Teenage Killer Who Was Sentenced to Death for Killing Bible Teacher at Age of 16 Free After 28 Years

Daily Mail ^ | 16 June 2013

[nickcarraway]

Teenage killer who was sentenced to death for killing bible teacher at age of just SIXTEEN to walk free after spending 28 years behind bars

An Indiana woman who was sentenced to die at age 16 for the brutal murder of an elderly Bible school teacher will be released from prison on Monday after 28 years behind bars.

Paula Cooper was just 15 in May 1985 when she and two other teenage girls entered 78-year-old Ruth Pelke's home in Gary, Indiana, by telling her they wanted to study the scripture. Once inside, they viciously attacked the frail woman.

Cooper, now age 43, is being released because the Indiana Supreme Court commuted her sentence to 60 years in prison in 1988.

In prison, she received a bachelor's degree a went on to train companion dogs for the disabled and serve as a counselor to other inmates at Rockville Correctional Facility - Indiana's largest women's prison.ok

[patriot08]

Stabbed the elderly woman 30 times. One of Holder’s people.

[ConorMacNessa]

Stabbed the old lady so hard she cut up the floor beneath her! Oh yeah, I feel safe now!



"Riamh nár dhruid ó sbairn lann!"

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[berdie]

The girl has been in prison since she was 15.

I really, really want to believe that she has made a turn in her life. But call me a cynic...

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Cooper, now age 43, is being released because the Indiana Supreme Court commuted her sentence to 60 years in prison in 1988.

So, why isn't she staying in until 2048?

[publius911]

Very poorly written story, it presents a crippled, heavily edited version of the events.
It also tries very strongly to force the ignorant to infer a ridiculous series of unsupported events.
Who were the other two killers? Why are they not mentioned? On what basis is it recorded that this killer was the only guilty one?
Doesn't pass the smell test.

To fatally make this a defective version of whatever the truth is, the repetition of that mindless, but popular series of statements, calculated to create sympathy where none is deserved.
How can a grandson "forgive" the killer? Only the victim can do that. All else is arrogance and presumption.

The unconscious do-gooders even managed to weave a Pope into the narrative.

[NJRighty]

From the article -

Bill Pelke, Ruth Pelke's grandson, said he has befriended Cooper in the nearly three decades she has been in prison and forgives her for her crime.

'My main concern is seeing her get settled and find a job,' he told the Star.

There are just no words.

[RginTN]

The Investigative Discovery channel did a program on this crime on their program Deadly Woman.

These feral youths plotted to kill and rob. First they befriended this lady...

I recall one of the feral girls had deeply abusive parents. Toxic home environment created a monster

I hope this lady is truly rehabilitated.

[DemforBush]

I remember reading about this crime. I also remember seeing a video clip of Cooper when it came down that he death sentence had been commuted. She met a cheering crowd and gave them a solidarity fist-pump (or whatever you want to call it), and went on to tell the reporter interviewing her why the death penalty is wrong.

Yeah, you could say the bile rose in my throat that night.

As for now...I would favor keeping her locked away forever. Some crimes don’t warrant a second chance in my book, and the premeditated butchery of a defenseless old lady who only sought to help sure as hell is one of them. But, as she is going to be released anyway, one can only hope she really has changed her ways and will be a productive member of society from here on out.

[circlecity]

"So, why isn't she staying in until 2048?"

In Indiana you get two day's credit for every day you serve. (as good time). Thus, so long as no good time is taken away, you only serve half the executed sentence in Indiana.

[BCW]

“Reformed? Cooper, 43, has earned a bachelor’s degree behind bars and has not had any major run-ins with prison authorities since 1995”

She got smart and started acting good to get an early release...looks charming...anyone committing a murder like that needs to stay locked up

[Right Wing Assault]

Horns?

[who knows what evil?]

She killed another human being...I don’t care if she won the Nobel Prize in prison; she should have been executed.

[who knows what evil?]

'My main concern is seeing her get settled and find a job,' he told the Star.

One of those 'unitarian/humanitarian' types..?

[Mrs. Don-o]

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that, where there is no question of fact that the person actually committed murder, the death penalty can be applied: it is not morally excluded... BUT that life imprisonment is to be preferred, if it is really life imprisonment.

This was not life imprisonment. So this release is an injustice.

It sounds like Paula Cooper could do a lot of good in prison. The article mentions that got herself a Bachelor´s Degree, trained companion dogs, and tutored. That´s where she should be: developing her Prison Ministry to the best of her ability. She should be behind bars where she can make fitting amends for her crime.

The fact that Cooper is living, shows respect for her humanity. That fact that she´s walking free, shows disrespect for the innocent woman she tortured to death.