Remembering Rebecca Sue Gelhausen

 

A Deadly Encounter

On February 17, 1974, Rebecca Sue Gelhausen put on her dark green corduroy jacket, kissed her mother goodbye and headed off to a local park to go ice skating with friends. Rebecca, who liked to be called Becky, stood five feet tall, weighed 95 pounds, and had long brown hair and freckles. She was a typical 12-year-old girl who liked to hang out with her friends, was an avid reader and enjoyed riding the bus every Sunday to go to church. Becky was quiet, sweet, caring and loved by both her friends and family.

While Becky was heading to the park, predator James Cooper was hunting for his next victim. Cooper, a quiet loner and a smooth talker, had just gotten out on bond after being charged with raping a 14-year-old girl. The girl had just arrived back at a barn after horseback riding when Cooper attacked her. He was also the prime suspect in the case of 14-year-old girl who had been abducted from a group home and raped behind a local high school. When Cooper saw Becky walking alone, he focused in on his next target.

A Horrific Murder

Authorities believe that Cooper lured Becky into his car, likely promising her a ride to the park. Cooper went to school with Becky’s older brother and she likely knew Cooper from the neighborhood. Rather than take Becky to the park, Cooper took her to a rural area and parked on a remote access road. Cooper then attacked Becky and sexually assaulted her. He tried to rape her, however he was unable to do so. An enraged Cooper than wrapped half of a torn dish towel around Becky’s neck and forced her to walk with him to the river about 100 feet away. Cooper then strangled Becky with the dish towel and dumped her body in the shallow river.

When Cooper went back to his car, it was stuck in the mud. As he tried to get the car out, several cars drove by and saw him at the scene. After failing to get the car unstuck, Cooper hitchhiked to a friend’s house. The friend drove Cooper to his car and helped him get it out of the mud. Cooper realized that too many people had seen him at the crime scene and he needed an alibi. Cooper told his friend he had went for a stroll in the woods before his car got stuck. He said while walking he had found a dead body, however he was scared to tell anyone because he thought he would be blamed. The friend told him he had to tell the authorities.

A Killer’s Confession

The next day Cooper went to the police station and told them he had found a body. The police officers recognized Cooper as the man they had arrested for the rape of the 14-year-old girl and the suspect in the case of the girl who was raped behind the high school. Cooper led police to the scene and they found Becky, fully clothed, face down in the river. Half of a ripped dish towel was around her neck. She had bruises all over her face, a contusion to her scalp, and abrasions on her hands and knees. It was obvious Becky fought hard to live before she was killed.

After seeing the body, and the fact Becky was found in such a remote area, police became skeptical of James Cooper’s story. Police took Cooper back to the police station, where Lieutenant Charles Caldwell questioned him. Initially, Cooper denied the crime and stuck with his story of finding Becky during a walk in the woods. He then said he did pick up Becky and tried to rape her. Cooper claimed he was unable to rape her and he left her alive at the river bank.

Lt. Caldwell, an expert at interrogations, knew better. He continued to talk with Cooper and gained his trust. Cooper then confessed to the horrific crime. He told Lt. Caldwell that he molested Becky, however he could not rape her. He said he led her to the river with the dish towel around her neck and, when he got to the river, he turned her toward him and strangled her. He said he looked into her eyes as he killed her. Cooper also described Becky’s underwear in complete detail, which was something only the killer would have known. Cooper was arrested and charged with the kidnapping, attempted rape and murder of Becky Gelhausen.

Two Trials, Two Convictions

While awaiting trial for Becky’s murder, Cooper was tried for the rape of the 14-year-old girl. Based on the victim’s testimony, it took the jury only 90 minutes to convict Cooper of rape and abduction for the purpose of rape. Cooper was sentenced from 3-20 years for the abduction and 4-25 years for the rape.

After his kidnapping and rape conviction, Cooper went on trial for Becky’s murder. During the 13-day trial, Lake County Prosecutor Paul Mitrovich presented 78 exhibits and called 31 witnesses. The prosecutor showed jurors that tire tracks at the scene that matched those of Cooper’s vehicle. He called witnesses who saw Cooper trying to get his car unstuck. He showed jurors a board that had the half of the dishtowel found wrapped around Becky’s neck attached to it. Next to it was the perfect match to the other half of the towel, which was found in the trunk of Cooper’s car. He also admitted into evidence Cooper’s own confession, which his attorneys unsuccessfully tried to suppress. It took the jury less than a day to find Cooper guilty of aggravated murder with kidnapping and attempted rape specifications.

Cooper was facing the death penalty, so, prior to sentencing, he had a psychiatric evaluation. Dr. Henry Lanter testified that Cooper was legally sane and knew right from wrong. The report also said that Cooper had no remorse and accepted no responsibility for his actions. When Cooper was asked why he talked to Lt. Caldwell when he refused to talk to anyone else, he said he thought Lt. Caldwell was stupid.

Death Sentence

Cooper continued to deny his guilt at sentencing. Prior to sentencing, he told Judge John Parks, “Only ones who know are Becky, me and The Lord. If you say woe to me, I say woe to you. May God have mercy on your soul. If it is up to you to end my life, I can’t stop you.” Cooper then folded his arms, bowed his head and said, “Do what you may.” Judge Parks then sentenced Cooper to die in the electric chair on January 15, 1975, citing that he could find no mitigating factors for a lesser sentence.

At trial, Cooper accepted his death sentence, however after the trial, he was determined not to be executed. He filed endless appeals and got his break in 1978 when the The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio, after considering the judgment of the Supreme Court of the United States in the cases of Lockett v. Ohio and Bell v. Ohio, modified that all Ohio death sentences be commuted to life imprisonment with the opportunity for parole.

A Child Killer Desperate To Go Free

Cooper then began focusing on getting out of prison. He filed several appeals in hopes of getting his conviction overturned. All appeals were rejected by the courts.

Cooper’s available parole records date back to 1991 and state his institutional conduct is “fair” and his programming is “good.” Cooper has pursued his business management degree at Marion Technical College, however there is no record of any victims awareness program. The latest records from 2009 state, “Inmate shows absolutely no insight or remorse regarding this crime,” and “there is substantial reason to believe that the inmate will engage in further criminal conduct.”

After being rejected for parole several times, Cooper had the audacity to take his case to then-Ohio Governor Ted Strickland. Cooper requested clemency be granted “Due to illness while incarcerated and remorse for his crime.” That application never made it to former Governor Strickland, as it was was denied unanimously by all voting members of The Ohio Parole Board.