Title: Shocking Murder Case of Transgender Teen Ends with 15-40 Year Sentence
A transgender teen convicted of murdering the young girl she called her “best friend” in a Pennsylvania trailer park was sentenced last week.
Transgender Teen Murder Conviction
Ash Cooper, 18, pled guilty to third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence in Common Pleas Court on Thursday, according to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office (BCDAO).
Sentencing by Judge Finley
Judge Jeffrey L. Finley then ordered Cooper to serve a sentence of 15 to 40 years in prison as well as a consecutive sentence of seven years of probation, the BCDAO said in a statement.
Arrest and Investigation
The Bensalem Township Police Department arrested Cooper, who went by the name of Joshua at the time, on Nov. 25, 2022, according to court records. Officers were tipped off about the possible murder from an individual who told authorities that they saw the bloody body of who they believed to be 12-year-old Morgan Connors while on an Instagram video chat with Cooper, according to prosecutors.
Details of the Crime
In addition, that person said that Cooper “claimed to have just killed someone” and at one point “flipped the video image and showed the legs and feet of someone covered in blood,” according to prosecutors. Cooper also allegedly asked the friend for help cleaning up the scene, according to prosecutors. Police arrived to find Cooper fleeing the scene, which they noted in their report. The high school student was arrested later that night, and the subsequent police investigation determined that Cooper carried out the murder using a hunting rifle she obtained from her father’s safe, according to prosecutors.
Victim’s Family Statement
On Thursday, the victim’s grandfather detailed the “intense pain and heartbreak” of losing his granddaughter in a statement read by prosecutors ahead of sentencing in the case. “The human heart is not built for such heartbreak,” Connors’ grandfather wrote in his statement.
Transitioning and Legal Proceedings
Cooper, who had been housed at the Bucks County Juvenile Detention Center since her arrest, will now serve out her sentence in a state prison. She is currently in the process of transitioning and her attorney requested that she be identified as Ash. Her lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
Related Stories