Posted: March 19

NC appeals court to hear Brad Cooper case next month

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Raleigh, N.C. — The North Carolina Court of Appeals has scheduled oral arguments for April 9 in the case of a Cary man serving life in prison for killing his wife.

More Info Full coverage: Nancy Cooper murder case

Brad Cooper, 39, was found guilty in May 2011 of first-degree murder in the July 2008 death of 34-year-old Nancy Cooper, whose body was found in a drainage ditch in a cul-de-sac of an undeveloped subdivision near their Cary home.

The appeal for a new trial focuses on two rulings that a Wake County Superior Court judge made regarding testimony during the trial. Investigators found evidence on a laptop computer of a Google Maps search the day before Nancy Cooper disappeared of the location where her body was later found.

Defense attorneys wanted to call two witnesses to support their claim that the computer had been hacked and that the information about the map search had been planted onto the machine. The judge ruled that neither witness could testify.

A third ruling by the judge denied defense attorneys access to FBI procedures regarding forensic computer examinations.

The North Carolina Attorney General's Office said in a brief last month that the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it came to the three rulings and that any error was "harmless" because of an "overwhelming" amount of circumstantial evidence in the case.

The trial was one of the longest non-capital murder trials in Wake County history, lasting 36 days.

Witnesses testified that the Coopers, who moved to Cary from Canada, were in the process of separating and that Nancy Cooper wanted to move back to Canada with their two young children but that her husband had become controlling of the family finances and, at one point, had taken one of the children's passports to keep her from leaving with them.

Defense attorneys argued that Nancy Cooper went jogging on the morning of her death and never returned home. They claimed that Cary police's work on the case was "inept" and that investigators never pursued other leads because they were concerned that a random murder in Cary would be harmful to the town's reputation.

Web Editor: Kelly Gardner

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Jurors stated after the trial that the Google search is what convinced them he was guilty. That is why the DA fought tooth & nail to not allow the defense to use their "Techie" witnesses. As an IT Manager, I find it absolutely appalling that the jury was not allowed to hear their testimony as it would have ripped to shreds the Prosecutions case. Brad Cooper did not Google the location...plain and simple. It was planted after the fact. And that is where an investigation is needed.

Trolling Wolf
March 20, 2013 4:17 p.m.

The idea that Cooper was smart enough to fake a phone call alibi (which the prosecution couldn't prove) but dumb enough to not erase his internet search history (on the laptop Cary Police failed to secure) is crazy.

The trial had a ton of innuendo & accusations, but was way short on proof, and Cooper was never allowed to challenge the "evidence" that turned the jury - the Google search. Cooper deserves a new day in court - with a new judge.

hp277
March 20, 2013 3:35 p.m.

One of the all time shams I have ever witnessed was this trial. I hope he gets his day in court (a fair one)

Vincent Vega
March 20, 2013 1:50 p.m.

Brad Cooper is locked up and Casey Anthony is free. That's all I have to say about our justice system.

OneLove
March 20, 2013 1:44 p.m.

NEVER EVER TALK TO THE COPS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS LAWYER UP!!!! THEY CARE AS MUCH ABOUT THEIR CAREER AS THEY DO THE TRUTH. CASES LIKE THIS PROVE THAT

jhk0704
March 20, 2013 12:20 p.m.

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The North Carolina Court of Appeals heard oral arguments for about an hour Tuesday morning in the high-profile case of Brad Cooper,…
WRAL News reports on the lengthy first-degree murder trial of Brad Cooper and some of the issues arising from the case.
Superior Court Judge Paul Gessner reads the verdict of the jury on May 5, 2011, in the first-degree murder trial of Brad Cooper.
Richard McGough, a private investigator for the defense, testifies he didn't see Nancy Cooper wearing a diamond pendant necklace in…
Brad Cooper's mother, Carol Cooper, testifies April 27, 2011, that she was watching the news on Oct. 27, 2008, and heard that her son…
Prosecutor Howard Cummings questions Brad Cooper's mother, Carol Cooper, on April 27, 2011, about some wooden ducks from the Cooper…
Lead detective George Daniels testifies April 15, 2011, that he saw red marks on Brad Cooper's neck, but that he didn't photograph…
Lead detective George Daniels testifies April 15, 2011, that Brad had the "motive, means and opportunity" to set up calls and make it…
Lead detective George Daniels testifies April 15, 2011, that he believes anger and pent-up aggression were the motives behind Nancy…
Lead investigator George Daniels said Brad Cooper looked like he was trying to cry following the news that his wife had been found…
Family members cry April 7, 2011, as they sit in court and listen to a 2008 voicemail from Nancy Cooper.
Nancy Cooper's twin sister, Krista Lister, testifies April 5, 2011, that she was angry that Nancy met a man in Florida and was…
Krista Lister, Nancy Cooper's twin sister, recalls a conversation with Brad Cooper following her sister's disappearance.
Hannah Prichard said she told her friend, Nancy Cooper, that Brad Cooper "was crazy."
Hannah Prichard testified March 31, 2011, that Nancy Cooper found some "very disturbing" lists that Brad had written.
A Cary man accused of strangling his wife and dumping her body in an unfinished housing development nearly three years ago was found…
Reaction from the family of Nancy Cooper to the first-degree murder verdict in the trial of Brad Cooper.
Reaction from the Wake County District Attorney's Office to the first-degree murder verdict in the trial of Brad Cooper. (Audio…
Mike Hiller testifies April 27, 2011, that he read Nancy Cooper’s autopsy report six times and posted theories about her murder on…
Mike Hiller testifies April 27, 2011, in the Brad Cooper murder trial that he talked with Jessica Adam outside the Coopers' house on…
A man who says he had an affair with Nancy Cooper testified Tuesday as part of defense attorneys' attempts to discredit Cary police.
The lead detective investigating Nancy Cooper's July 12, 2008, death took the stand late Thursday in the first-degree murder trial of…
Lead investigator George Daniels said he saw markings on Brad Cooper's neck when he met with him shortly after his wife went missing.…
Lead investigator George Daniels said Brad Cooper would not give consent for authorities to search his home and asked if he was a…
Nancy Cooper's friend, Theresa Hackeling, testifies April 5, 2011, that Nancy slept in jeans with keys in her pocket, daughters…
Krista Lister, Nancy Cooper's twin sister, describes a fight between her sister and husband Brad Cooper as they prepared their home…
Krista Lister, Nancy Cooper's twin sister, said plans for her sister to leave husband Brad Cooper changed after he saw a copy of the…
Superior Court Judge Paul Gessner on March 25 reminds jurors of rules that prohibit them from talking about the Brad Cooper murder…