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Huston Danker murder trial set to begin Aug. 12

Pre-trial hearing held in Tama County District Court

Huston Danker, left, listens during a pre-trial hearing held on Monday, July 21, in Tama County District Court in Toledo ahead of his first-degree murder trial set to begin Aug. 12 in Johnson County. Danker is facing trial in connection with the June 2021 death of rural Traer resident Ryan Cooper. Also pictured, criminal defense attorney Leon F. Spies of Iowa City. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

TOLEDO – It has been exactly two weeks since Karina Cooper was convicted of first-degree murder and now, barring any unforeseen circumstances, her co-defendant in the case, Huston William Danker, will proceed to trial on the same charge beginning Aug. 12 in Johnson County.

This past Monday, Danker, 27, and his criminal defense attorney Leon F. Spies of Iowa City, along with Assistant Attorneys General Israel Kodiaga and Michael Ringle and Assistant Tama County Attorney Geneva Williams all appeared in person for a joint case management/pre-trial conference in Tama County District Court at the courthouse in Toledo. Also present were attorney Melissa A. Nine as the appointed guardian ad litem, Tama County Investigator Trevor Killian, and Tama County Jail Administrator Brian Randall. As in Karina Cooper’s case, 6th Judicial District Chief Judge Lars G. Anderson presided over the hearing.

Back on April 29, 2024, Danker, who was living in Shellsburg at the time but formerly hailed from Traer, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder for allegedly acting in concert with his lover Karina Cooper, now 48, to kill her husband Ryan Cooper, 42, at their rural Traer residence. Ryan Cooper, a farmer and father of four, was murdered as a result of two gunshot wounds to the face on June 18, 2021. Danker pleaded not guilty in May 2024 and plans to use an alibi defense that he was elsewhere at the time of the murder – specifically at 2798 Hwy 8, Traer, his parents’ home.

During the roughly 15-minute hearing on Monday, a litany of motions in limine – pretrial motions seeking the exclusion of specific evidence or arguments – were ticked through by Judge Anderson, as well as trial logistics.

Pre-trial motions

All of the State’s pre-trial motions went unresisted by the defense, while only a handful of the roughly dozen filed by Danker were in turn resisted.

Both sides agreed to exclude at all stages of trial statements or arguments referencing Karina Cooper’s conviction.

“The general rule is that it is not permissible to show, for any purpose, that another jointly or separately indicted for the same offense has been convicted or acquitted,” the prosecution wrote in its filing. Danker’s filing, in turn, states, “The Defendant does not intend to introduce any evidence or pursue any argument concerning Karina Cooper’s conviction for the murder of Ryan Cooper. Nevertheless, the Defendant can introduce evidence and argument that Karina Cooper was responsible for the death of Ryan Cooper.”

In regard to a motion by Danker to exclude text messages between himself and Megan Leibold on hearsay grounds, the State resisted. At the time of his arrest, Leibold and Danker had recently purchased a home together in Shellsburg, according to Benton County property records.

“These messages are the defendant’s own statements, authenticated via forensic extraction, and are not hearsay,” the State wrote in a response filing. “Further, Megan Leibold is a listed witness for the State. Finally, the probative value [relevancy] of these messages cannot accurately be assessed outside of the context of trial.”

After conferring with both sides, Judge Anderson indicated he would reserve ruling until such messages are offered into evidence during the trial.

The State also resisted two motions by Danker to exclude his internet search history including “Google searches about or expressions of self-harm.”

“Evidence that the Defendant conducted Google searches about means of committing suicide, or conveyed to family members or others a desire to harm himself is irrelevant and the probative value of such evidence far exceeded by its likelihood of unduly prejudicing the Defendant,” Danker’s filing states. The State responded, “Evidence that the defendant contemplated suicide following the crime has routinely been held admissible as proof of consciousness of guilt.”

“There are all sorts of reasons why someone might express feelings of desolation or self-harm other than consciousness of guilt,” Spies told the judge during the hearing. “[A] person can express depression unrelated to the feeling of guilt of a case. So that’s why I think that it’s going to be something that the court is going to have to take up.”

Following discussion on the various motions, Judge Anderson said he planned to issue two separate orders, one to address the case management conference and one to address the motions in limine. Judge Anderson also indicated no other hearings are planned before the start of trial.

Livestream request

Also on Monday, Guardian ad Litem Melissa Nine filed an objection to expanded news media coverage of a minor witness’s testimony (born 2010) in the interest of protecting the child.

“By disallowing expanded new media coverage for the duration of the child’s testimony, any additional trauma and emotional harm to the child will be significantly lessened,” Nine wrote.

No order by the judge had been made as of press time.

At the time of his death, Ryan Cooper shared three minor children with Karina Cooper.

Trial logistics

After thrice being reset, Danker’s approximately 9-day jury trial is set to take place at the Johnson County Courthouse in Iowa City beginning on Tuesday, Aug. 12, at 9 a.m.

Meanwhile, Karina Cooper remains behind bars awaiting sentencing on Sept. 5 at 1 p.m. in Tama County District Court.

In Iowa, a first-degree murder charge carries a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.

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