Only 12 years old and already a killer

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supplied photo / winnipeg free press archives Audrey Cooper was slain in her yard.

It's a case that has shocked even hardened police investigators -- a young woman randomly targeted for death, beaten until she was unrecognizable, stripped and then urinated on by a group of laughing teens who tossed loose change on her body as they fled the scene.

"That's all she's worth," one of them later told police.

The facts of Audrey Cooper's October 2006 killing became public only after one of her attackers -- a girl who was only 12 years old at the time -- pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

The girl, who is now 15 and can't be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is one of the youngest killers in Winnipeg history.

"Audrey Cooper was someone who just happened to be standing in her yard when the accused walked by. It could have literally been anyone. This is obviously very chilling," Crown attorney Ami Kotler told court Tuesday.

He said Cooper's relatives were too heartbroken to attend court.

"The indelible image of their daughter's last moments continue to bring them unspeakable pain," said Kotler, who described Cooper as a loving daughter and sister.

"She was a cheerful, creative and caring young woman," he said.

Cooper, 34, suffered 64 separate injuries in the unprovoked attack, including seven broken ribs, a lacerated liver, swelling that shut both of her eyes and bleeding on the brain which caused fatal head trauma.

"She was the victim of a thorough, prolonged and vicious beating, practically from one end of her body to the other," Kotler said.

"She was struck so many times and so hard that one of her ears was literally partially detached from her head."

Police arrested four suspects -- the 12-year-old girl, two 14-year-old girls and a 15-year-old boy.

The group had been roaming the core area, apparently bored and looking for people to beat up and rob, court was told. They focused on Cooper, who was standing alone outside her Spence Street home after picking up groceries at a nearby convenience store.

The group asked her for a cigarette, then jumped her when she said she didn't have one. Cooper tried to flee but was quickly caught and knocked to the ground. Her killers took turns jumping on her stomach and head while delivering a flurry of kicks and punches, court was told.

Cooper was then stripped naked as her attackers went through her pockets looking for money. They found some loose change and tossed it on the unconscious woman while laughing and calling her degrading names, court was told.

Several residents who heard the fight called police at 2:42 a.m. Police didn't arrive on scene until 2:57 a.m. Kotler said the beating lasted about 10 minutes.

Police initially thought they might be dealing with a sexual assault because Cooper was naked, save for one sock. She was rushed to hospital but attempts to revive her were unsuccessful.

All four accused were charged with second-degree murder.

The Crown decided to reduce the charge to manslaughter and cut a deal with the youngest girl after she agreed to testify against her co-accused, who are set to go on trial in May. The Crown will seek an adult sentence if they are convicted.

However, the 12-year-old girl can only be sentenced as a youth because federal law stipulates only those older than 14 can be raised to adult court.

The Crown is seeking the maximum sentence of three years in custody and supervision. The girl's lawyer requested an adjournment until March 20 to provide the judge with more information about plans for his client once she is released from the Manitoba Youth Centre, where she has been since her arrest. A pre-sentencing report shows the girl was abused, abandoned and neglected. She was taught how to snort cocaine by her mother, court was told. She also has strong ties to gangs.

"She was raised in an environment without rules, structure of consequences. Her street cred is all that matters. She feels like she must react to any disrespect, real or imagined," Kotler said.

"It's appropriate for the court to ask to what degree is it fair to expect someone to know how to behave when no one has taught them. Where was this accused to learn pro-social behaviour? Where were her roles models?"

www.mikeoncrime.com

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 25, 2009 A3