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Cooke gets life without parole
Prosecutor calls trial 'emotionally exhausting'
MtearsWEB
Michelle Frizzell is tearful as she hugs Amber Dodson, a daughter of Gary and Gail Dodson, Wednesday afternoon. Frizzell shows how emotionally difficult the trial was for both families. An aunt of convicted killer Bryan Cooke, she told the jury how Gary and Gail always accepted her into their family and says she has fond memories of time they spent together.
Bryan Cooke will spend the rest of his life behind bars after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his in-law, Gary and Gail Dodson, and sentenced him to life without chance of parole.“He now sits before you a convicted killer,” District Attorney General Lisa Zavogiannis told the six-man, six-woman jury shortly after they returned with guilty verdicts on all seven counts, ranging from premeditated murder to theft. “You have spoken with your verdict.”The verdict capped an emotional, two-day trial that included heart-felt statements from two family members before sentencing."It's hard to express how emotionally exhausting, how physically and mentally exhausting, this has been," said Zavogiannis after the trial was complete. "These are real people, real lives, right here in our community."Prosecutors proved Cooke broke into the Dodson’s home in the Fairview community on the night of June 28, 2015 by jimmying their door using a gift card.