The former sister-in-law of a Malvern woman killed in 2016 spent more than an hour Monday testifying against the man accused of pulling the trigger.
Racheal Cooper, the former sister-in-law of Suzen Cooper told the jury that she saw Don Smith shoot Suzen Cooper the night of Sept. 27, 2016. But in subsequent testimony, she told a jury that a second man, Sam Sherman of Batesville, had nothing to do with Suzen Cooper’s death.
Smith, 37, of Malvern and Sherman, 38, of Batesville were indicted in September 2019 on several charges in the shooting death of 44-year-old Suzen Cooper.
Suzen Cooper, who federal officials said was a confidential informant at the time of her death, was last seen Sept. 26, 2016, in Malvern and was reported missing shortly after. Her skeletal remains were found in early August 2018 in a field off Grigsby Ford Road, a few miles west of Malvern.
In February 2017, Racheal Cooper, was charged with first-degree murder and pleaded guilty in August 2018 to a reduced charge of hindering apprehension or prosecution. She was sentenced in Hot Spring County Circuit Court to 25 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections and was released on parole in January after having served five years in prison and on pre-trial detention.
On Monday, Racheal Cooper testified for several hours, telling prosecutors that she had driven Suzen Cooper to Grigsby Ford Road the night of her death and saw Donald Smith shoot her several times, then drag her out of Racheal Cooper’s truck, after which Racheal Cooper said she “hauled ass” away from the scene.
Under direct examination by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bart Dickinson, Racheal Cooper said she had moved to Malvern in 1999 at the age of 16. Cooper said she was acquainted with both Don Smith and Sam Sherman, identifying Sherman through his street name of “Big Hit.”
“He’s just a friend on Facebook,” she said of Sherman, whom she said introduced her to Smith, the nature of their relationship being “drugs,” mainly methamphetamine and crack cocaine, she said.
Throughout her testimony, Racheal Cooper wiped at her eyes and often swiveled the witness chair from side to side as she testified that she often worked for Smith and bought drugs from him.
“I did whatever he needed,” she said. “Housecleaning and worked at his tire shop. I wouldn’t consider it a real job. I just did things to get high.”
Racheal Cooper testified that her reduced sentence was in exchange for her testimony against Smith, whom she said she feared.
She testified that on Sept. 26, 2016, she arranged with Suzen Cooper to take herto meet Smith so that Suzen Cooper could exchange 60 hydrocodonecq pills for methamphetamine. But, Racheal Cooper said, although she told Smith that she would be bringing Suzen Cooper to meet him, she said she did not mention to Suzen Cooper that they would be meeting Smith.
She said Smith told her to bring Suzen Cooper to a residence on Grigsby Ford Road in rural Hot Spring County, which she said was a departure from the normal routine, which she said was for her to drive to Smith’s home to pick up drugs and then deliver them to where they were supposed to go.
Racheal Cooper testified that as she and Suzen Cooper sat outside the house, Smith approached and shot Suzen Cooper one time, at which point Racheal Cooper jumped into the driver’s seat of her mother’s truck and began fumbling for her keys.
“Suzen went to the passenger side to get in,” Racheal Cooper said, at which time she said Smith shot Suzen Cooper four or five more times and then “I put it in reverse and that’s when he pulled her out of the truck.”
Blake Hendrix, Smith’s defense attorney, asked Racheal Cooper about the lack of evidence at the scene of Suzen Cooper’s death and he challenged her on differences between her testimony on Monday and her statements to investigators in 2016 and 2017.
“You have said that after the shooting that you … ‘hauled ass’ out of there, spinning your tires, you remember testifying to that?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said.
“You testified there were up to seven shots, right?” Hendrix asked.
“I said there were five or six,” Racheal Cooper replied.
“Right, meaning there should have been five or six shell casings,” Hendrix said.
“Yes,” she replied.
“Did they land in your truck?” he asked, to which she replied she didn’t know.
“Are you aware that none of Suzen’s belongings were found at the crime scene?” he asked.
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it,” Racheal Cooper said.
“Are you aware there were no shell casings found at the crime scene?”
“I don’t care to answer that,” she replied.
Then, challenging her assertion that she had spun her tires trying to get away from the scene, Hendrix asked, “you are aware that police officers out there saw no evidence of a vehicle spinning out?”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it,” Racheal Cooper said, flatly.
Asked about inconsistencies between her statements in testimony Monday and what she told investigators in 2016 and 2017, Racheal Cooper said she lied to investigators then because she was afraid of Smith.
The prosecution’s case continues Tuesday morning.