Third District Court of Appeals Affirms Murderer Jerry Lee Cooper’s Conviction and 21-Years-to-Life

On Monday, the Third District Court of Appeals affirmed the murder conviction and sentence of Jerry Lee Cooper.

According to information from Marion Prosecutor Ray Grogan’s Office, the appellate court rejected Cooper’s claim that the jury’s verdict was against the manifest weight of the evidence and upheld the judgment of the trial court.

In January 2023, Cooper fatally shot his live-in girlfriend, Teresa Gibson, at their residence on Thompson Street in Marion. After the shooting, Cooper placed a towel over the wound in Gibson’s head, so he wouldn’t have to see her face as she slowly died. He then called 911 and claimed someone had robbed her. He later disposed of the murder weapon

A jury convicted Cooper in March 2025 of murder, felonious assault, and tampering with evidence, along with firearm specifications. The trial court sentenced him to an aggregate prison term of 21 years to life.

Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan, who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Allison Kesler, praised the appellate court’s decision.

“This ruling confirms that the jury got it right,” Grogan said. “The evidence showed Cooper shot Teresa Gibson, left her suffering, and then tried to cover up his crime. The Court of Appeals correctly found that the weight of the evidence supports the conviction.”

Key evidence at trial included Cooper’s positive gunshot residue on his clothing, DNA evidence, cell phone location data showing his movements in the early morning hours after the shooting, and the medical testimony that Gibson remained conscious for minutes after the gunshot paralyzed her. Investigators from the Marion Police Department, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation worked together to build the case.

Assistant Prosecutor Allison Kesler argued the case on appeal for the State. Grogan thanked her for her work in defending the conviction.

“Allison did an outstanding job presenting the strength of the evidence to the appellate court,” Grogan said. “This victory belongs to the investigators who carefully built this case and to the jury that carefully weighed the evidence.”

Cooper remains in prison serving his 21-years-to-life sentence. The appellate decision brings finality to the case and affirms the justice delivered for Teresa Gibson and her family.