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2:52 p.m. • 2-12-12

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Criminal Profiler Analyzes Man Charged With 5 Murders


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Michael Teague
Michael Teague

Investigators say a man charged Tuesday in connection with a string of unsolved murders does not fit the mold of a serial killer.

Samuel James Cooper, 30, was arrested last week in connection with a Garner bank robbery. Investigators have since charged him with five homicides in Raleigh and Wake County.

A criminal profiler with whom WRAL talked said there was planning involved in the murders and that the motive is what made the suspect hard to catch.

"He would follow that old gangster type of serial killer,” Michael Teague said.

Teague is a forensic psychologist who worked for the Raleigh Police Department as a criminal profiler. He said Cooper does not fit the profile of a person who kills for fun, but rather someone who kills for money.

Such an action is "pretty much based on financial gain and just has very little hesitation about killing somebody,” he said.

Some of the murders with which Cooper is charged involved robberies and were near each other.

"He planned these events pretty well," Teague said.

Teague said he is not surprised Cooper has a long criminal history. Many people accused of such crimes do.

He was surprised investigators put the pieces together as well as they did.

"This is not a needle in the haystack. This is a needle in the universe,” Teague said.

Teague does not believe Cooper was temporarily insane when police say he committed these crimes.

Cooper's next court date is scheduled for Dec. 18.

  • Reporter:
  • Photographer: Anthony Shepherd
  • Web Editor: Minnie Bridgers

RELATED TOPICS: Wake County, Raleigh, Garner

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13 Comments


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I thought profling was illegal?

Papa Jim you took the words right out of my mouth. Why waste ANY time on trials and court? Tax payers money on this murderer? Whether he was a serial killer or not, he still KILLED.

The only insanity involved in this case, is that he was insanely-stupid enough to think & believe he'd NEVER get caught or pay for these murders/robberies/crimes.

I think it was easy to break this case:must have been that he had been using the same gun to commit these crimes.They just compared the gun he was found with,with the ballistic evidence from the other cases/murders.Simple.RPD rocks!They did it in hours!

I knew he wasn't a serial killer, but more of a crime-spree type killer, for lack of a better term. It's a subtle difference and he's still just as cold-blooded as a serial killer, but it is definitely a different profile.

If he is indeed guilty, he should never again see the light of day...

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