Isaac Apodaca Sword Trial: Kiara McCulley Testifies She Believed He Was an Archangel, Ryan Cooper Convicted in Lacambria Toomer’s Murder

A three-case roundup. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, the murder and conspiracy trial of Isaac Apodaca, 30, neared its end as the state's key witness took the stand: Kiara McCulley, 23, who has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy in the 2022 sword killing of 21-year-old Grace Jennings, and who testified under a plea agreement requiring her cooperation. Nobody disputes McCulley swung the sword; prosecutors say Apodaca was the architect who manipulated her into it. Apodaca has pleaded not guilty; his defense argues McCulley was the driver and Apodaca the gullible one. A verdict may have been returned since recording. In Albany, Georgia, a jury deliberated less than an hour before convicting Ryan Cooper, 28, of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and concealing the death of another in the 2022 disappearance of Lacambria Toomer, 23, the mother of his child — a case built on phone and GPS data, with no body, no crime scene, and no confession. Toomer has never been found; Cooper has not been sentenced and retains the right to appeal. And in Coral Springs, Florida, prosecutors added neglect and other counts against Joel Kohnert, 44, a Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue lieutenant, and Jennifer Kohnert, 45, who have pleaded not guilty to aggravated child abuse involving their adopted daughter; trial is set for late August. This episode discusses violent death, domestic violence, and the alleged abuse of a child. The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is 1-800-422-4453; the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233.

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