…She video-called friend from blood-soaked room and asked for help disposing body
- Ash Cooper faces 15 to 40 years in prison after she admitted to the shooting death of Morgan Connors in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, in 2022
- Cooper was initially charged as Joshua but began transitioning after her arrest
22 March 2024
Cooper was initially charged as Joshua Cooper but began transitioning after her arrest, with her lawyer asking the court to call her Ash
An 18-year-old transgender woman has pleaded guilty to the brutal murder of a 12-year-old girl she allegedly had a sexual relationship with.
Ash Cooper will spend at least 15 years in prison after she admitted to the shooting death of Morgan Connors in the trailer she shared with her father in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, in November 2022.
Police say the teen called a female friend on Instagram video after the murder and showed off Connors’ body covered in blood and asked for help disposing of it.
When she was arrested Cooper reportedly told cops the murder was an accident and that and she was sorry and scared of going to jail for the rest of his life.
Cooper was initially charged as Joshua Cooper but began transitioning after her arrest, with her lawyer asking the court to call her Ash.
The teen claimed she had been cleaning out her dad’s safe and going through his guns and ammo before Connors was dropped off at her house. She claimed her dad removed the safe’s battery which enabled the combination lock.
Ash Cooper, now 18, will spend at least 15 years in prison after she admitted to the shooting to death of Morgan Connors, who was 12 when she was killed
The teen claimed she had been cleaning out her dad’s safe and going through his guns and ammo before Connors was dropped off at her house
Cooper, who was 16 at the time of the murder, also allegedly told police she and Connors were in a sexual relationship.
‘It’s a horrible tragedy,’ said Bucks County Court Judge Jeffrey L. Finley. ‘A tragedy no family should ever have to undergo.’
Police were called to the murder scene a woman called 911 saying her daughter had received a video call from Cooper, who said he had killed someone before he flipped the camera and showed Connors’ bloody legs and feet.
According to court documents, Connors was found laying facedown with her pants around her ankles and a gunshot to the back.
Her cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the neck and upper chest area.
Police say they found evidence that someone had tried to clean up the crime scene.
Cooper told police the two had been watching Netflix when Connors got up to use the restroom. However, her mother ended the police interview before she could reveal what happened next, according to court documents.
Defense attorney Paul Lang has claimed Cooper is regretful and had a ‘difficult upbringing,’ and he hopes the guilty plea would bring rehabilitation and redemption, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Investigators never determined a motive behind the murder, according to prosecutors.
During the investigation, officials discovered Cooper was accused of sexual assault in a previous unrelated case. She was found guilty in juvenile court.
The victim was in court on Thursday as Cooper received his sentence.
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