LAS VEGAS (AP) - A Nevada jury found a woman guilty of shooting and paralyzing her adult son some two decades after she was acquitted of murdering her prominent tax attorney ex-husband in Florida.
Linda Cooney, 66, showed no emotion Tuesday when a jury handed down guilty verdicts, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal (https://bit.ly/1hmhETL). She faces three to 65 years in prison on the charges, which include attempted murder, battery with a deadly weapon and intimidating a witness.
She also was charged with stalking her son’s ex-girlfriend, Karina Taylor.
Prosecutors said Linda Cooney shot Kevin Cooney on June 28, 2011, while they fought about his relationship with Taylor. Defense lawyers said Kevin Cooney, a 6-foot-9-inch former bouncer, attacked his mother during the argument and the gun went off accidentally.
Kevin Cooney was diagnosed as an incomplete quadriplegic after the shooting, meaning he has limited movement in his arms and legs. He testified in court earlier this month from a motorized wheelchair.
Prosecutors said that before the shooting, Linda Cooney had tried to sabotage her son’s relationship by sending text messages to colleagues saying the girlfriend was “an evil whore.” Another ex-girlfriend, Clarita Kendall, described a 2006 incident in which Linda Cooney confronted her and kicked her car while Kendall cowered inside.
Both the ex-girlfriends said they knew Linda Cooney had killed her husband, and they feared her as a result.
A Florida jury acquitted Linda Cooney of murder in the 1992 death of her ex-husband, James Cooney, after concluding she shot him in self-defense. She said her ex-husband had attacked her with a kitchen knife.
Kevin Cooney defended his mother in both trials.
He was instrumental in her acquittal in the early 1990s, testifying that he saw his father with a shiny object, even though he initially told authorities his father had nothing in his hand just prior to his death.
He defended his mother again this month, saying he was a bully and beat his mother for meddling in his relationships before he shot her. During breaks in testimony, according to the Review-Journal, Kevin Cooney wept and repeatedly apologized to his mother.
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Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal, https://www.lvrj.com
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