An 18-year-old transgender woman has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the tragic murder of a 12-year-old girl in 2022.
Ash Cooper, previously known as Joshua Cooper, pleaded guilty to charges including third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, and tampering with physical evidence. In addition to her prison sentence, Cooper will also serve seven years of probation and undergo psychological and psychiatric evaluations as part of the sentencing.
The incident unfolded when the Bensalem Township Police Department received a report of a possible murder at a trailer park on November 25, 2022. Cooper confessed to a friend over an Instagram video call, showing the aftermath of the crime and requesting help in cleaning up and disposing of the body.
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Upon police arrival, Cooper attempted to flee but was apprehended shortly after. The lifeless body of the young victim, Morgan Connors, was discovered in the bathroom of the trailer. Connors was found laying facedown with her pants around her ankles and a gunshot to the back. Her cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the neck and upper chest area. It was revealed that Cooper had taken a gun from a safe in the home.
Cooper, who was 16 at the time of the murder, also allegedly told police she and Connors were in a romantic relationship.
“It’s a horrible tragedy,’ said Bucks County Court Judge Jeffrey L. Finley. “A tragedy no family should ever have to undergo.”
NEW: 18-year-old transgender pleads guilty to the murder of a 12-year-old girl who they had s*xual relations with.
Disgusting.
Ash Cooper has pleaded guilty to murdering 12-year-old Morgan Connors in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.
Connors was found facedown with her pants around her… pic.twitter.com/VFx9NnAzIK
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 22, 2024
According to the Daily Mail citing prosecutors, investigators never determined a motive behind the murder. The news site also notes that during the investigation, officials discovered Cooper was involved and accused of sexual assault in a previous unrelated case. She was found guilty in juvenile court.
In the latest case, Cooper was initially charged as Joshua Cooper but started transitioning after the arrest and now demands that the court calls them “Ash.”
The post 18-Year-Old Transgender Woman Is Jailed for Murder Of Girl, 12, ‘She’d Had Sexual Relationship With’ appeared first on Hollywood Unlocked .
Bucks County District Attorney's Office)