“48 Hours” Investigates “The Troubling Case Against Kevin Cooper”

Saturday, March 21 (10:00 PM, ET/PT)

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San Quentin State Prison death row inmate Kevin Cooper has maintained for three decades he did not kill three members of a California family and a guest staying at their house in 1983. Now, with new witnesses, lost evidence that could have proven him right and a DNA test that doesn’t link him to the crime, the question remains: will Cooper ever walk free again?

Erin Moriarty and 48 HOURS investigate the controversial murder case against Cooper and explore the two new witnesses who came forward after watching 48 HOURS, new DNA testing and the California governor who could spare his life in “The Troubling Case Against Kevin Cooper” to be broadcast Saturday, March 21 (10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

This is a case Moriarty has been reporting on for two decades. It revolves around a horrific massacre and a death row inmate’s claims of innocence. In May 2019, Moriarty visited Cooper at San Quentin Prison. Cooper’s case has drawn international attention from the likes of Pope Francis and Kim Kardashian West, who also has visited Cooper at San Quentin. The heartbreaking story about the brutal assault that left Doug and Peggy Ryen; their daughter, Jessica, 10; and a family friend, Christopher Hughes, 11, dead in Chino Hills, Calif., also raises questions about the initial police investigation, the loss of key evidence and whether the real killer remains free.

“He is a very strong person,” says Cooper’s attorney, Norman Hile. “And he is somebody who believes in the truth and is willing to fight for it.”

After seeing 48 HOURS’ extensive report on Cooper’s case in 2019, two new witnesses have come forward and signed affidavits that tie the case to someone else. Three other witnesses have signed similar affidavits.

California’s governor ordered new DNA tests in 2018. Then in 2019, newly appointed Governor Gavin Newsom ordered even more new tests. Cooper and his defense team hoped those tests would reveal other suspects. What they found was most of the DNA on the evidence was too degraded for testing, except that on a towel believed to be taken from the victims’ home. That DNA that was tested turned up a male profile that did not match Cooper.

There was also another discovery. Early on, authorities linked a speck of blood at the crime scene to Cooper. Cooper and his defense team say it was planted. Moriarty reports now that when new DNA tests were ordered – there was an unexpected and disturbing discovery. A vial that had contained Cooper’s blood from when he was arrested was empty. Where did the blood go? The finding may support the defense team’s theory that the blood was removed to be planted.

At the time of the murders, nothing was taken from the home, except the family’s station wagon. Police were under pressure to find the killer, and the community was terrified. Almost two months after the murders, Cooper, a convicted burglar who had escaped a nearby minimum-security prison, was arrested and charged with the killings. Two decades ago, Cooper wrote to Moriarty proclaiming his innocence. She and 48 HOURS have been investigating ever since.

Is Cooper telling the truth? Were there other suspects, as his attorneys maintain?

48 HOURS: “The Troubling Case Against Kevin Cooper” is produced by Marcelena Spencer, Lisa Freed and Dena Goldstein. Richard Barber and Gary Winter are the producer/editors. Gail Zimmerman is the senior producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer.

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