FAYETTEVILLE -- A woman accused of helping her husband kill their roommate pleaded innocent Wednesday in Washington County Circuit Court.
Nicole Cook, 35, of 2375 N. Hummingbird Lane is charged with being an accomplice to first-degree murder. She was arraigned Wednesday and given a Feb. 28 court date before Circuit Judge Joanna Taylor.
Kevin Cook is set for arraignment Jan. 11. He faces the same charge.
Washington Regional Medical Center staff members called police about 11 p.m. Nov. 26 and said Heather Hill was unresponsive at the hospital and had "several suspicious marks" on her body, according to a preliminary arrest report.
An autopsy at the state Crime Laboratory determined that Hill, 40, died from strangulation. The medical examiner noted injuries on her neck that "could not have been self-inflicted," according to the arrest report. The medical examiner also noted a minor injury on the top of her head.
Nicole Cook told police that her husband and Hill were fighting, and he choked Hill, according to the arrest report. She said Kevin Cook was "throwing [Hill] around like a rag doll," according to the report. She also told police that her husband had hurt her in the past and she was afraid of him.
Kevin Cook wasn't interviewed by police because he immediately requested an attorney.
Court records show that Kevin Cook, 40, was sentenced to four years of probation in 2010 for third-degree domestic battery. He also received a one year suspended sentence on the same charge in 2015.
Metro on 12/22/2016