Richard Cooey claims he is too fat to die.
Richard Cooey was convicted of murder, robbery, assault and kidnapping of two University of Akron students in 1986.
Cooey was sentenced to the death penalty and over the years he has been given a stay but now he is scheduled to die on October 14, 2008.
Now with the date set, Cooey and his lawyers now claim he is too fat to die by lethal injection, claiming since he is so fat they will have problems finding his veins. His lawyers reported that medical staff usually has a problem finding his veins now for routine medical/lab work.
Richard Cooey was 19 at the time of the crime and his co-defendant Clint Dickens was 17.
What happened, what did they do?
To start this event, Cooey and Dickens dropped a chunk of concrete off on an overpass on I-77 just as Wendy Offredo and Dawn McCreery drove under the overpass.
As soon as they dropped the concrete they headed down to see if the girls were ok and they offered to drive them to a payphone. The girls accepted the offer.
Cooey drove his two friends and two victims to a near by pay phone so that Offredo could call her mother and McCreery called the Akron Police.
Wendy Offreedo**Note: this story I read referred to another person being with Cooey and Dickens, I have not read anything else on line that said there were more involved. I’m not sure if a third person was there or not. I will continue to look around and see if I can find the correct series of events in this case. If anyone knows, please leave a comment. ***
Dawn McCreeryAt some point, they noticed that Offredo had some cash in her wallet and it was suggested that they rob the girls before returning to their car.
Cooey starts back towards the girl’s car, but they ended up in a remote area where they raped and robbed the girls. Cooey claimed he was innocent in trial and said he did not have forcible sexual intercourse nor did he cause the fatal blows.
The occurred on September 1, 1986, while Cooey was home on a 30 day leave from the U.S. Army. He apparently had just finished his six months of training.
However, even with his pleas of innocence, a three judge panel convicted Cooey of four counts of aggravated murder, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of aggravated robbery and one count of felonious assault.
Even with his failed attempt of claiming he was innocent, he testified that he could not have committed the crime based on his level of intoxication and drug use. The panel refused to allow expert testimony into the trial. Mitigating evidence was introduced during the sentencing phase of the trial, showing that Cooey had suffered severe mental and physical abuse, abused alcohol and drugs, and had a mental disorder that was aggravated by the drug and alcohol use. Another mitigating factor brought into the trial was the Cooey’s youth at the time of the offense and his lack of criminal record. The three judge panel weighed the evidence against the mitigating factors and sentenced Cooey to death.
Clint Dickens was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Since he was 17 at the time he could not receive the death penalty.
Now all these years later, Cooey claims he is too fat to die. His attorneys are supporting him and his efforts to remain alive; maybe we should take the Tim “the Tool Man" Taylor approach and give lethal injection in Ohio MORE POWER!!!
23 comments:
Put him on a forced diet and then "shoot him up"
the third perp was kenneth horonetz. he balked and fled the scene before the young women were raped, stabbed, and bludgeoned. cooey then carved an X on each victim's stomache.
Why are we, as taxpayers, footing the bill for his obesity. Lower his food intake, then kill the bastard.
Why are we, as taxpayers, footing the bill for his obesity. Lower his food intake, then kill the bastard.
I could not agree with you more, he needs to die for his crimes.
I don’t think we need to waste more money on him for a diet.
They have drugs that will kill him regardless of size.
And thanks for the clarification on the 3rd person.
After reading countless number of pages of court documents on line all I found was one article that said there was a 3rd person but there was no information as to his involvement in the crimes.
Sorry for the delay in responding to you guys… I have had some internet problems and have not been on line a lot to keep my blog updated.
Why should we pay for these animals? It is bad enough that they get a farewell meal... But, we have to pay for their 3 square for as long as they are in jail & some US Citizens that pay taxes live off of Ramen noodles?! Fry him!!! We are too lenient with these criminals. They gave up their rights to be treated like normal citizens when they raped, murdered, and other wise violated innocent people!
Why has it take 22 yrs to execute this guy--man!
Put him on a diet then execute him.
If he was a black man they killed him any way long time ago no matter what his size or his weight.If he killed the girls for a reason that's too bad for him,but if he killed them for no reason he should kill very quick.
My heart pumps purple panther piss for that fat tub of shit. FRY COOEY'S ASS!
I agree with the post about this case.
I will never understand why it takes 22 years to carry out the death penalty for some and others are over with in a very short period of time.
I assume a lot of it has to do with how much money the attorney can make. Not sure if it is related to race or not, but the defendants that pay the lawyer more seem to stay a live longer.
I think we the people have wasted enough time and money on Cooey.
And I agree with who cares about his rights. After all he did not care at all while he was rapping and murdering two people and yet he now thinks we the people should have sympathy for his fight to stay alive.
Sorry for Cooey, no sympathy here.
Aren't these the guys that threw the rock off the pedestrian bridge over the freeway, then ran down to the girls car under the pretense of helping them?
I've lived in Akron my whole life, and was good college buddies with Clint Dickens older brother Chris. I conversed with Clint several times and was utterly astounded when he and Cooey did what they did. I had no idea Clint was capable of such a horiffic act - he was just a skinny, quiet, friendly and polite normal kid. When I met Cooey, I disliked him, not because of any forebodings but just because he was a little punk. Well, the fat pig Cooey is gone now, although he played the system for way too long. And Clint will likely never leave prison. In cases like this it's easy to forget that the families of the perpetrators also suffer. The Dickens family are very good people, and it was painful to see them suffer the way they did, and still do. They even had to move, because as Chris told me, they were getting threats.
Personally, it is my belief that these inmates should be executed in the same manner in which their victims were murdered. Maybe if this country truly practiced "An eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth" it would deter these animals from murder.
I am an RN and I can tell you first-hand that a person's weight has nothing to do with finding a freaking vein. That is erroneous frivolous crap specifically engineered to keep his sorry ass alive.
I live just outside Lucasville, Ohio where this animal was executed. Our tax dollars made him fat-we should spend our tax dollars on more victims' rights programs instead of keeping these bastards alive.
QUOTE "an eye for an eye"
Just leaves you blind.
First he should of been put to death a long time ago no doubt about it, I'm not trying in any way to say he didn't.
I followed this case in 1986 when I was a law student at Akron-U I did a lot of research on Cooey and the one thing that always bothered me was.
Richard Cooey was a problem child in every way, abused divorced parents, shuffled around from parent to parent to grandparent as a child he had some major issues. rather than seek help he turned 18 and enlisted in to the U.S. Army after serving in boot camp where he was taught to be a killer the U.S. Army released him to kill. Touchy subject I know, but case studies have shown Cooey is only one of many military boys on leave that have killed raped or committed ungodly crimes. Not trying to blame anything on anyone other than the accused but the facts remain, Take a troubled 18 year old kid brain wash them in to a killing machine and they will kill. There is much more to this than to just say "an eye for a eye, kill that fat bastard".. Court records on the third party involved show Horonetz left Cooey and Dickens before these terrible crimes took place. Court documents also list a forth party Terrance Grant, Horonetz & Grant listed as testifying witness for (Sate of Ohio), State of Ohio VS. Richard Wade Cooey II.
DeniedJustice
Keepr,
Thanks for that comment.
I’m a medic on the street and work in an ER. I can also tell you being overweight has nothing to do with finding a suitable vein. Granted, when you get up to 400 pounds, then it becomes more of a challenge, but still not impossible.
It’s all about the games an attorney can play. Nothing more, nothing less. They managed to play the system for 221/2 years, but finally no more.
I agree with you also on the eye to eye and tooth for tooth theory. Sadly we could never treat a criminal as bad as they treated their victim.
Gumbythecat
Thanks for your comments as well.
Often times blogging, I forget that the criminals do have a family and forget what they might be feeling.
I have no doubt they are good people, but sadly they have to live with what has happened.
My sympathies all ways go out to the families even though I may not post it.
Sad that after all these years they had to move because of threats.
Sad for a young man at the age of 17 to be involved in such a crime. He lost his life as well.
Keepr such harse for a claimed RN didn't you take a oath to life or something ?
Swift
Thanks for the comment.
I agree with part of your comment. I read a lot of court documents when preparing the initial post for my blog.
I read about Cooey’s childhood and read about some of the problems he had.
I disagree with you though, the Army taught him to become a solider. Not a killer.
Even though that may be a part of being a solider, there’s a lot more to it than training a killer.
Sad that Cooey, along with others cannot understand the difference. (I have also read many cases of
military personal on leave committing violent crimes.)
Even with his problems, he still should have know the difference in right and wrong.
And I still agree with an eye for an eye…
Sadly we will never treat criminals as bad as their victim was treated.
My questions come into play that since this was all documented in the court records
Why did someone not take action and get him the help he needed when he was a child.
I know this case was many years ago and things were a lot different then compared to now.
But even the Army, could they not tell he had some type of psychological problems?
And why did the defense not make more of an issue of those problems?
But even with any problem he may have suffered, he made some fatal mistakes.
Denied Justice, I strongly disagree with that. He was able to play the system for 22 ½ years,
I don’t think he was denied any justice whatsoever in this case.
He had 22 ½ of extended justice in my opinion.
Harsh for an RN
Harsh also for me as a medic.
We do take an oath. But the oath does not say we cannot form our own opinions.
Regardless of what our opinion might be does not mean in any way we would jeopardize patient care in any way, does not mean in the least that we are any less professional in anyway.
And if you think that is harsh, hang out in an ER sometime and talk to the staff there, then tell me you think a nurse was harsh. LOL.
Rest assured a RN saying an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is nothing compared to actually being harsh. lol
Jakester
"DeniedJustice" was not a comment to the post that is my sign on google name, no idea why it is posting as username swift...
I do strongly believe is the death penalty and in a case like this were there is no doubt he did these crimes I agree he should of been executed years ago, my heart goes out to the families of all involved.
Why his issues were never addressed as a child who knows times were different ? maybe no one near to him really paid attention or cared.
I work with abused children daily the courts are full them and that's only ones we see there are thousands we don't.
I'm not defending Mr. Cooey in any way but he was a young kid 19 years old with parents who did not give him much of a chance at life.
Working the system for 22 years that was not Mr. Cooey that was Law students interns & Lawyers making names.
Blame on the Military, I served 6 years in the Armed Forces I have never killed anyone, Military fact some people handle it different the weak crack while the strong survive.
First thanks for clearing up the issue about “not” killing someone.
And thanks for the clarification of the screen name.
I thought you were supporting what happened from reading the first part of your comment and then at the end it said denied justice.
I think if you read a couple comments up I posted the reason he was alive for 22 ½ years was because of the attorneys and the games they play and the money they make.
I do agree with the Military statement. I had a friend that went into the Marines right out of high school and a few months later he was back. He was dishonorably discharged, he could not handle the pressure and his entire life was different when he returned. He had to seek psychological help on a regular basis for at least a year that I know of once he returned home and that was just from a few months.
During my tenure in Law Enforcement, I volunteered with a group called PULSAR.
Police Utilizing Leaderships Skills for Students at risk. This was an awesome group and I’m not even sure if PULSAR is around any more or not. We worked hand in hand with the schools and other community groups and would focus on students at risk. We took students from all area’s and every background on a 3 day retreat to help the at risk students understand they could actually trust the police, friends, teachers and others they may have looked up too. To help them understand if something happened in life who they could turn to for help or who to call just to talk or who to call for assistance with whatever the problem may have been.
We connected with the students at such a personal level the entire group became more of an “extended family”. Students would call me at all hours of the day and night just to tell me something good they done or they finally made the A/B Honor Roll and yes they even called when something bad happened or they got in trouble.
It’s still an awesome feeling to know that we touched and changed the lives of so many at risk students. Still today even though I have been out of Law Enforcement for a while now, I still get the regular phone calls from some that were in my group.
One in particular will call and the first thing he always says “is because of you I’m a better man today and I still just want to say thank you. Without your help and guidance I know I would have ended up in prison because of the path I was on.” Sometimes I think he has that recorded so he can play it at the start of every phone call. Lol…So I also know first hand what it’s like to work with children/students at risk.
Sorry did not mean to ramble on so much about that… I still hold that experience near and dear to my heart.
Sadly even with the number of students we did reach out to and help, you are 100% right when you said thousands we never seen or know about.
Sadly for Cooey, a lot went wrong in his life and nothing was done about it. There was not a single positive role model in his life from what I have read. Could things been different if he did get help with his problems, it sure could have. But sadly he took no personal responsibility to seek help for his own problems and elected to make a fatal mistake with the crimes he committed.
But his case now is finally over.
Sorry about the lair comment, I mean lawyer comment. I don’t now and never will have much use for a defense attorney.
***Unless of course, I snap under the pressure of life and then do something stupid and then I would want the same attorneys Cooey had that was able to play the system for 22 years. lol
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