Ash Cooper: Transgender teen sentenced for fatally shooting 12-year-old girl, then showing body to ‘juvenile witness’ on video call

Ash Cooper, who was previously known as Joshua Cooper, was sentenced in connection to the fatal shooting of Morgan Connors
PUBLISHED MAR 24, 2024
Ash Cooper was charged in connection to killing a 12-year-old girl in 2022 (Bucks County District Attorney's Office)
Ash Cooper was charged in connection to killing a 12-year-old girl in 2022 (Bucks County District Attorney's Office)

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

BENSALEM, PENNSYLVANIA: An 18-year-old transgender woman will be behind bars for the 2022 slaying of a 12-year-old girl, according to local authorities.

Ash Cooper, who was previously known as Joshua Cooper, was sentenced in connection to the fatal shooting of Morgan Connors, according to a statement by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office, per Fox News

What did Ash Cooper do? 

Cooper, who belongs to Bensalem, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on Thursday, March 21, to third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence in connection to Morgan Connors' death in November 2022, the district attorney's office said.

Cooper, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, was given a sentence of 15 to 40 years in state prison and seven years of probation by Bucks County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L Finley, according to the statement.

In addition, the judge mandated that Cooper submit to psychological and mental testing as well as abide by all guidelines and recommendations of adult probation and parole.

Paul Lang, Cooper's defense attorney, confirmed to Newsweek in a text message on Saturday, March 23 that the teen "goes by she and her".

"Ash's plea marks the initial but not the ultimate phase in her journey to redemption," Lang said.

He added,  "As her lawyer, I am pleased that my defense contributed to securing a favorable sentence for her, one that notably prevented life in prison."

Cooper used firearm from her father's gun safe

The Bensalem Township Police Department received a 911 report regarding a potential murder at the Top of the Ridge Trailer Park on Gibson Road in Bensalem, a township about 20 miles from Philadelphia, shortly after 4 pm on November 25, 2022.

According to the prosecution, a "juvenile witness" was in a video conversation on Instagram with a friend, who subsequently turned out to be Cooper and who was claiming to have killed someone.

"In the video chat, Cooper flipped the video image and showed the legs and feet of someone covered in blood," the district attorney's office said. "Cooper then asked the acquaintance for assistance with cleaning up the scene and disposing of the body."

When officers arrived at the Gibson Road property, they spotted Cooper running out of the back of the trailer. She was found and taken into custody soon after.

When the officers entered the caravan,they discovered Connors dead on the toilet floor, apparently from a gunshot wound, along with evidence that "substantial steps were taken to clean up the crime scene," according to the district attorney's office.

According to the statement, investigators concluded that Cooper shot Connors with a gun from her father's gun safe inside the house.

During Cooper's sentencing on Thursday, Chief Deputy District Attorney Kristin McElroy read an impact statement from the 12-year-old victim's grandfather who described the "intense pain and heartbreak" of losing Connors.

MORE STORIES

Washington County Sheriff Nate Brooksby said that the conditions during Tyler Robinson's arrest were relaxed and comfortable
Sep 18, 2025
DeCarlos Brown Jr, who is accused of fatally stabbing Iryna Zarutska, confessed the reason for the attack in a phone call from jail to his sister
Sep 11, 2025
The former Centerville Mayor is facing three class A felony murder charges, each carrying a minimum sentence of death or life imprisonment
Jun 1, 2024
In a recent interview, Oregon murder suspect Jesse Lee Calhoun's ex-girlfriend, Krista Sinor, recalled his fits of rage
May 19, 2024
Michael Francis described John-Paul Miller as someone who tried to buy love and expected something in return for his favors
May 19, 2024
Ryan Babcock has been indicted on charges of attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault, three counts of reckless endangerment, and vandalism
May 19, 2024
A student at Kennesaw State University in Georgia was fatally shot by an armed intruder on May 18
May 19, 2024
Jaylin Brazier admitted he panicked and disposed of Zion Foster's body in a dumpster after she died suddenly while they were smoking marijuana
May 19, 2024
Devin Montgomery drew a firearm and discharged it several times at officers who were trying to engage him on May 16 at an apartment complex
May 19, 2024