Friends testify Traer woman was verbally abusive to husband, some knew of affair

CEDAR RAPIDS — Several friends testified Monday that Karina Cooper, who is on trial for fatally shooting her husband, often was angry or upset with her husband over finances and other things and became verbally abusive with him at times.

Some of the friends also said they heard rumors or thought Karina was having an affair with Huston Danker. Both Karina and Danker are charged with killing Ryan Cooper on June 18, 2021 in the Coopers’ Traer farm home.

Cooper, 48, is charged with first-degree murder. Her trial started last Tuesday and the prosecution will continue its case Tuesday in Linn County District Court. The trial was moved from Tama County.

Huston Danker, 27, also charged with first-degree murder, will go to trial Aug. 12 in Johnson County District Court. His trial was recently moved from Tama County.

According to the prosecution’s theory, Karina and Danker wanted to be together. They planned to kill Ryan Cooper for his $500,000 life insurance policy because Karina didn’t have any money and all of Ryan’s assets were owned by Cooper Farms — his family’s farming business.

The defense, in its opening, said Karina was manipulated by Danker and he’s the one who fatally shot Ryan.

Friends paint picture of marital trouble between Ryan, Karina

Brian Morrison, Ryan Cooper’s best friend, testified Monday he had a good relationship with Karina for many years. She was like a “sister” to him. He and his then-girlfriend would socialize with the Coopers and several other couples. They would take trips, ride motorcycles and snowmobiles, attend family events and just get together.

Some times when they were out together, Karina would become upset with Ryan — have “relationship fights” — which Morrison said he didn’t think much of, but then Karina also would make threats to Ryan and tell him “I hate you, wish you were dead.” In the fall of 2020, Morrison said Karina told Ryan she would “shoot him in the face.”

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Morrison said he knew the Coopers had financial problems at times, but he didn’t know if it was an ongoing issue. Ryan told Morrison about some documents in the fall of 2020 and told him how to find them if something happened to Ryan.

Morrison testified that Ryan was aware of the affair between Karina and Danker. After that, Morrison said he wasn’t as close to Karina.

On cross examination, Morrison said Karina’s verbal abuse toward Ryan happened when she was drinking. She seemed to have a different personality and the group of friends would call her “Karen.”

Kirsta Sheda testified she had been friends with Ryan and Karina for about 10 years. All the couples were in a friends’ group and they also had several Snapchat groups to communicate. Karina was active on the chats until about two days before Ryan’s fatal shooting, when she withdrew from all the groups, Sheda said.

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Sheda said they confirmed their suspicions about a romantic relationship between Karina and Danker in the late fall of 2020. They were together at a friend’s house and Danker showed up, so she and others took his phone and saw messages from Karina. They were having a sexual relationship, she said.

Sheda said Ryan knew about the affair because Sheda was told by a person who worked with her and Ryan.

Sheda also testified that Karina would get angry at Ryan and get in “digs” about him. Karina resented Ryan because Cooper Farms — the family farming business — owned nearly everything they owned and controlled their finances, she said.

Karina wasn’t physically abusive toward Ryan, just verbally, Sheda said.

Karina would say that Ryan’s ex-wife “got everything” and if Karina left him, she would get nothing. It would go to the family business.

Sheda said Karina had some knowledge of guns. They had one conversation in 2018 or 2019 about the “kickback” of other guns compared to a .22 caliber handgun.

Law enforcement said Ryan was killed by a .22 caliber gun that was owned by Danker.

Carmen Erhardt, friends with Karina and Ryan, testified she took a concealed weapons class at the Coopers’ shop and she had discussed handguns with Karina.

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Erhardt said she also witnessed Karina getting “hostile” with Ryan during arguments. Karina would become physically agitated during the arguments. One time, Erhardt said another friend tried to intervene in the argument and Karina grabbed the person’s hair to remove the person from the argument.

Karina got mad at her husband over finances and she would complain to Erhardt about how Ryan could use Cooper Farms money to buy something, but her money went to food and expenses for their three children.

Erhardt also knew about affair between Karina and Danker. Erhardt said her husband received a late night call from Ryan about it.

On cross examination, Erhardt said some the arguments Karina started with Ryan were while they were out drinking.

Leroy Bradley, a close friend of Ryan’s, testified Ryan told him about the affair between Karina and Danker in March 2021.

Loan officer, insurance agent testify about couple’s finances

In other testimony, a loan officer and an insurance agent testified about the financial issues Karina had in 2020 and 2021, and life insurance policies on Ryan.

Brad Rend, loan officer with Chelsea Savings Bank in Traer, testified Karina had recurring overdrafts on her personal checking account and the account for her hair salon. He had to text or call her to inform her about those and ask her to pay the fees.

In 2020, she had $225 in overdrafts, and 2021, there were $475 in overdrafts, Rend said. Her personal checking account in 2021 had $870 in overdrafts. Her accounts usually had a negative balance, he said.

Jeff Gudenkauf, a Shelter Insurance agent, said Ryan had two life insurance policies — one for $20,000 and the other for $500,000 — and Karina was the beneficiary of both. After Ryan died, both policies were paid out to Karina and she cashed both checks.

Gudenkauf said Ryan took out the policies in 2013.

Danker told police there was no romance between him, Karina

Special Agent Jon Turbett with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation testified that in his second interview with Danker on Oct. 27, 2023, Danker described his relationship with Karina as her “gay best friend.” There was nothing romantic going on between them. He acknowledged there were rumors about them in Traer, but it was because she cut his hair and babysat his kids.

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Danker also denied he and Karina had exchanged inappropriate Snapchats.

Investigators testified last week about finding intimate texts and chats between the two that implicated them in the killing.

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