Cooper v. State

SHEPARD, Chief Justice.

The question is whether Paula Cooper may be executed for committing the grisly murder of Mrs. Ruth Pelke. We hold that she may not.

There are two separate and independent grounds for this decision. First, in light of the Indiana General Assembly's policy decision that persons who commit crimes at age 15 or younger may not be executed, we conclude under article 7, section 4 of the Indiana Constitution that Cooper should not be executed.

Second, the legal issue presented by Cooper is within the boundaries of Thompson v. Oklahoma, 487 U.S. --, 108 S.Ct. 2687, 101 L.Ed.2d 702…