On Thursday, March 21, 2024, Ash Cooper, an 18-year-old transgender woman formerly known as Joshua Cooper, pleaded guilty to killing 12-year-old Morgan Connors at a trailer park in Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania in November 2022.
Cooper pleaded guilty to several charges, including third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
Court documents reveal that before the incident, Connors and Cooper had been watching a Netflix show together. It was during this seemingly ordinary activity that Connors excused herself to use the bathroom, shortly after which she was fatally wounded.
Police received a call from the mother of one of Cooper’s acquaintances after seeing Connors’ body in a video call on Instagram. In the video chat, Cooper flipped the camera to show Connors’ body covered in blood and asked for help cleaning up and disposing of the body.
Upon arrival at the scene, law enforcement personnel observed a young individual hastily exiting the rear of the trailer. This individual, when apprehended, communicated to the officers, “It was an accident,” as per the official declaration in the affidavit asserting the grounds for probable cause.
Inside, they found Connors dead with an apparent gunshot wound in the bathroom. The victim’s pants were down around her ankles.
Cooper admitted to the authorities that she used her father’s gun, taken from a safe, to commit the murder and attempted to conceal her actions afterward.
The court subsequently sentenced Cooper to 15 to 40 years in prison, a decision announced on Thursday. The sentence also mandates Cooper to undergo psychological and psychiatric evaluations, reflecting a consideration of her mental health status in relation to the crime.
The motivation behind the fatal act remains undisclosed by Cooper, as confirmed by the prosecution. A note discovered in Cooper’s bedroom was submitted to the presiding judge, though its contents remain confidential.
Cooper’s legal representative, Paul Lang, spoke to the court and described their childhood as fraught with challenges. He noted Cooper’s expression of profound regret for the wrongdoing. Cooper was seen shedding tears during the court proceedings.
Judge Jeffrey Finley acknowledged the plea but voiced his concern regarding Cooper’s disturbing past behavior and treatment of others. He lamented the absence of a solid rationale for the events that transpired on the day of the crime.
Addressing the court, Judge Finley confirmed the severity of the situation, stating, “Undoubtedly, this is an awful tragedy.” He continued, “Your life won’t be confined to a prison cell. There lies before you a chance to amend your ways, to seek atonement. You must seize this opportunity.”
Following their guilty plea to additional charges, including possessing an instrument of crime and tampering with evidence, Cooper received an added on seven-year probationary sentence.
Mourning the loss, Connors’ grandfather and adoptive parent, Allen Gold, memorialized Morgan as a “sweet, beautiful” individual, expressing that the family annually commemorates the would-be writer’s birthday, remembering the life prematurely taken.
“A parent should never have to bury a child,” Gold articulated through a statement delivered by the prosecution in court, conveying the unbearable sorrow that accompanies such a tragic loss.