Who is Joshua Cooper? Pennsylvania boy, 16, showed pal dead body on video call and said 'I killed someone'
BENSALEM, PENNSYLVANIA: Police discovered a girl shot dead in Bensalem after her alleged 16-year-old killer confessed to the crime via Instagram video chat, according to police. According to the Bensalem Township Police Department, the alleged murderer made a video call to a teenage pal Friday afternoon, November 25. He indicated he accidentally killed someone before turning the camera and showing the legs and feet of someone covered in blood.
According to the criminal complaint, investigators learned of the incident after a mother called them at 4.11 pm Friday to report that the 16-year-old not only video-called her daughter but also frequently texted her, requesting her assistance in disposing of the body.
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Who is Joshua Cooper?
According to authorities, the 16-year-old in question was later identified as Joshua "Ash" Cooper of Gibson Road in Bensalem. Cooper allegedly stated during the call that he had just killed someone and showed a person's bloodied legs and feet. According to the 911 caller, he then begged for assistance in disposing of the body. Officers arrived at Cooper's house and discovered a juvenile female deceased on the bathroom floor with an apparent gunshot wound. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the victim was 13 years old, as reported by Law & Crime.
"There were also indications that substantial steps were taken to clean up the crime scene," the police added. Other responding officers apprehended the defendant near Newport Mews Drive and Groton Drive, not far from his home. The time of his arrest is given as 4.41 pm, precisely half an hour after the initial phone call. Cooper, who is accused as an adult, faces two further counts in addition to criminal homicide: possessing tools of crime and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
The victim's identity has not been revealed. However, the Bucks County Courier Times reported Friday, citing court documents, that the victim was a 13-year-old girl. According to law enforcement, the victim is not a Bensalem resident and is not related to Cooper. According to William McVey, Bensalem's Director of Public Safety, the victim was shot once in the chest, and no motive for the shooting is currently known. "The gun was found inside the mobile home, and police are investigating who owned the weapon and how Cooper had access to it," according to reports.
The adolescent has been charged as an adult with criminal homicide, possession of criminal instruments, and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. He was denied bail and was transferred to the Edison Juvenile Detention Center.