Opinion ID: 1390030
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Trial Court Rulings and Findings

Text: The trial judge, Richard Garner, made an independent determination of Petitioner's guilt at sentencing. (92-CV-427, Third Supplemental NOL filed Jan. 23, 2004, Ex. 7, Transcripts of Judge Garner's rulings at sentencing, May 15, 1985 at 8144-50.) Judge Garner stated on the record: The Court has examined and reviewed all of the evidence that was presented to the jury, the trier of the fact, and in making this determination, the Court has also examined all of the exhibits admitted into evidence and studied the daily transcripts on both phases. The law, from all of the evidence admitted at the guilt phase, the Court is satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt, all reasonable doubt that the defendant, Kevin Cooper, is the one who entered the Ryen home and committed the various murders, and that he is thus guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, of Counts Two through Six.... (P.Ex. No. 7, p. 8145.) Now, some of the more particular points persuading me of the defendant's guilt are the following: The proof showed, apart from his own statements at trial, that he was in the hideout home next door, in effect to the Ryen home, for several days. He admitted that indeed he could not deny it. He was next door at least until 8:30 p.m. the night of the murder, a fairly short period of time before the crimes occurred. I am convinced that the hatchet in evidence was one of the murder weapons and that it came from the hideout house where the defendant spent a lot of time. I am convinced that the defendant stole the Ryens car; I thought that that was adequately proved by the evidence found therein, particularly the tobacco, the same tobacco that was also found at the home was the same that comes from the state prison. ( Id. at 8146.) Judge Garner further discussed the evidence linking the Ryen house to the hideout house where Petitioner had hid, including (1) Petitioner's blood found in the Ryen house, (2) evidence that established after the murders the killer returned to the hideout house where Petitioner stayed, took a shower and brought blood into that house, and (3) Petitioner's manner of flight out of the country as additional pieces of evidence that established Petitioner's guilt. ( Id. at 8147-48.)