Battle over bail: Shellsburg man wants $1M bail reduced, prosecutor wants it bumped to $5M

A Shellsburg man who told investigators he both planned and helped a woman kill her husband in 2021 asked a judge Thursday to reduce his $1 million bail because it was “excessive.” But a prosecutor asked to increase it because the defendant has access to a “large sum of cash.”

Huston William Danker, 26, charged in April with first-degree murder, is a lifelong resident of Tama County and could live with his father, who has a farm in Traer, if he is able to pay a lower bail, said Leon Spies, his lawyer, during a virtual hearing Thursday. Danker would work for a landscaping company in La Porte City and be near his child.

Danker’s bail is $1 million cash or surety bond, which isn’t unusual for someone charged with murder in the 6th Judicial District.

Spies said he doesn’t know of any evidence that Danker has access to a “large sum of cash,” as the prosecution argued in a motion to increase the bail.

If Danker was going to flee, Spies argued, he would have done so three years ago when the fatal shooting happened or after the wife was arrested in February.

Assistant Iowa Attorney General Mike Ringle asked the judge to increase the bail to $5 million because he said Danker and Karina Sue Cooper, 46, had for months planned to kill her husband, Ryan Cooper, 42, on June 18, 2021, in Traer, for the insurance money.

Ringle said the pair’s plan was to kill Ryan Cooper to obtain a $500,000 life insurance policy and then flee the state. The prosecution believes Danker has access to a “large sum of cash” and now has incentive to flee — as opposed to three years ago when the crime happened but nobody had been arrested. The increased bail would be sufficient to ensure community safety and Danker’s appearances in court, Ringle said.

Sixth Judicial District Chief Judge Lars Anderson said he would take the arguments under advisement and rule by Friday.

According to court documents, Danker told investigators he planned and assisted Karina Cooper in shooting her husband. The criminal complaint doesn’t provide further details about when Danker’s confession was made to authorities, or what his connection is to Karina Cooper.

A previous complaint for Karina Cooper said Tama County sheriff’s deputies found her sitting on top of her husband, who was in a recliner in their home, after they received a 911 call about 4:35 a.m. June 18, 2021. He appeared to have been shot in his face.

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The 911 call reported someone had been shot at the Coopers’ residence, 1846 K. Ave. in Traer. The complaint didn’t state who made the call.

Karina Cooper and her three children, also in the home when deputies arrived, were taken outside. Medical personnel responded, but the medical examiner pronounced Ryan Cooper dead at the scene.

Further investigation — including an autopsy — showed that Ryan Cooper died from two gunshot injuries to his face. A .22 caliber shell casing was found in the home and collected by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s crime scene team. No gun was found in the immediate area of the body, the complaint stated.

During the investigation, which included multiple search warrants and interviews, investigators learned Karina Cooper told two witnesses she wanted her husband dead and “could shoot him in the face.”

Karina Cooper remains in jail under a $1 million bail pending her trial, set for July 9.

Danker’s trial is set for Nov. 4 in Tama County District Court.

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