Richard Cooey was executed by lethal injection 10/14/2008 after his last minute appeal was rejected.  Cooey, and an accomplice were convicted of the brutal rape, torture and murders of two University of Akron women.  They had apparently thrown slabs of concrete onto Interstate Route 77.  The victims’ car was struck and Cooey along with his partner ran out as if to rescue them but instead, dragged them into a nearby field and for 3 1/2 hours, raped, tortured, bludgeoned and stabbed them to death. Cooey then carved an “X” on the stomach of both women. A most heinous crime indeed!

In an earlier post, we detailed Cooey’s appeal - that he could not be executed in a humane manner since prison food had led to his morbid obesity - making his veins inaccessible, humanely. His pleas fell on deaf ears as his veins were easily found and the execution went forward with Cooey being pronounced dead at 10:28 a.m. ET.

It was reported that Cooey went out showing no remorse and screaming for his lawyer and  using expletives as his execution began. His final moments were filled with vulgarity and hatred. His life was finally over and closure was realized for the families of the two murdered coeds.

We encourage those who read this post, to conduct a search on his name “Richard Cooey” and read the various newspaper reports on this crime. It is our hope that by reading more in-depth about this case, that young women and the parents of female University students become better educated regarding the safety of their loved ones.

There are many evil men who prey on young women and hang out around Colleges across the country.  It’s akin to nature programs that show how the congregation of prey species attract every sort of predator and death lies in wait for those who aren’t careful. Had these young women been armed with a good pepper spray and/or a high powered stun gun, they may have had a small chance at surviving this brutal attack.

I’m not saying such was the case in this crime, due to a lack of evidence regarding the women’s health after their car was struck with a piece of concrete. They may not have fared any better but in many other cases, where the victims are alert and able, having solid self-defense deterrents can spell the difference between life and death.