Ep 22. Was Kevin Cooper Framed? Part 1

In this episode of 48 Hours, the team delves into a case that has been shrouded in controversy for over three decades: the murder of four people in Chino Hills, California in 1983. Kevin Cooper, a black man, was convicted of the crime and has been on death row since 1985. However, there are lingering doubts about his guilt and allegations of police misconduct and evidence tampering.

The episode begins by laying out the facts of the case. On June 4, 1983, Doug and Peggy Ryen, their 10-year-old daughter Jessica, and 11-year-old neighbor Christopher Hughes were brutally murdered in the Ryen's home. Josh Ryen, the Ryen's 8-year-old son, survived the attack despite being left for dead with a slashed throat. Kevin Cooper was a convicted burglar who had escaped from a minimum-security prison nearby two days earlier. He was found hiding in a vacant house not far from the Ryen's home and was arrested, in part, because he was wearing a t-shirt that belonged to Doug Ryen. The prosecution argued that Cooper had killed the Ryens and Hughes in order to steal their car and escape to Mexico.

However, as the episode unfolds, it becomes clear that the case against Cooper is far from air-tight. The defense has long argued that Cooper was framed by the police, who were under enormous pressure to solve a high-profile crime in an affluent, mostly white community. They point to evidence of tampering with blood samples, lost and mishandled evidence, and a questionable eyewitness identification. They also argue that police ignored other potential suspects, including a white inmate who had escaped from a nearby prison around the same time as Cooper.

The episode includes interviews with a variety of people connected to the case, including Cooper himself, his family, former jurors, and law enforcement officials. We hear from Cooper's son and his ex-wife, who have been fighting for his release for years. We also hear from retired detective Paul Ingels, who investigated the case in the 1990s and now believes that Cooper was wrongly convicted.

The episode ends on a cliffhanger, with the team uncovering a new piece of evidence that could potentially exonerate Cooper. However, they stress that the case is far from closed and that there are many more twists and turns to come. Part 2 promises to delve deeper into the evidence and the questions surrounding the case, and to introduce new information that could shed light on what really happened in Chino Hills in 1983.