Murder trials for Shellsburg man, Traer woman will go forward next year

Separate trials for a Shellsburg man and a Traer woman accused of killing the woman’s husband in 2021 are on track to start in January and February.

Sixth Judicial District Chief Judge Lars Anderson, during two pretrial hearings Friday, asked the lawyers if there were any issues with the trial dates. Lawyers said they were ready to go forward.

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Karina Sue Cooper, 46, and Huston W. Danker, 26, each are charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of Cooper’s husband, Ryan Cooper, 42, on June 18, 2021.

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Danker will stand trial Jan. 21 in Johnson County District Court. Cooper will be tried Feb. 25 in Linn County District Court. Both trials were moved out of Tama County because of pretrial publicity.

According to a criminal complaint for Karina Cooper, Tama County sheriff’s deputies received a 911 call about 4:35 a.m. June 18, 2021, saying someone had been shot at the Coopers’ residence, 1846 K Ave. in Traer. The complaint does not state who made the call.

The deputies found Karina Cooper sitting on top of her husband, who was in a recliner in their home. Ryan Cooper appeared to have been shot in the face.

Karina Cooper and her three children, also in the home when deputies arrived, were taken outside. Medical personnel responded, but the medical examiner pronounced Ryan Cooper dead at the scene.

Further investigation — including an autopsy — showed that Ryan Cooper died from two gunshot injuries to his face. A .22 caliber shell casing was found in the home and collected by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s crime scene team. No gun was found in the immediate area around the body, the complaint stated.

During the investigation, which included multiple search warrants and interviews, investigators learned Karina Cooper told two witnesses she wanted her husband dead and “could shoot him in the face.”

Cooper remains in jail on a $1 million bail.

A complaint for Danker, also under a $1 million bail, stated he told investigators he planned and assisted Karina Cooper in shooting her husband. The complaint doesn’t provide further details about when Danker’s confession was made to authorities, or what his connection is to Karina Cooper.

During previous pretrial hearings, those questions were not answered.

During Danker’s bail hearing in May, the prosecution argued against lowering bail, saying Danker had access to a “large sum of cash” and he and Karina Cooper had for months been planning to kill her husband. Prosecutor Mike Ringle said they sought to obtain a $500,000 life insurance policy om him and then flee the state.

However, Judge Anderson ruled the prosecution’s concerns about the $1 million bail not being high enough has been “satisfactorily addressed” in the existing bail conditions. He also said prosecution’s argument about Danker’s access to insurance proceeds are “only speculative.”

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