South Carolina (John Monk-The State) – The convicted child molester who was strangled to death over the weekend while serving a 20-year sentence at McCormick Correctional Institution was mutilated and his body went undiscovered for some time, possibly for hours, state officials said Tuesday afternoon. Punishment fit the crime, in my book!
His cellmate, John Michael New, 32, who is serving a life sentence for hostage-taking, was charged with murder, according to an arrest warrant made public by the S.C. Law Enforcement Division. Sucks when you piss off a guy with nothing left to lose.
New is charged with killing Ricky Cooper, 49, who was found dead late Saturday morning in a common area in front of a shower near his cell, according to prison officials. Hold on a second there… he was in a common area and went undiscovered for hours? Does that sound right?
State Sen. Mike Fair, R-Greenville, chairman of the Senate Corrections and Penology Committee, said his staff had spoken with prison officials and learned that Cooper was mutilated.
Fair also said it had taken officials some length of time before they learned that Cooper was dead.
“I just assume he was hidden somewhere,” Fair said. “He was missing for some length of time before they found him.” Hidden… in a common area near his cell… Sounds like finding his body was a top priority.
Fair said the fact that it apparently took an unusual amount of time to locate a murder victim’s body in the maximum security McCormick prison points to the need for more prison staff. Hahaha! I guess so!
Fair did not know details of the mutilation or exactly how long Cooper had been dead before being discovered.
Prison spokesman Clark Newsom confirmed that McCormick state prison was understaffed, but declined to give exact numbers because of “security reasons.”
“We are understaffed, but not seriously,” Newsom said. Yeah, its not like prisoner’s bodies go missing for DAYS or anything.
Newsom also refused to comment on the mutilation and how long it took for the killing to be discovered. He referred those questions to SLED, saying that agency was investigating the death.
SLED officials, citing the investigation, declined to comment on circumstances surrounding the death.
Efforts to reach McCormick County Coroner Faye Puckett were unsuccessful.
New, of Lee County, is serving a life sentence for what the Corrections website describes as “taking hostages by inmate.” Corrections officials could not reached to elaborate.
New and Cooper were cellmates and alone during the incident, an affidavit attached to SLED’s warrant said.
There are apparently no other suspects.
“After being questioned, New admitted that he killed Cooper by strangulation,” the affidavit said.
An autopsy confirmed Cooper died by “manual strangulation,” the affidavit said.
Cooper, of Graniteville, was sentenced in March 2009 in Aiken County.
According to news accounts at the time, Cooper was charged with numerous counts of sexually assaulting a boy and girl, both under the age of 12. The incidents went on for years, according to warrants. Sounds to me like the inmate who killed this guy was TOO merciful.
The McCormick prison, in McCormick County, is a Level 3 high-security prison. It currently has 1,246 inmates – 124 over its normal capacity of 1,142, Newsom said.
Some 124 two-man cells have triple beds to accommodate the excess inmates, he said. Hey, it’s not a hotel suite, its PRISON!
It is not clear exactly how the murder happened. In such prisons, inmates are “closely supervised and their activities and movement within the institution are highly restricted,” according to the Department of Corrections’ website.
Fair said that the killing – no matter what Cooper’s crimes were – was a tragic event. “Murder is still murder,” he said, “no matter what our perception of the victim is.” Please, if the state does it – its JUSTICE, if a con does it its murder. Whatever… The sick fuck got what he deserved.
Rep. Leon Howard, D-Richland, who chairs the House committee overseeing the Department of Corrections, said he will speak to Fair about the possibility of a legislative audit into staffing and security at the prison.
“But we don’t want to interfere with any ongoing investigation obviously,” Howard said. Investigation? You have the body, you have the perp, you even have the confession. What is left to investigate?
Well here you go America, another kid raping, shitstain, is no longer our problem! Beautiful, isn’t it? With state governments shedding public sector employees in order to save money and pay off their debt, I forsee this sort of thing becoming more and more common. See what happens when you mess with kids, you sick assholes?
No more cushy sentences, pretty soon, no more protective custody… There isn’t going to be any one left to protect the scum who prey on children, but as far as I’m concerned, there shouldn’t be. Pretty soon, these scumbags are going to find themselves surrounded by guys who are serving life sentences, and don’t give a shit. Hey, I’m good with that. One less child molester taking up our air, tax dollars, and resources, sounds just fine to me.
Source for story: http://www.thestate.com/2011/11/30/2063435/molester-strangled-mutilated-in.html
Mace
July 3, 2012
You write like a vengeful child. The psychologists will tell you that the people that are the most indignant about this type of aberrant behavior are the ones that should be watched the most carefully. Feelings of guilt or simply a belief that ranting about others (with similar behavior patterns) will remove the focus from themselves and hopefully place this focus elsewhere. I had a friend when I was a kid that would absolutely rant and rave about gay people. He was incredibly indignant and disgusted by ‘the fags’. So much so, at times, I would tell him to settle down (I just wanted to drink beer and enjoy the day). Well, guess what? Yep, you guessed it. I found out years later that he, himself, was gay. I guess what I’m saying is; be careful with the ranting, it may come back on you when people start looking at YOU because of this obsessive behavior. Peace.
the gaslamp post
July 3, 2012
Hi Mace, thanks for posting.
Well shit… You just had to cover all of your bases when analyzing me, now didn’t you?
If I reply and deny it, I must be guilty… If I reply and attack you back, then I must be making up for something and thus proving the point you are trying to make.
Something tells me that you wouldn’t be satisfied with me simply saying that no, I have no such inner workings within myself that could lead to any such conclusion with a child.
Hey, you like how I did that right there? How I went and didn’t just stop at a simple denial and just carried it out further for you, as if to seem like I’m REALLY trying to convince you (because I must be compensating for something…)
By your logic, anyone with a conviction or strong belief in something is in a perpetual state of denial… Christians MUST be secretly atheist, Gays MUST be secretly heterosexual, and Nazi’s MUST have a deep rooted admiration for Jews.
Yeah, nice try Mace. Thanks for playing. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Thanks for reading (oh, and by the way… the correct word to use in your sentence is “abhorrent”. “Aberrant” means something that departs from a typical standard. If molesters to you are merely “departing” from a typical standard, then perhaps your own statement is indicative upon yourself.)
S. Doyle
December 8, 2012
Your are an idiot..Being homophobic and then turning out to be gay has NOTHING to do with pedophilia..Anyone who commits a sex act of any kind with a child should be tortured, then left to die…SLOWLY and as PAINFULLY as possible. I am not aware of any studies done that show people who are ‘most indignant’ about this kind of behaviour are those that should be watched. I am merely a parent of 2 young children and I would kill anyone who touched my children inappropriately. Let me guess, you REALLY like young children. Sick freak
cherish
August 11, 2012
I just wonder why he was only doing 20 years instead of life?….THEY’re ARE CASES WHERE A DRUG DEALER WAS ROBBED TWICE AND THE DEFENDANT GOT LIFE DUE TO THE 2 STRIKE LAW! IS OUR CONCERN PROTECTING DRUG DEALERS OR THE INNOCENT CHILDREN OF THE WORLD? MAYBE OUR LEGAL SYSTEM SHOULD BE RE-EVALUATED!!! I REALIZE PRISON INDUSTRY BRINGS A LOT OF MONEY TO STATES WHICH IS WHY SO MANY PEOPLE ARE DOING LIFE ! I CANT KNOCK THE HUSTLE BUT WHAT I WILL KNOCK IS PEOPLE DOING LIFE IN PRISON FOR BULLSHIT WHILE CHILD MOLESTERS GET A SLAP ON THE WRIST!
the gaslamp post
August 12, 2012
Hi Cherish, thanks for posting. I meant to get back to you yesterday but I was having a pretty busy day. Thanks for your patience.
Excellent observation Cherish, why is it that a criminal can be protected but our children cannot. It is because those who rule over us and administer the law to us are they themselves, criminals…
Be it the crooked politicians who legislate the laws, the crooked lawyers who twist and manipulate the laws, or the corrupt judges who allow plea bargaining; they are all criminals if they do not do right by our laws.
Think about it, if these people whom we entrust to navigate the law and promote justice actually cared about what is right and what is wrong, we would not see such things. This is because they care not for the law but care for money. Our judicial system is more about revenue generated from the cash mills that we call courts, than about actual justice.
It makes more financial sense to let out an offender and fine him if he is likely to offend again. To them that is an investment.
Sometimes a government grant goes to regional correctional institutions and the guy in charge knows a guy who manufactures meals. The manufacturer gives a kickback to the bureaucrat for the contract and everyone involved walks away happy.
Sometimes I think that the reason these judges are so lenient is because they themselves are criminals and know that if they are ever caught, they would want leniency as well. Just something to think about. If it weren’t for the fact that alot of those scumbags get protective custody, 20 years would be not only hell on earth for them but just what the doctor ordered.
Americans need to wake up and take a look at what is happening around them. We need to begin holding ALL of our elected officials accountable. I can rant and rave about what is going wrong, but the bottom line is unless we take a stand and throw these clowns out, nothing will change.
Kaylie
August 12, 2012
Dr David Kenneth Cochrane Registered Sex Offender Six Counts of rape including minors, three counts of indecent assault all involving patients dating back to the early millennium. Psychiatrist 6 months in Jail, 2 years probation, including 6 month license suspension. Canada North Bay Ontario and now re-employed for the regional health centre.
Yayita
October 20, 2012
Mace, I was molested as a child by my grandfather and uncles and I totally agree with the gaslamp, one more sick bastard off the earth. You want to know what happens to a child molester in Mexico…. They get exactly what they did to innocent kids, they get rapped and they get their ass kicked every single day until they are released (they only get six years, ten at the most) so this fucker got an easy exit.
the gaslamp post
October 20, 2012
Hi Yayita, thanks for posting.
I know things like this aren’t easy to talk about, and I commend you for coming forward to contribute. When it comes to this sort of thing, my heart goes out to the child. They didn’t do anything wrong, they were taken advantage of and put in a situation beyond their control. Truth be told, something happened to my mother when she was a child, also by a family member. It made her ubber-protective of us when we were kids.
It is written that God hates hands that shed innocent blood, and I know that he will be even less merciful to those which destroy innocence.
I just hope that you can someday heal and put it behind you, as difficult as that may sound. You strike me as a very brave soul.