Monday, May 23, 2016

Followup NH: James Cooper not Guilty of all Charges



Before the trial went to closing arguments, Judge Richard Titus granted a judgment of acquittal on one count of reckless endangerment, saying he did not believe there was sufficient evidence that Cooper had placed bystander Lisa Pickett in danger when she drove her car past the scene as Cooper held the two men at gunpoint.

In closing arguments Friday, Eldridge argued that Cooper was innocent of the charges, based on four defenses: defense of others, defense of property, mistake of fact and self-defense. For the jury to find Cooper guilty, Coyne had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Cooper did not meet every standard set in each of the defenses.

Throughout his argument, Coyne argued that Cooper was not reasonable in holding the two men at gunpoint and instilled fear in Richard Jehu and Tyler Forgas, seeking to prove that Cooper committed assault. Eldridge had argued that the men were never scared based on their actions in a video a bystander recorded of the incident.

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1 comment:

Kevin R.C. O'Brien said...

Hey Dean! Just a small correction. This is in Manchester, Maryland; the biggest Manch in the USA is in New Hampster, but about five more states have one somewhere.

It's unlikely that the guy's behavior would have been charged in NH. Still, you should always think twice before trying to use your gun to protect property. And then think one more time and just don't do it.

The gun is for protection of life, period.

It looks like Cooper may have been carrying under LEOSA, not a permit. The DA was clearly out for a scalp.