Death Row inmate Kevin Cooper loses last appeal

A California death row inmate convicted of  gruesome murders in Chino Hills 26 years ago lost his last appeal today when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his conviction.

Kevin Cooper, 52, was sentenced to death in 1985 in the murders of a Chino Hills couple and two children. He came within hours of being executed by lethal injection in 2004, when a federal appeals court stepped in and ordered a new hearing on his claims of evidence tampering and prosecutorial misconduct.

That review failed to convince a federal judge in San Diego that Cooper's guilty verdict was erroneous, and the inmate's appeal of that decision was rejected by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in May. The appeals court was deeply divided in its denial, however, with at least 11 of the 27 judges dissenting and some warning that the state was poised to execute an innocent man.

While the Supreme Court's refusal to review Cooper's case marks the end of his legal recourse, the death penalty has been on hold in California for nearly four years and no new date has been set for his execution.

Cooper has maintained his innocence in the murders throughout the 26 years since Doug and Peggy Ryen, their 10-year-old daughter Jessica and 11-year-old neighbor Christopher Hughes were found slaughtered in the Ryens' hilltop ranch house. Cooper, a convicted burglar and suspected rapist, had escaped two days earlier from the nearby state prison at Chino.

Cooper's lawyers had argued that evidence destroyed or lost by San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies pointed to three white men, including a convicted contract killer, as the perpetrators. Lawyers for the state attorney general's office, however, insisted the evidence of Cooper's guilt was "overwhelming."

-- Carol J. Williams

Comments

[Dave]

Disgusting human garbage!

[Gaby C]

There is no doubt that Kevin Cooper did it, and needs to suffer the consequences of his actions.

[Nolo]

26 years too long. With any luck, this will take place within 26 days. No matter how you feel about it, the death penalty in CA has become a joke because of its lack of deterrent effect due to appeals and subsequent appeals costs.

As he was slaughtering the children, I'm sure he had no thought about insuring they had no pain or suffering associated with their deaths. Accordingly, he should be killed in accordance with his preferred method of murdering kids, pain be damned. Whether it's a 3 drug cocktail or an overdose of one, it is certinaly not cruel. Unfortunately for CA, it is unusual.

[Sanford]

I do support the death penalty, but when there are valid questions regarding witnesses, evidence and etc.- life in prison is my choice.

[Tom]

Justice delayed is justice denied! Execute him now!

[MdW]

Although this is a very gruesome crime and someone should pay for it I am just not sure they have the guilty person. All evidence does not point to Kevin Cooper and if there is the slightess chance that there was someone else at that crime seen it should be investigated.

[Duane]

The 9th Circus Court of Appeals will still screw this thing up.

[Joel]

I lived in California at the time this happened. If ever there was someone who needs to get the death penalty kick-started in California, this guy is the perfect candidate.

[Annamarie]

I live in Chino Hills and knew of the Ryen family. There is no way a single man could do this to 5 people. It had to be several people in order to do this type of crime. No man would allow anyone hurt their family in a way this family was killed. Kevin Copper was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[Dgo]

What have we become as a society. All of you are out for blood. Believe it or not, but putting this man to death will not bring anyone back from the dead. Capital punishment is outdated, archaic and barbaric practice that needs to be completely eliminated. Who is anyone to decide if a person gets to live or die? Yes I know he allegedly took someone else's life, even though the evidence behind that is sketchy, but does that give someone else the right to take his? Capital punishment is murder. Plain and simple.

[Michael Ejercito]

If a DNA test sought by the defense proves guilt, that is pretty much proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

[Mary]

I spent a tremendous amount of time studying this case. I took a week off of work and studied the case at the court house atteneded the hearing. This guy is guilty. Also please let me remind you that I was able to speak with a few of the jurors and they also think he is guilty. I have followed this case and became very much involved. I get so tired of reading the paper and watching the news especially when they don't report the facts.

[Troy]

The disgust is for people that see a horrible crime and just want someone to pay for it, even if that someone is not the culprit. The prosecution, the police, the judges, and all complacent observers in the execution of an innocent man are no less guilty of murder than the actual killers of this family, for they have ignored the "reasonable doubt" and gone forward with their vengeful hearts and bloodlust. They do not seek truth or justice but only "an eye for an eye". Anyone's eye for that matter will do.
I am a proponent of the Death Penalty but not when such grave questions remain. Truth & Justice and error in the favor of life are more important than blind revenge, especially when the death penalty is involved. It is results like this that endanger truly needed cases of death panalty verdicts. The saddest part is that the true killers are free.
All the blind vengeful shall have their revenge, and they shall eat it too. The universe will see to your personal justice.
Be not so swift to punnishment, but unto justice arrive thee.

[Hopeful for Justice]

Kevin Cooper should be put to death. I lived in the hide out house where he was staying and I do not believe that it is some rare coincidence that he escaped from Chino prison 2 days prior to the murder, was in the lower house and by some twist of faith the family and friend were slaughtered and the youngest Ryen child left barely clinging to life. Come on people wake up! I use to have nightmares as a child when I lived there that someone was going to come and kill my family, or I would be so afraid to be in my aunts house (the murder house) which was above us, that I would not stay there past dark. This man has not only destroyed Josh Ryen's life and many other that knew the Ryen's, but he continues to cause chaos in the lives of my family as well. Everytime he goes for an appeal Josh has to relive that experience, everytime Kevin goes for an appeal he disturbs my family at their home with a media frenzy. Stop the insanity already, stop waisting my tax dollars and millions of other's tax dollars and put him to death and make him suffer the same amount of pain that the Ryen family and Chris had to suffer with. Justice has not been served for them or their family and I believe it is time.

[Matthew Bright]

It was overwhelming. He did it. And in a world where tens of thousands of kids die every day of starvation, getting all goopy and tearful for this guy is simply perverse.

[iHateDirtBags]

The only survivor should receive JUSTICE. This DIRT BAG and his followers should be put out.