CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Court TV) — An Iowa jury convicted Karina Cooper of first-degree murder in the death of her husband, Ryan Cooper.
Karina faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole at her sentencing.
According to testimony, Ryan was found with two gunshot wounds to his face in their Traer home on June 18, 2021. 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.
FILE – Karina Cooper and Huston Danker (Iowa Department of Public Safety)
Deputies found no gun at the scene but did recover a .22 shell casing.
The case went unsolved for nearly three years until Karina was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in February 2024. Two months later, co-defendant Huston Danker was also arrested on a first-degree murder charge for “acting in concert” with Karina to kill Ryan. Danker pleaded guilty moments before jury selection began in his trial.
In their opening statement, prosecutors argued Karina and Danker were having an affair and plotted to kill Ryan to collect $500,000 in life insurance. The defense argued that Danker alone killed Ryan, describing him as a manipulative lover who pulled Karina into a “fantasy of starting a new family.”
DAILY TRIAL HIGHLIGHTS
DAY 7 – 7/11/25
- VIDEO: IA v. Karina Cooper, Day 7 | Widow’s Words Murder Trial
- Digital Forensics Examiner Kristofer Lyon testified for the defense on surrebuttal; he said he reviewed Karina Cooper’s iPhone 8 using Magnet AXIOM software.
- Confirmed some Snapchat message IDs appear missing; may indicate data loss.
- Couldn’t confirm Snapchat’s message ID sequencing mechanism.
- Admitted he didn’t independently test Snapchat’s database structure.
- On cross, the prosecution pressed him on his lack of firsthand Snapchat technical knowledge.
- Judge delivered jury instructions on Murder 1, second-degree murder, and involuntary manslaughter.
- No other lesser-included offenses were submitted for jury consideration.
- Assistant Attorney General Ringle delivered the prosecution closing argument.
- Emphasized Karina’s messages and gaps in Snapchat data as incriminating.
- Said Karina helped plan the murder and “controlled the scene.”
- Argued forensic evidence places Karina at the murder scene—footprints, phone flashlight, back spatter.
- Demonstrated how bullet trajectory supports Karina kneeling and shooting Ryan.
- Claimed Karina faked grieving by rubbing her face in Ryan’s blood to mask gunshot residue.
- Called it a “fantasy turned reality” when the killing occurred.
- Attorney Nichole Watt delivered the defense closing argument.
- Urged jury not to “judge by word count”; addressed data inconsistency in Snapchat evidence.
- Said apps don’t always show full message chains—data loss gaps present.
- Argued Karina didn’t have intent to kill, and was manipulated by Huston Danker.
- Emphasized Karina’s emotional testimony, saying being wrong doesn’t make her guilty.
- Criticized state’s reliance on incomplete tech data and forensic interpretation.
- Claimed no direct evidence proves Karina shot Ryan or helped plan the murder.
- Concluded: “She may be an idiot in her relationship…but she didn’t murder her husband.”
- On rebuttal, the prosecutor highlighted Snapchat deletions and similarities in Karina and Danker’s police stories.
- Asserted Karina’s behavior and location prove she participated.
- Reminded the jury that the forensic pathologist matched Karina shooting Ryan while kneeling.
- Mocked defense claims of fantasy: “This is reality. This is science. She’s guilty.”
- Jury began deliberating at 2:18 p.m. ET.
- They reached a verdict at 5:51 p.m. ET.
- Karina Cooper was found GUILTY of Murder in the First Degree. She was very emotional as she heard the verdict read aloud.
- Karina was taken away in handcuffs.
- No sentencing date was announced, but Idaho law mandates life without parole.
DAY 6 – 7/10/25
- VIDEO: IA v. Karina Cooper, Day 6 | Widow’s Words Murder Trial
- As the day’s proceedings began, the defense disclosed that Huston Danker had been subpoenaed but advised through his attorney that he would invoke the Fifth Amendment if called, and therefore would not testify at his alleged co-conspirator’s trial. Danker is scheduled for trial on August 12 at the Johnson County District Court in Iowa City.
- Defendant Karina Cooper testified in her own defense Thursday, describing her marriage to Ryan as “good” and “normal.” She admitted Ryan managed the family finances and acknowledged she frequently overdrafted her account, attributing it to “laziness” or “forgetfulness,” and indicating she had cash proceeds from her at-home barber shop but sometimes didn’t make it into town to make bank deposits.
- Karina, 48, told the Linn County jury that after Ryan’s death, she paid off family debts and funded some of her business efforts, but placed the remainder in a financial portfolio held in trust for their children.
- Karina then described how her relationship with Huston Danker evolved from cutting his hair to exchanging messages on Snapchat, acknowledging Danker showered her with flattery and attention she wasn’t receiving from Ryan. Karina admitted she and Danker had sex once in February 2021 but said that afterward she cut off in-person contact because she felt “disgusted” and fearful of jeopardizing her marriage.
- WATCH: Karina Cooper: Huston Talked About Killing Ryan ‘Several Times’
- WATCH: Karina Cooper Says She Was ‘Being Threatened’ by Huston Danker
- WATCH: Karina Cooper Admits Lying To Police During Questioning
- WATCH: Karina Cooper Denied Having Affair With Huston Danker To Police
- WATCH: Karina Cooper: Huston Danker Was Jealous Of My Marriage
- As to the night of her husband’s death, Karina told the jury she spent the evening of June 17, 2021, with her family at a local sports complex before picking up pizza and returning home. She said she put the younger kids to bed and later woke to a loud noise in the early morning hours of June 18.
- She went to find Ryan and heard him snore once from the living room. When she tried to wake Ryan, he didn’t respond, so she turned on a lamp, saw copious amounts of blood, and began screaming. She called Aaron Cooper, a nearby relative and volunteer firefighter, before 911 because he was nearby, had first responder training, and she was afraid someone else might still be in the house.
- During cross-examination, prosecutors had Karina read aloud salacious Snapchat direct message exchanges with Danker. She said the messages were part of the “fantasy” and not representative of her real intentions. She adamantly denied orchestrating Ryan’s death or participating in it, telling the jury at one point that her one-word Snapchat reply to Danker (“go”) had been misrepresented. The State alleges that “go” is a signal of her involvement (it followed a late-night exchange with Danker about “remember[ing] those shell casings,” just an hour or so before the 911 call). Karina said what she actually sent was a sequence of three messages: “Go. To. Sleep.”
- The State then called digital forensic investigator Brenda Reinhard for a brief rebuttal to address Karina’s new claim of sending “go. to. sleep.” to Danker on Snapchat after the shell casing exchange. Reinhard told jurors that, based on the digital forensic evidence, it was not possible for Karina to have sent two additional messages following “go.”
- That rebuttal phase apparently opened some sort of door for surrebuttal, and plans for closing arguments to occur Thursday were scrapped, with defense surrebuttal set for 10 am Eastern/9 am local time Friday (7/11), followed by final jury instructions, closing arguments, and deliberations.
DAY 5 – 7/9/25
- VIDEO: IA v. Karina Cooper, Day 5 | Widow’s Words Murder Trial
- Bradley Sieck, a former coworker of Huston Danker, testified that Danker gave him three guns in late 2023 for safekeeping while he was moving in with a girlfriend who had a daycare.
- Sieck identified a Ruger 10/22 rifle as one of the firearms and said he kept the guns in his home closet until turning them over to law enforcement in spring 2024.Sieck identified a Ruger 10/22 rifle as one of the firearms and said he kept the guns in his home closet until turning them over to law enforcement in spring 2024.
- Deputy Brian Randall, Tama County Sheriff’s Office, testified that he picked up the guns from Sieck and confirmed they were entered into evidence and sent to the Iowa DCI lab.
- He identified a .22-caliber rifle consistent with what law enforcement was looking for in connection to the homicide.
- Randall also reviewed records showing that Karina Cooper had a permit to carry a weapon issued in 2016, which did not require her to have ever fired a weapon.
- Jonna Berry, a DCI criminalist, testified that she used BLUESTAR at Danker’s residence to search for trace amounts of blood.
- Positive reactions were observed on the entryway carpet and kitchen floor.
- Carpet and rugs were collected, and swabs were sent to the DNA section.
- She also seized a pair of Vans shoes with a diamond tread pattern that matched a shoeprint impression reportedly found at the Cooper scene, as well as 14 spent .22-caliber shell casings found outside Danker’s residence.
- Sabrina Seehafer, a DNA analyst at the DCI lab, testified that she tested multiple items including Danker’s clothing, the Vans shoes, swabs, and carpet samples.
- None of the tested items yielded interpretable DNA profiles.
- She noted that environmental conditions and the prior use of BLUESTAR can make DNA recovery difficult.
- Victor Murillo, a firearms examiner at the DCI lab, testified that the two bullets recovered from Ryan Cooper’s head were .22 caliber, but their condition prevented a definitive match to any weapon.
- Several firearms were ruled out, including one found in a red garage.
- He said a Ruger 10/22 was among the types of weapons that could have fired the bullets, but could not say for certain that it did.
- Kristin Hart, another firearms examiner, testified that a cartridge casing recovered from the scene was conclusively matched to a Ruger 10/22 rifle with serial number 0003-61269.
- She confirmed there was no suppressor attached and said firing the rifle indoors would have produced a loud sound.
- The bullets recovered from the victim could not be matched to the rifle due to damage.
- Brenda Reinhard, a DCI analyst, testified that she swabbed various parts of the Ruger 10/22 rifle for DNA but did not recover any usable samples.
- The DNA was too weak to compare to either Huston Danker or Karina Cooper.
- Special Agent Holly Witt, Iowa DCI, testified about digital records obtained from Snapchat, Google, and US Cellular.
- She reviewed the phone activity of Karina Cooper, Ryan Cooper, and Huston Danker on the night of June 17, 2021.
- Records showed Karina and Ryan returned home around 8 p.m., and Karina’s phone remained there until early morning.
- Danker’s phone passed the Cooper home three times between 9:04 and 9:40 p.m., hours before the killing.
- Witt also testified that four days after Ryan’s death, Karina’s Snapchat account was deleted remotely, after her phone had been seized.
- Dr. Kelly Kruse, associate state medical examiner, testified that Ryan Cooper died of two gunshot wounds to the head, both independently fatal and fired at close range.
- There were no exit wounds. Stippling was observed around both injuries. Toxicology results were negative for alcohol or drugs.
- Kruse determined the cause of death to be gunshot wounds of the head, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
- The State rested its case at approximately 4:11 p.m. local time. The judge told the jury it was unclear whether the trial would extend into the following week and advised attorneys to be prepared for closing arguments on Thursday.
- WATCH: Widow’s Words Murder Trial: Day 5 Recap
DAY 4 – 7/8/25
- VIDEO: IA v. Karina Cooper, Day 4 | Widow’s Words Murder Trial
- Bloodstain analyst Kenneth Martin testified Ryan Cooper was shot twice in the face while reclined and never moved afterward. He concluded the seldom-used living room door was closed during the shooting, then opened while blood was still wet, allowing projected stains to strike the door and jamb, and was closed again before police arrived.
- WATCH: Expert: Karina Cooper ‘Altered the Scene’ By Sitting On Ryan
- Martin said the blood pattern evidence, including flow direction, clotting, and voids beneath the body, showed Ryan remained reclined after the shots. He also addressed Karina’s facial contact with Ryan’s wounds, as seen in a bodycam frame grab. He observed no visible spatter on her in the images he reviewed, but said such contact could have smeared or removed it.
- WATCH: IA v. Karina Cooper: Key Moments from Day 4
- DCI criminalist Steve Tvrdik testified about the footwear impressions found at the crime scene, saying they did not match a pair of muck boots found at the scene.
- Tvrdik tested two doorknobs for fingerprints but was not able to find any suitable for comparison.
- DCI criminalist Brenda Reinhard testified about evidence collected from the Cooper home.
- Michelle Wilson, Ryan Cooper’s older sister, testified about her work as the accountant/bookkeeper for the family business, Cooper Farms.
- Wilson said after Ryan’s death, she noticed a bill for Karina’s phone account with a Post-It note on it that had “Huston D.” written on it with a phone number.
- Wilson said there were interests that Karina wanted to pursue, which Ryan disagreed with, such as remodeling their house or getting a second home.
DAY 3 – 7/7/25
- VIDEO: IA v. Karina Cooper, Day 3 | Widow’s Words Murder Trial
- Iowa DCI special agent Jon Turbett testified about his May 4, 2023, interview with Karina Cooper. She gave a timeline of the night Ryan died but didn’t mention being awake at 3:30 a.m. or messaging Huston Danker. When asked about electronic evidence, she became irritated and told him to leave. As he walked out, she said if she knew who killed Ryan, she would have “killed that motherfucker,” and added she was hiring a private investigator.
- Kirstie Seda testified Karina became distant from the friend group in late 2020 and said she was frustrated Ryan didn’t support her financially. Seda said Karina talked about “taking him for everything” and mentioned seeing flirtatious Snapchat messages between Karina and Danker.
- Carmen Earhardt said Karina and Ryan argued often and that Karina once pulled another woman’s hair during a confrontation. She recalled Karina complaining Ryan would spend money on himself but not help with home projects she wanted done.
- WATCH: IA v. Karina Cooper: Key Moments from Day 3
- Teresa McBride and Leroy Bradley both testified they heard Karina say she wanted to shoot Ryan in the face. McBride placed the comment in 2018; Bradley thought it was in fall 2020.
- Brian Morrison, Ryan’s best friend, said that he witnessed Karina threaten her husband on multiple occasions.
- A bank employee testified Karina’s accounts were repeatedly overdrawn in the months before Ryan’s death, and an insurance agent confirmed Karina was the sole beneficiary on two of Ryan’s life insurance policies totaling more than half a million dollars. These claims were paid out to Karina Cooper as the criminal investigation continued.
- A hearing on the admissibility of Danker’s October 2023 interview was held outside the jury’s presence. It was allowed under the concealment exception. The defense later played part of Danker’s June 2021 interview, where he was asked if he was “messing around” with Karina and replied that he was her “gay best friend.”
DAY 2 – 7/3/25
- VIDEO: IA v. Karina Cooper, Day 2 | Widow’s Words Murder Trial
- Iowa DCI criminalist Andrew Gladfelter walked jurors through an array of crime scene photos, highlighting a massive pool of blood near Ryan Cooper’s recliner and additional blood stains on the living room door and surrounding areas.
- He testified there was no evidence of forced entry on any doors or garage and casted doubt on an unknown intruder being involved or robbery as a motive, noting that while processing the scene, he found items of obvious value left in plain view inside the house, garages, and vehicles.
- Jurors were then shown a stream of sexually explicit and affectionate Snapchat and iMessage exchanges between Karina Cooper and Huston Danker, brought in through detective Tiffany Lord, a digital forensics investigator at the University of Iowa police department.
- Karina and Huston Danker’s messages included graphic sexual references and discussion of their relationship, including plans to try IVF if her planned tubal ligation reversal surgery was unsuccessful. At 3:31 a.m., the morning of the homicide, Danker sent Karina Cooper a Snapchat message: “Remember those casings.”
- Lord also read aloud a string of Google searches from Danker’s phone, including: “best ways to kill somebody with no way for anybody to find out who did it,” “how to positively get away with murder,” “how to delete Snapchat data.”
- Iowa DCI Special Agent Ryan Herman, the case agent, was the day‘s final witness. The State brought in portions of Herman’s interviews of Karina Cooper on June 18 and 19, 2021, respectively.
- Herman explained that potential romantic involvement with Huston Danker came to his attention mid-interview on June 18.
- WATCH: Widow’s Words Murder Trial: Police Interview of Defendant Karina Cooper
- During a break in the interview, Herman learned that Karina’s brother-in-law, Aaron Cooper, who was being interviewed at the same time, alerted his colleagues that Ryan had seen a Snapchat notification on Karina’s phone from Danker referencing a married woman and having “seen you naked.” This prompted agents to ask Karina about Danker when her interview resumed. Karina forcefully denied any intimate relationship and told investigators she thought the Snapchat message incident was a “non-issue” after Danker offered assurances the message had been meant for someone else.
- WATCH: Widow’s Words Murder Trial: Day 2 Recap
DAY 1 – 7/2/25
- VIDEO: IA v. Karina Cooper, Day 1 | Widow’s Words Murder Trial
- The State’s opening argument, delivered by Assistant Attorney General Israel J. Kodiaga, detailed allegations that Karina Cooper and her lover, Huston Danker, planned Ryan Cooper’s murder to collect $500,000 in life insurance.
- Kodiaga described inconsistencies in Karina’s account of events; for one, health app data recovered from Karina’s phone indicated 170 steps inside the house from 4:23 to 4:33 a.m., totaling nearly 400 feet of movement. An hour before the 911 call, Danker messaged Karina, “I’m gonna get this shit done,” and she replied “go,” Kodiaga said.
- Kodiaga told jurors that it was just one example of numerous recovered messages from Karina to Danker before (“I f–king hate him” and “I’m wishing for a rogue semi accident, no survivors.”) during and after her husband was shot dead in the family home.
- Public defender Nichole Watt’s opening was relatively brief; she argued Danker alone killed Ryan, described him as a manipulative lover who pulled Karina into a “fantasy of starting a new family,” noted she had her tubes tied making future kids impossible, and said she neither wanted Ryan dead nor received his insurance money, which remains in trust for their children.
- Two Tama County sheriff’s deputies testified there were no signs of forced entry, broken doors, or missing property.
- Before calling 911, Karina called Ryan’s older brother, Aaron Cooper, a volunteer firefighter who lived just a few minutes away.
- Aaron Cooper took the stand Wednesday afternoon and told the jury he immediately called 911 while pulling out of his driveway to help after receiving the call. He made the short drive to their home and found Karina on top of Ryan’s blood-soaked body on the recliner, screaming hysterically with her face resting up against Ryan’s, but not attempting CPR.
- WATCH: Widow’s Words Murder Trial: Jury Shown Photos of Deceased Victim
- Aaron also testified that about two weeks after Ryan’s death, Karina called him—having seen news reports that a shell casing had been found at the scene—and asked him what a “shell casing” was and what its discovery meant. He found the question odd because he knew Karina had been around hunters, guns, and ammunition frequently through her husband and sons.
- Karina and Ryan’s son, who is now 15 years old, testified he usually slept on the living room couch next to his dad’s recliner because he had been scared to sleep alone, but said he wasn’t down there the night of the killing because Karina had asked him to stop sleeping downstairs just a few days prior.
- WATCH: Widow’s Words Murder Trial: Day 1 Recap
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