Karina Cooper will spend life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of her husband. The prosecution said she and the man she was having an affair with, Huston Danker, plotted and murdered Ryan Cooper.
The judge handed down her sentence after he denied a motion for a new trial, stating the evidence supports the jury's verdict.
In June 2021, Ryan was found dead at his home in Traer. He died from two gunshot wounds to the face. A deputy noted Ryan's body was in a recliner and Karina was sitting on top of him. The couple's three children were also in the home.
For three years, the crime was unsolved until, in February 2024, Karina Cooper was arrested in connection to his murder. Tama County officials also charged Danker with first-degree murder as a co-defendant. Danker was a client at Karina's salon and her lover, prosecutors said in court. He pleaded guilty to the charges last month.
Prosecutors in Karina's case argued she and Danker were having an affair and plotted to kill Ryan to collect $500,000 in life insurance. Karina testified about how their relationship evolved from her cutting Danker's hair to exchanging messages on Snapchat and having sex in February 2021.
Karina claimed she cut off in-person contact with Danker because she felt "disgusted" and fearful of jeopardizing her marriage. However, during the trial, prosecutors presented text exchanges between Karina and Danker in the hours before and after Ryan's killing, discussing having a family together and undergoing IVF treatment.
Karina also insisted Danker acted alone to kill Ryan; however, messages entered into evidence showed the lovers communicating just before Ryan's murder, including a message from Danker about "remember[ing] those shell casings" about an hour before Karina called 911.
Although Iowa law mandates a sentence of life in prison without parole for Karina, the judge took a moment to acknowledge the impact of Ryan's loss, calling his death "a senseless act" that separated the Cooper children from both their father and their mother.
