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Cooper trial shifts to testimony of family, friends this week
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Gateway trial's opening statements
The Gateway murder trial gets underway today with opening statements
GATEWAY KILLINGS
- POLL: With the evidence presented in court what will be the verdict for Fred Cooper?
- AUDIO: Hear the 911 dispatch tape in the Gateway murders
- PODCAST: Hear an in-depth report on the death of a Lee County couple and the man accused in their deaths
- PHOTOS: See photo galleries from the Gateway murder case
- FULL COVERAGE: Get complete coverage including stories of the Gateway killings in our special section
RELATED STORIES
- From Day 1, Cooper became prime suspect in Gateway murders
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- GATEWAY MURDER TRIAL BLOG: Neighbors continue testimony
- BLOG UPDATES: Kellie Ballew testifies in Gateway murder trial
- PHOTOS: Responding officer relives gruesome discovery in Gateway slaying
- LIVE BLOG: Jury listens to 911 call, hears of finding 2-year-old in Gateway murder case
- Day 2: Jury selected in Gateway murder trial
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Jurors in the trial of Fred Cooper heard from the first group of witnesses on Friday, including those who first responded to the 911 call from a home in Gateway in late December 2005.
They heard from employees of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and from those with the medical examiner’s office who handled the bodies of Michelle and Steven Andrews.
Cooper, 30, is facing two counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary in connection with their deaths.
When his trial resumes this week, jurors are likely to hear from members of Cooper’s family, his former girlfriend, and members of the victims’ families. They are also likely to see surveillance footage showing a man on motorcycle at a convenience store near Gateway and hear about DNA evidence in the case.
KELLIE BALLEW: She had dated and lived with Cooper for more than six years. Some assumed they were married, and they had a daughter together. Ballew’s affair with Steven Andrews — and Cooper’s supposed jealousy — is the motive prosecutors cite for the slayings. She is expected to describe how she began her affair with Steven Andrews, and how she told Cooper she wanted to end her relationship with him.
NEIGHBORS: As part of a neighborhood canvass after the bodies were found inside an Eagle Pointe Circle home, investigators talked to Ben Potter, Whitney Tinsley and others about who they had seen in the area the night of Dec. 26. Several said they saw a man in a camouflage jacket.
DOUGLAS JIMMO: Another neighbor in Gateway. On his way to a community pool shortly before 7 a.m. Dec. 27, 2005, he said he saw a man with a camouflage jacket walking into the couple’s community, then later saw him walking in a field nearby.
JIM PETERS: One of Cooper’s coworkers at Sun Sports Cycle and Watercraft off Metro Parkway in Fort Myers. He called authorities when he saw Cooper cleaning his camouflage jacket at work and cutting out the black mesh lining.
WALTER RYAN: He was the lead detective in this case with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. He will explain how the investigation proceeded, and how he learned that Ballew had contacted the Sheriff’s Office. He later asked for Ballew’s help in calling Cooper and asking him come in for questioning, telling him she needed an alibi.
RUSSELL ANDREWS: Father of victim Steven Andrews. He and his wife were in town for the holidays. They had spent the day after Christmas at the beach, but that evening, Steven Andrews confronted his father over the fact Michelle had already told him about a rape, and then he took his parents to a hotel for the night. Russell Andrews had planned to meet his son to go to Naples at about 7:45 a.m. on Dec. 27. Steven Andrews never showed up.
BARBARA ANDREWS: Mother of victim Steven Andrews. She hadn’t been on the best of terms with Michelle, yet her daughter-in-law had still confided in her about her fears that Steven Andrews was having an affair.
LINDA KOKORA: Mother of victim Michelle Andrews. On Christmas Day, Michelle Andrews had told her husband about what she said was a past rape — which she had previously claimed was an affair. Linda and her husband were there for that, and saw the couple give each other the silent treatment for the rest of the day.
DAN KOKORA: Father of victim Michelle Andrews. He had talked to Steven Andrews about the state of his marriage during a canoe trip on the Estero River just before Christmas 2005.







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