- Ash Cooper faces 15 to 40 years in prison after admitting the 2022 shooting death of Morgan Connors in Bensalem, Pennsylvania
- Cooper was initially charged as Joshua, but began transitioning after her arrest
An 18-year-old transgender woman has pleaded guilty to the brutal murder of a 12-year-old girl with whom she allegedly had a sexual relationship.
Ash Cooper will spend at least 15 years in prison after admitting to the shooting death of Morgan Connors in the trailer she shared with her father in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, in November 2022.
Police say that after the murder, the teen called a friend on an Instagram video, showing Connors’ body covered in blood and asking for help disposing of it.
When she was arrested, Cooper reportedly told police that the murder was an accident and that she was sorry and afraid of going to prison 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 cleaned out her father’s safe and searched his guns and ammunition before dropping Connors off at her house. She claimed that her father removed the battery from the safe, which enabled the combination lock.
Ash Cooper, now 18, will spend at least 15 years in prison after admitting to the shooting death of Morgan Connors, who was 12 when she was killed
Cooper was initially charged as Joshua Cooper, but began transitioning after her arrest, with her attorney asking the court to call her Ash
The teen claimed she cleaned out her father’s safe and searched his guns and ammunition before dropping Connors off at her house.
Cooper, who was 16 at the time of the murder, also allegedly told police that she and Connors had a sexual relationship.
“It’s a terrible tragedy,” Bucks County Court Judge Jeffrey L. Finley said. “A tragedy that no family should ever have to experience.”
Police were called to the scene of the murder, a woman called 911 and said her daughter had received a video call from Cooper, who said he had killed someone before turning the camera around to show Connors’ bloody legs and feet .
According to court documents, Connors was found face down with her pants around her ankles and had been shot in the back.
Her cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the neck and upper chest.
Police say they found evidence that someone attempted to clean up the crime scene.
Cooper told police the two were watching Netflix when Connors got up to go to the bathroom. However, according to court documents, her mother ended the police interrogation before she could reveal what happened next.
Lawyer Paul Lang has claimed Cooper is remorseful and had a “difficult upbringing”. Philadelphia researcher.
Investigators never determined a motive behind the killing, according to prosecutors.
During the investigation, officials discovered Cooper had been accused of sexual assault in a previous, unrelated case. She was found guilty in juvenile court.
The victim was in court Thursday when Cooper was sentenced.