Episode 14 - Revisiting the Case of Kevin Cooper (True Crime Pod #3) Artwork

Fate of the Union (Conservative Politics & True Crime)

Hello and welcome everyone to the Fate of the Union podcast, a weekly review of the biggest issues in national politics given from a conservative perspective. The show will also periodically address current true crime cases from across the country. Fate of the Union is hosted by Franklin - a lawyer and constitutional conservative. If you like what you hear, please hit subscribe and leave review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also learn more about the show and its host on Twitter at FranklinFOTU, or by email at Franklin FOTU@gmail.com.

All Episodes

Fate of the Union (Conservative Politics & True Crime)

Episode 14 - Revisiting the Case of Kevin Cooper (True Crime Pod #3)

July 02, 2020 • Episode 14

In the first installment of Fate of the Union's true crime episodes, host Franklin Shelby examines the case of Kevin Cooper.

Cooper was convicted in connection to the 1983 murder of the Ryen family, along with another child in the Ryen home. The brutal slayings have since been dubbed the "Chino Hills Massacre." In the decades since the killings, Cooper has exhausted every avenue of appeal in both state and federal court in an effort to free himself from San Quentin's death row, or at the very least, prolong his execution. Most recently, the California Supreme Court has granted a stay of Cooper's execution while another round of DNA testing is done. In recent years, Cooper has used the vehicle of supposed racial injustice to attract the attention of those in the media and pop culture to take up advocacy on his behalf.

Below are useful sources of information about the case that are referenced in the episode:

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ca-supreme-court/1774226.html (California Supreme Court opinion)
https://casetext.com/case/cooper-v-brown-3/?PHONE_NUMBER_GROUP=C&NEW_CASE_PAGE=N (Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals opinion, 2007)
http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2009/05/11/05-99004o.pdf (Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals opinion, 2009)
http://www.sbcountyda.org/Portals/8/PressReleases/2018/DA%20Response%20to%20Cooper%20clemency%20petition.pdf?ver=2018-05-23-110906-040 (San Bernandino County District Attorney Report)

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe on iTunes and leave a rating/review. You can also find out more about the show and its host on twitter at FranklinFOTU and Fate of the Union, searching Fate of the Union on Medium, and at franklinfotu@gmail.com.