Georgia criminal lawyer fights extradition for man wanted in New York murder case
New York authorities are seeking to extradite Raoul Desmin Cooper, 38, of Cobb County for a murder which occurred 18 years ago. New York and Georgia authorities arrested Cooper Wednesday night in Cobb, but New York authorities returned home empty handed as Cooper fights extradition.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution has the story.
The 1991 case stems from the shooting death of a 17-year-old victim in New York City. Authorities say the teenager was shot in the face by two men who wanted his 8-ball jacket. At the time, 8-ball jackets were very popular and led to numerous robberies. In late 2007 or early 2008, detectives received tips on the cold case which led them to Cooper and another man who has already been charged.
Cooper moved to Georgia in 1998 to be closer to family and has held a job installing fiber optic cable. Since moving to Georgia, he has lived in eight different cities in the metro area although detectives say he was not trying to hide.
On Wednesday night, Cooper thought he was meeting police in a vacant parking lot in Mableton to discuss a child neglect case. Upon his arrival, he was immediately surrounded and arrested by police from New York City, Cobb County, and a SWAT team. Cooper now faces the charge of second degree murder in New York which carries a sentence of 25 years to life.
New York detectives attempted to bring Cooper back to New York on Friday but were unable to do so as Cooper fights extradition. The governors of New York and Georgia will now have to decide how to handle extradition. For the time being, Cooper remains in the Cobb County jail.
Pate & Brody is an accomplished Georgia law firm with offices in Atlanta, Macon and Madison. Our lawyers are dedicated to pursuing justice for people charged with serious crimes. We have successfully represented clients facing serious federal criminal charges and state criminal charges in courts across Georgia. Our lawyers have been recognized on the list of Georgia's "Super Lawyers", and included among Georgia's "Legal Elite" by Georgia Trend Magazine. Page Pate was recently the Chairman of the Criminal Law Section of the Atlanta Bar Association.
