A jealous teenager stabbed her boyfriend to death after he refused to let her access his phone and accused him of cheating.
Tadarius Massey, 19, died at a hospital in Orlando on August 14 after being stabbed in the shoulder and heart during a fight with 18-year-old Zoe Cooper at her home.
Cooper claimed she acted in self-defense and it wasn’t until November 15 that she was arrested by campus police at Texas Southern University in Houston.
She was charged with manslaughter and had to appear in court in Houston, but was released on November 20 and it is not clear whether she has been returned to Florida.
The teen admitted to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department that she stabbed Massey during a fight sparked by her request to look at his phone.
“Cooper and Massey then engaged in a prolonged physical altercation, during which they both punched each other and struggled with each other,” according to court documents she told them.
“Cooper said during the argument she armed herself with a knife, but then Massey grabbed the knife and stabbed stuffed animals and pulled out the knife.”
She then retrieved the knife and fatally wounded Massey by stabbing him with it, she said. Cooper had a visibly bruised eye when police questioned her.
Tadarius Massey, 19, died at a hospital in Orlando on August 14 after being stabbed in the shoulder and heart
His girlfriend Zoe Cooper, 18, was charged with manslaughter and appeared in court in Houston
However, no stabbed cuddly toys were found at the scene. Cooper also claimed that Massey poured liquor on her during the fight, but no evidence of that was found either.
Witnesses told police they saw the couple outside the house after Massey was stabbed, claiming Cooper was “frantic” and said, “I didn’t mean to do it.”
Cooper got into a silver car and took Massey and the witnesses to the hospital, dropped them off and drove away. Massey died in hospital before police arrived.
The day after Massey’s death, Cooper posted an Instagram reel of photos of them, with the caption, “If I could take it back or trade places in a heartbeat I would #LLTD, love you always.” I’m really sorry for what I did. Shouldn’t it have been this way?’
An autopsy found other stab and laceration wounds on Massey’s left wrist and forearm, a cut on his forehead and strangulation marks on his neck.
Further investigation revealed an alleged pattern of abuse between the couple, which led to Massey’s boss at Subway saying he sometimes came to work “beaten up.”
Cooper would sometimes come in and just watch him work without them saying anything, he said.
After Cooper allegedly assaulted him at Ocoee High School last December, Massey told the assistant principal she was again angry that he wouldn’t let him see her phone and accused him of talking to other women.
Massey with his mother Susanna Massey at his high school graduation
Further investigation revealed an alleged pattern of abuse between the couple that led to Massey’s boss at Subway saying he sometimes came to work “beaten up.”
The school official said Massey told her he wasn’t fighting back, and Cooper had attacked him several times and stabbed him before.
Police found a photo of him with a fresh stab wound in his left shoulder from March 24 while searching his phone, and the autopsy found two healed stab wounds in the same spot.
Cooper sent insulting messages to Massey just days later, on March 29, saying, “I should have killed you,” and “I’ll spit in your grave.” [sic].’
Other messages read: “I wish you had died that day,” “I’m glad I stabbed you.” [sic]’.
Cooper was arrested at TSU the day after Orange County police asked them to take her into custody.
However, despite the serious charges, she was released and court documents revealed that Orange County police had withdrawn their extradition request.
“Requiring the jurisdiction to lift the seizure will not extradite,” the document said.
Massey’s aunt Alicia Grant started a fundraising campaign on behalf of his mother Susanna Massey, which raised $6,130 for his funeral.
‘He had his whole life ahead of him. Parents should not have to bury their children. This has been a tremendous and unexpected loss,” she wrote.