Judge: $1M bail remains for Shellsburg man accused of helping wife kill husband

A judge ruled last week that a Shellsburg man accused of helping a woman kill her husband in 2021 remain held on $1 million bail pending trial.

Huston William Danker, 26, charged in April with first-degree murder, asked the court for a lower bail, with his lawyer arguing it was “excessive” and that Danker isn’t a flight risk.

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Assistant Iowa Attorney General Mike Ringle, meanwhile, 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.

Ringle said the pair’s plan was to kill him to obtain a $500,000 life insurance policy and flee the state. The prosecution believes Danker has access to a “large sum of cash.”

After taking the arguments under advisement, 6th Judicial District Chief Judge Lars Anderson ruled last Friday the concerns expressed by the prosecution are “satisfactorily addressed” in the existing bail conditions. He said the prosecution’s argument about Danker’s access to insurance proceeds are “only speculative.”

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.

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.

According to an autopsy, 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.

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

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