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Paula CooperAmerican killer who brutally murdered an elderly woman at the age of 15
Date of Birth: 25.08.1969
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Paula Cooper: American Murderer and Second-Chance Seeker
- A Changed Woman
- The Crime and Its Aftermath
- Abusive Childhood and Redemption
Paula Cooper: American Murderer and Second-Chance Seeker
Early Life and Tragic Act42-year-old Paula Cooper, who brutally murdered an elderly woman at the age of 15, now prepares meals for nearly 100 inmates at the Rockville Correctional Facility, where she has spent the majority of her life. "I take a lot of pride in what I do," the inmate remarks. "People have to trust you enough to eat your food. That's a very personal thing for them to do—to take something out of your hands and trust that you didn't do anything to it."
In 1985, Cooper was convicted of murdering Ruth Pelke, a 78-year-old Gary Bible School teacher, who was stabbed 33 times with a butcher knife. Three other high school girls were also involved in the shocking crime, but only Cooper was sentenced to death in the electric chair. After her case gained national attention and drew hundreds of clemency pleas, including one from Pope John Paul II, her sentence was commuted to 60 years in prison.
A Changed Woman
Today, 25 years after her arrest, Cooper says she is a transformed person. Participating in the prison's culinary arts program, she looks forward to her scheduled release on good behavior on July 17, 2013. Cooper is hopeful for a second chance. "I can't say I was ready to go home seven, eight years ago," she says. "And I wouldn't have been going home to prove to anyone because it would have been a lie... I've got time in now, and you know, I'm just hoping that people will give me a chance on the outside because people do change."
The Crime and Its Aftermath
The murder occurred on April 14, 1985, when Cooper and three acquaintances, bored and out for a joyride, decided to burglarize a home. April Beverly, whom Cooper had met that day, lived near elderly Ruth Pelke. The lonely old woman's house became their target. Known affectionately as Nana, 78-year-old Ruth was a gentle soul who enjoyed teaching children about the Bible. Pretending interest in her teachings, the four girls lured Nana outside, struck her on the head, and repeatedly stabbed her with a 12-inch knife.
Cooper maintains that the murder was not premeditated and that things simply escalated. The girls ransacked the house, stealing about $10, Ruth's car keys, and fled. Nana's grandson, Bill Pelke, discovered her body on May 15. "Well, my initial thought was that, you know, it was probably a, you know, 30-, 40-year-old, you know, drug addict that was, you know, trying to maybe get some money to get a fix," he recalls. "When we found out a few days later that it was ninth graders, that was just a real, real shock."
Denise Thomas, 14, Karen Corder, 16, and April Beverly, 15, received sentences ranging from 25 to 60 years. Beverly was pregnant at the time of the crime, and Corder already had a child. Cooper says she felt betrayed by these girls, who she claims conspired against her to reduce their own sentences. "I think one misconception was that I was this mastermind behind this big murder; I wasn't... I want people to know that all four of us were guilty, and that's the bottom line. There was no innocence in that house."
Abusive Childhood and Redemption
Paula Cooper was reportedly born in Gary, Indiana. She suffered physical abuse as a child and frequently ran away from home. One report states that she was once beaten with an electric cord by one of her relatives, and another time put in a car in a closed garage with the engine running, an apparent attempt at suicide and murder. In the wake of the horrific crime, Ruth's grandson Bill Pelke, who initially supported Paula's death sentence, became a key advocate for clemency. Pelke and Cooper have corresponded almost weekly for 10 years, and Pelke has even visited her in person. He has stated that his grandmother would have wanted him to forgive Paula, adding, "We are supposed to hate the sin, but love the sinner... Paula has changed. She's not the same person that did this terrible crime back in '85."
