Karina Sue Cooper listens to a question from Assistant Iowa Attorney General Israel Kodiaga under cross examination during her first-degree murder trial at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Thursday, July 10, 2025. PHOTO BY JIM SLOSIAREK/THE GAZETTE

CEDAR RAPIDS – Closing arguments are expected today in the first degree murder trial of Karina Cooper, bringing to a close a little more than six days of emotional and often intense courtroom proceedings.

Cooper, 48, of Traer is charged with first-degree murder in the 2021 shooting death of her husband Ryan Cooper. The Linn County jury is preparing to weigh the evidence after days of testimony which began on Wednesday, July 2, and culminated in Karina Cooper herself taking the stand yesterday. She was the sole witness presented by the defense.

On the only day of the defense’s case, Karina Cooper delivered her account of the events leading up to Ryan’s death, as well as the aftermath. She described a normal and loving marriage that had become impacted, especially following an affair she had with co-defendant Huston Danker, 27, a former salon client of hers. Karina Cooper characterized Danker as a manipulative presence in her life – someone who made suggestive and disturbing comments about Ryan’s death, but whom she claimed she never believed would act on such threats.

Karina Cooper admitted to lying to investigators early in the case, including denying the affair and withholding details about her communications with Danker. She said those omissions were made out of fear, not guilt, and maintained that she had no role in Ryan’s killing. She testified that she panicked upon finding her husband’s body and chose to call his brother, Aaron Cooper, who lived nearby, instead of dialing 911, a decision prosecutors have pointed to as suspicious.

Much of the prosecution’s cross examination of Karina Cooper centered on digital evidence, including Snapchat messages exchanged with Danker in the hours before and after the killing. Prosecutors confronted her with messages that appeared to show romantic and conspiratorial undertones, while Karina Cooper insisted some of her language was taken out of context or misinterpreted. She also disputed the forensic evidence related to those messages, claiming she had written a longer phrase that investigators say never existed in the chat logs.

With the trial nearing its conclusion, defense rebuttal (which would involve Karina Cooper retaking the stand), jury instructions, and closing arguments are all expected today. After the State and defense deliver their final presentations, the jury will begin deliberations and determine whether Karina Cooper will be convicted of murder or walk free after being in jail for over a year.