Las Vegas mom shot son with same gun she used to kill his dad 20 years beforeMaria
Linda Cooney was acquitted of her ex-husband's murder (Image: LVMPD Office of Public Information Office)A woman was acquitted of murder charges after fatally shooting her ex-husband. Twenty years later, she used the same .357 Magnum to shoot her eldest son
A woman who killed her ex-husband in the 1990s used the same firearm to shoot her eldest son two decades later. Linda Cooney maintained that the first incident was an act of self-defense, while the second was purely accidental.
Cooney was raised on a Wisconsin farm before relocating to Florida for work, where she eventually married Palm Beach attorney Jim Cooney, a well-known and well-liked figure among the area's wealthy social circles.
Despite their marriage producing two sons, Kevin and Christopher, the relationship deteriorated over time, eventually descending into physical violence.
Following their divorce nine years later, Linda and Jim engaged in a bitter custody battle over their two children. CBS News reported that Jim's brother, Bob Cooney, recalled: "[Jim] would go to pick up the kids for his weekend and they would not be there... but if Jim would give her some money, they might appear."
The volatile situation ultimately reached a tragic turning point one evening in 1992, when Jim arrived at Linda's home to collect the boys for a weekend visit, reports the Daily Star.
While the boys were packing their belongings in a bedroom, the eldest son, Kevin, was alerted to a disturbance outside. Peering through a gap in the bedroom door, he witnessed what he believed to be his father approaching the bedroom holding a shiny object, before his mother shot him with a.357 Magnum. After witnessing the violent incident, Kevin contacted the police.
Upon realizing what her son was doing, Linda, who was trying to reach a lawyer friend, grabbed the phone from his hands and frantically informed authorities she had shot her ex-husband, though she claimed she "didn't know" whether the bullet had struck him.
Kevin testified in favour of his mother (Image: CBS)
Linda was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder, but mounted a defense claiming Jim was threatening her with a knife, and that Kevin had witnessed it in his father's hands - though investigators suspected she had placed it in the man's hands after his death, and manipulated Kevin into believing he had seen it.
At trial, Kevin took the stand, confirming he had observed a "glary shine" on his father's hand, though he couldn't identify what it was. Linda was cleared of all charges, but the fallout from the case made it impossible for her to remain in Florida.
The family moved to Las Vegas, where the boys experienced a difficult childhood, according to local reports.
Throughout their adult years, Linda displayed possessive behavior toward her sons, frequently meddling in their romantic relationships, as reported by former girlfriends. On numerous occasions, the men would conceal new relationships from their mother to shield them from Linda's interference.
According to Prosecutor Shanon Clowers, "Linda's purpose was to make the women's lives so miserable that they would no longer wanna be with Kevin."
When Kevin embarked on a relationship with MMA athlete Karina Taylor in 2011, Linda allegedly began harassing the woman with phone calls.
Then, on the morning of June 28, 2011, the troubled saga took yet another violent turn. Linda contacted the police to report that her 30-year-old son had sustained a gunshot wound to the neck, claiming she was unaware of the circumstances surrounding the incident.
She had been married to Jim Cooney, and had Kevin and Christopher with him (Image: CBS)
Kevin was rushed to the hospital as Linda faced questioning. She told authorities that she and Kevin had quarreled over his new relationship in the early morning hours, and that Kevin had struck her before she went to sleep.
She claimed to have woken up around 8 am and discovered a bloodied Kevin on the floor of the living room, adding that she had not heard any gunshot.
"She seemed like a person who was trying to cover up what had happened," said Las Vegas Metro Police Det. Lance Landholm.
During their investigation of the scene, authorities discovered a blood-stained weapon - the. 357 Magnum used in the killing of Jim Cooney, which Linda had managed to retrieve from police evidence storage 20 years prior.
Three days later, upon regaining consciousness in the hospital, Kevin immediately declared: "No mom. I'm afraid of mom. Mom shot me."
Linda was taken into custody shortly afterward.
As the trial approached, Kevin altered his account. "He says his mother and him were fighting, that he attacked his mother and that it was an accident," said Prosecutor Shanon Clowers.
During the trial, prosecutors portrayed Linda as a possessive mother, unwilling to allow her son to move away, which led to a heated confrontation resulting in her shooting him. Conversely, her defense argued that Kevin was furious with her for interfering in his romantic relationship, claiming the gun discharged accidentally during a struggle between the two.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Kevin described himself as a controlling son and accepted responsibility for the altercation, though prosecutors suspected his account was an effort to protect his mother. He stated, "I tell mom what to do. Mom's the kid in this relationship, not me... Mom does what I say, or else Mom gets the fist."
Among the witnesses called to the stand was Christopher, Linda's other son, who testified that his mother had initially been vague about the details of the incident, but had told him just before the trial that the gun had gone off accidentally.
Kevin's ex-girlfriend, Clarita Kendall, also testified, recounting that during her hospital visit, Kevin told her he had been seated on the couch when his mother shot him without warning. Medical professionals noted the shot was fired at a downward angle, a detail that contradicted Kevin's own account.
In the end, the jury delivered a guilty verdict against Linda on charges of attempted murder, battery with a deadly weapon, intimidating Kevin prior to his testimony, and stalking Kevin's girlfriend, Karina Taylor.
Kevin wrote a note stating: "My mother has been wrongly accused and convicted of crimes she did not commit. It was by my own actions that I find myself in my present condition...my mother is unjustly incarcerated."
During her own sentencing hearing, where she received 13 to 40 years imprisonment, she delivered a statement: "My son, Kevin, carried with him an anger and rage disorder that he must have inherited from his father... Yet, I always protected, defended, and loved my son, and I would never have intentionally harmed him... What happened was his fault. It was an accident... Please have mercy on me, Your Honor."
Source: Crime