate it,” says Masters, as one of the patrol officers pats Cooper down for any weapons, then handcuffs his hands behind his back. “We can talk about it some more at the station.”

  At the station, Cooper is escorted to the detective bureau and placed in one of the sparsely furnished interview rooms. Masters sits down across from Cooper while Tippen walks behind him and uncuffs his hands. She then joins Masters in sitting across from Cooper.

  “We have some more questions to ask you,” says Masters.

  “I’m not going to talk without my attorney,” insists Cooper.

  “So, the man who didn’t shoot his wife wants an attorney now, eh?” retorts Masters. “Who is your attorney?”

  “Chris Inglesby.”

  “We’ll go contact your attorney. You sit here and wait.”

  Masters and Tippen leave the room. Tippen watches Cooper in the interview room from the monitor in the media room while Masters calls Inglesby. Masters returns in a few minutes and tells Tippen the attorney is on his way.

  After waiting twenty minutes, Inglesby arrives and briefly meets with Tippen and Masters. They advise Inglesby of the new evidence and the charge for first-degree murder. They tell Inglesby they would like to ask Cooper some more questions.

  “It depends on what you ask as to whether I will let him answer,” warns Inglesby.

  “We understand,” replies Tippen.

  All three enter the interview room. Inglesby tells Cooper they will listen to the questions, but he only wants Cooper to answer when he tells him it is okay to answer. Cooper agrees.

  “Ryan,” starts Masters, “why did you have your gun with you last Wednesday night.”

  “He’s not going to answer that,” says Inglesby. “I can tell you he has no memory of handling any gun that night.”

  “Then why can’t he say that himself?”

  “I’m not going to let him answer any accusatory questions,” explains Inglesby.

  “We found his fingerprints all over the gun.”

  “Of course you did,” answered Inglesby, “it was his gun.”

  “What questions will you let him answer then?” asks Masters.

  “Ask him about his partner Justin King being there that night. His memory is much clearer now.”

  “I’ll bet it is. Okay, Ryan, what do you now remember about Justin King?”

  “I’m sure he was there that night,” answers Cooper. “He came over to discuss business and we had a couple of drinks of rum and coke. At some point, I passed out and that is all I remember.”

  “He denies being there at all,” challenges Masters. “He says he was there Tuesday night, not Wednesday. We have no evidence or witnesses that put him at your house that night. How do you explain that?”

  Inglesby nods indicating it is okay for Cooper to answer.

  “No one else was there except me and Justin. I know it was Wednesday night because it was the night Naomi had book club. That’s why we were the only two in the house.”

  “Why would he lie about being there?”

  “I have no idea, other than maybe he’s scared he will be blamed for Naomi’s death.”

  “Did he have reason to kill Naomi?”

  “No, not that I know of.”

  Masters presses harder, “So if he was there and had no reason to kill Naomi, that leaves you and you certainly had a reason.”

  “Okay,” interrupts Inglesby, “that’s enough. You need to find out why Mr. King is lying about not being there. There are things about this case that are not adding up. I need copies of your reports and lab findings.”

  “You will get copies once the DA has all of them,” Masters tells him. “And just so you know, we also have gunshot residue from Ryan’s hands and his prints on the glass and rum bottle. We have not found any circumstantial or forensic evidence that Mr. King was there.”

  Masters and Tippen conclude the interview. Tippen escorts Cooper out of the interview room to a waiting patrol car that will take him to the Douglas County Jail. Masters escorts Inglesby out of the police station. Before parting, Masters assures Inglesby they will confront King again about his whereabouts last Wednesday. Inglesby thanks him.

  At the jail, Cooper is taken to an intake room where he is again fingerprinted, and swabs of his DNA are taken. This is a routine procedure for homicide arrestees. After the intake paperwork is completed, Cooper is taken to another smaller concrete block room with a cement floor. There is one bench seat along the back wall. Cooper is made to take off all his clothing, including underwear. Coo
per is stressed and the room feels chilly, causing Cooper to shiver. A corrections officer then conducts a strip search of Cooper’s body.

  This is humiliating. Why is this happening to me? thinks Cooper.

  After the strip search, Cooper is given an orange jumpsuit to wear. Once he is redressed in the jumpsuit, he is escorted by two corrections officers through a large steel door that clangs shut behind them. He is walked down a long hall past numerous jail cells containing prisoners. Some of the prisoners get up to the bars of their cells to see who the new resident is.

  Cooper is taken to a vacant eight by ten-foot block walled cell and placed inside. As the officers leave, they close the heavy steel barred door behind them. It makes a large clanging sound as it is closed, sending a shiver down Cooper’s back. A week after Naomi’s death, Cooper is now sitting in jail for her murder. Cooper's eyes well up with tears as he thinks, how am I going to prove my innocence? I know I didn’t kill Naomi. Why can’t I remember what happened?

  Two Days Later

  On Thursday, Tippen and Masters have called King back to the police station for another interview. He arrives at approximately 10:30 am.

  “Justin,” starts Tippen, “we have a few more questions to ask you.”

  “Sure,” says King, “anything I can do to help.”

  “Ryan’s memory has cleared up since last week, and he is now sure you were at his home on the night of the murder,” advises Tippen.

  “Well, simply not true. I was there on Tuesday night, not Wednesday night.”

  “He’s pretty clear it was Wednesday night Justin. He knows because that was the night Naomi was gone for book club. You were the only two there.”

  “I don’t know what he’s saying, but I wasn’t there.”