Man Found Not-Guilty of Murder After Victim Dies Over a Year Later
William Cooper was charged with second-degree murder when the victim died more than a year after the alleged assault. Cooper was found not guilty on the murder counts. Represented by the Norwood Law Firm, he was given a lesser charge of aggravated assault and battery.
As a result of the jury verdict, Cooper will only serve about five years in prison. The original offer from the prosecutor was 30 years on the murder, which would have required Cooper to have served at least 85% of that. The jury sentenced Cooper to 17 years on assault and battery, which is not an 85% crime so he likely will do about a third of the sentence. Including time served at the time of the jury verdict, Norwood Law Firm saved Cooper about 25 years in prison.