Capital Punishment
At 2019 hours on Monday, Feb. 9, 2004, the United States Supreme Court turned down an appeal by the California Attorney General to overturn the stay of execution of Kevin Cooper. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 9-2 that the case should be sent to a federal judge for testing of evidence that inmate Cooper claimed could demonstrate his innocence and police wrongdoing. The ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court was the first time in decades that it agreed to delay an execution in California.
ATTENTION PARENTS:The following crime summary contains a graphic description of one or more murders and may not be suitable for all ages.
Name: Cooper, Kevin CDC# C65304 Sex: M
Sentence:
Summary:
Kevin Cooper was convicted in 1985 of murdering four people as they slept in a Chino Hills home in 1983.
The events leading up to the murder began February 2, 1982, when he was released from a state prison in Pennsylvania. Following his release, Cooper was arrested and charged with burglary. Prior to his conviction, Cooper was committed to the Mayview State Hospital in Pennsylvania for treatment of a psychiatric disorder. He escaped from that institution on October 8, 1982. On the same date that he escaped from the hospital, Cooper is alleged to have burglarized a nearby home, kidnapped and raped a visitor to that home, and stolen the rape victim’s car.
On December 13, 1982, Cooper applied for and received a California Department of Motor Vehicles identification card using the name David Anthony Trautman.
On January 1, 1983, he committed a burglary in Los Angeles and was arrested. He used the alias David Anthony Trautman, and his true identity was not discovered. He was sentenced to four years in state prison on April 19, 1983 and was received by the California Department of Corrections (CDC) on April 29, 1983. He was transferred to the minimum-security facility at the California Institution for Men (CIM) in Chino on June 1, 1983.
On June 2, 1983, Cooper escaped from CIM. At the time, he was still listed as David A. Trautman.
Cooper made his way to the Chino Hills area and entered a house located on a horse-breeding farm. The house was empty, the breeding operations manager having moved out the previous day. Telephone records and testimony from two witnesses who said they received phone calls from Cooper placed him at the house. One of the witnesses testified that Cooper said he had walked away from the prison.
From the ranch house where Cooper was staying, it is possible to see the home of the Ryen family. On June 4, 1983, the Ryen family attended a barbecue at a friend’s house. With them was a friend of their son Joshua, Christopher Hughes. They all left the party at approximately 9:00 p.m. and returned to their home. The Hughes boy planned to spend the night.
Sometime that night, Cooper entered the Ryen home and killed Franklin Douglas Ryen, his wife, Peggy Ann Ryen, their daughter, Jessica, and Christopher Hughes. He had entered the home and killed them as they slept, using a hatchet and a knife. The Ryen’s son, Joshua, was struck in the head and severely wounded, but survived.
The following morning, Sunday June 5, 1983, the father of Christopher Hughes became concerned that his son had not returned home. Attempts were made to telephone the Ryen house, but the line was busy. Mr. Hughes drove to the Ryen house at about 11:00 a.m. and discovered the victims.
On June 9, 1983, Cooper was hired by a boat owner and was allowed to stay on the boat and perform work for his keep. The boat owner and his family left Ensenada on June 11, 1983 and sailed north. Cooper remained with the family until Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies arrested him on June 30, 1983. It was alleged that Cooper had raped a friend of the boat owner’s family. During this time, he had been using the name Angel Jackson.
Arresting officers made fingerprint comparisons and verified that Cooper was wanted in San Bernardino County for the murder of the Ryen family and Christopher Hughes.
Cooper’s trial was moved to San Diego County because of the possibility of prejudicial pre-trial publicity in San Bernardino County, where the offenses occurred.
He was convicted and, on May 15, 1985, was sentenced to death.