Opinion ID: 3187215
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Testimony of Eddie Cooper

Text: Eddie Cooper, an owner of a forestry equipment company, testified that he hired an 18-year-old Ledford as an intermittent part-time employee for a year or two. According to Cooper, Ledford’s work duties involved cleaning equipment, washing equipment with a pressure washer, maintaining the landscape, and handing tools to mechanics. Ledford never ordered products, used the cash register, or helped with machinery repair, as Cooper believed that Ledford was “a little slow,” and those tasks “would have been a little above what . . . he was capable of doing.” Cooper testified that Ledford was a good employee who completed assigned tasks, but he was not proactive and always required instructions regarding what to do next. Cooper never detected that Ledford was abusing drugs or alcohol while at work. Cooper testified that on one occasion, a few weeks before Dr. Johnston’s murder, Cooper ran into Ledford at a convenience store and suspected that he was on drugs.