How Could You? Hall of Shame -Cooper Chen Case UPDATED-Child Death

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Seattle, Washington, Cooper Chen, a child from surrogacy and adopted by his father’s partner was slayed along with his adoptive father by his biological father. Former North Carolina resident and father, Dr. Louis Chao Chen, “found bloody and semiconscious in a First Hill apartment on Thursday has been ordered held in connection with the slayings of his partner and their toddler son.”

Dr. Chen had completed a three-year residency at Duke, moved to Washington in July 2011 and was ready to begin work this week as an endocrinologist at Virginia Mason Medical Center.

“A hospital representative who had gone to Chen’s apartment found two men in the living room. Law-enforcement sources identified the dead as Chen’s partner, Eric A. Cooper, 29, and the couple’s nearly 3-year-old son.

Sources said the toddler’s body was in the bathroom. All three appeared to have suffered knife wounds, according to a source.

Police described the scene inside the penthouse apartment as “horrific.””

Physician suspected of ‘horrific’ slayings of partner, toddler son
[Seattle Times 8/13/11 by Christine Clarridge]

“Chen hadn’t shown up for work at his new job in the hospital’s endrocrinology department and the nurse, Madonna Carlson, came to check on him. According to court documents obtained by Seattle Weekly, when Carlson knocked, Chen “opened the door, nude, covered in blood.”

“Chen is now being held on two counts of aggravated murder. He has not yet been charged with the crime. ”

“The probable cause statement says Chen also went by the name Bryan Wayne.”
Prosecutors: Louis Chen, Doctor Arrested in First Hill Murders, Confessed To Killing At the Crime Scene
[Seattle Weekly 8/15/11 by Keegan Hamilton]

“When officers asked him who attacked him and his partner, Chen responded “I did,” the documents said. ”

“Authorities said Chen had cut wounds when they transported him to the hospital. They also said there was cause to suspect he may have taken a combination of drugs. He was being treated at Harborview Medical Center.

Prosecutors have until Tuesday to file charges. He was expected to be booked on murder charges after he’s released from the hospital.”

Police: Fmr. Duke doctor admitted killing
[ABC 8/15/11]

“Chen was suffering from two stab wounds and was taken to Harborview Medical Center. He remains there undergoing treatment but is expected to recover.”

“A bail hearing for Chen was scheduled for Monday afternoon, but Chen was not present.”
Police: Doc found covered in blood confessed to murder
[KOMO news 8/15/11]

Find the probable cause document here.

Update: The charging document reveals more facts about the case.

• The boy’s name is Cooper Chen. His 3rd birthday was to be in October.
• Chen’s sister is the one that was worried and got the apartment landlord and his new employer involved.
• Bodies found on 8/11/11 but the charging documents indicate a range of days Aug 8-Aug 11 that criminal acts may have been committed.
• “A total of five knives potentially used during the attack were found in the I apartment. The butcher knife that was kicked aside by Ms Carlson was found in the kitchen. A blade, broken off from the handle, of a large kitchen knife was in the living room area. A handle without a blade was found in the guest bedroom.”
• “Three large kitchen knives were found on the bed in the master bedroom. All of these knives had reddish-brown stains on them that appeared to be blood, The King County Medical examiner’s Officer responded and took custody of the victim’s remains. “
• “Autopsies were performed. Victim Eric Cooper suffered numerous stab wounds, well over 100, to all areas of his body including his face, neck, chest, back, and hands. “
• “Victim Cooper Chen suffered numerous cuts to his neck.”

Chen Charging Document in Text file

Update 2: We have removed incorrect information about Cooper’s origins which were originally reported as from an internationally adoption from Southeast Asia.

The child was from an anonymous Taiwanese egg donor and Louis Chao Chen, a Taiwanese immigrant. A surrogate from Oregon carried Cooper and Eric Cooper subsequently adopted him.

On Monday, August 15, 2011 “The defendant is charged with two counts of Aggravated Murder in the First Degree, a charge that carries a sentence of either life in prison without release or the death penalty. Under Washington State law, King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg will have 30 days from the time of arraignment to decide whether to file a notice of intent to seek the death penalty. After the defendant is released from the hospital, he will be booked into the King County Jail and held without bail. Arraignment is scheduled for August 29 at 8:30 a.m. at the King County Courthouse, courtroom 1201.”

As Chen charged with murder, prosecutors release details of brutal First Hill killings
[Capitol Hill Seattle 8/16/11]

“While Chen was working as an attending physician at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Minneapolis, they began the long process of having a child through surrogacy, according to several friends of the couple.

Their child was not adopted from outside the country, as originally reported, but conceived with Chen’s sperm and the egg of an anonymous Taiwanese woman, and carried to term by a surrogate mother from Oregon, the friends said. When the child was born nearly three years ago, he was adopted by Eric Cooper and named Cooper Chen.

“They loved that baby. They adored him,” said a friend who had gone to medical school with Chen and is now a physician in Massachusetts. “It was one thing they always agreed on, and it was really very sweet.”

Chen, 39, is now accused of killing Cooper, 29, and their son Thursday in the First Hill apartment they shared.”

“The two men met about 12 years ago when Chen, an immigrant from Taiwan, was attending the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and Cooper was a 17-year-old high-school senior in Tinley Park, Ill., friends said.

“He was a gay kid from a small-town high school,” the Massachusetts physician said of Cooper. “He felt isolated. … It was the kind of town where Chicago was the big city, but you didn’t go there that often.”

Cooper’s relative said that Cooper ran away from home to be with Chen. He was “head over heels in love with that man and followed him everywhere,” he said.

While Chen was completing his medical degree in Chicago, Cooper was working on his GED diploma, friends said.

Public records show that the men moved in 2000 to California, where Chen did his residency in internal medicine at the University of California, San Diego.

The couple moved to Seattle, where Chen, changing his specialty, studied physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

But Chen changed his mind again, according to his physician friend, and returned to San Diego to complete his program in internal medicine.

Chen was granted a faculty appointment at the University of Minnesota and served as an attending physician at the VA Hospital in Minneapolis, while Cooper earned his bachelor’s degree from the university.

It was while the couple were living in Minnesota that they had the boy, their friends said.”

Impending breakup behind First Hill killings of man, young son?
[Seattle Times 8/15/11 by Christine Clarridge]

King County Superior Court Records here show that there was an initial arraignment on August 29, 2011; there were a few continuances in September and a hearing is scheduled for December 5, 2011.

Update 3/July 1, 2012

There still has been no media in this case beyond August 2011. Another search of public records in Washington reveals a few more continuances and medical reports since December 2011. The last continuance was on 6/18/12.

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update 4/August 12, 2013

A search of the King County Washington court records shows that after a year of delays, an omnibus hearing has been scheduled for August 16, 2013.

Update 5/August 24, 2013

A search of the King County Washington court records shows that the omnibus hearing has been delayed to September 6, 2013.

Update 6/August 14,2014:

A search of the King County Washington court records shows that his hearings are continued until November 14, 2014.

Update 7: “A Seattle doctor pleaded guilty to murdering his partner and their 2 1/2-year-old son.  The stabbing deaths were discovered in August 2011.

Dr. Louis Chen pleaded guilty to amended charges on Thursday morning. Instead of aggravated murder he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for killing his toddler, Cooper Chen. He also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for fatally stabbing his partner, Eric Cooper.

Chen was hired by Virginia Mason Medical Center in August 2011. When he didn’t show up for orientation, the hospital sent an employee to his apartment. Chen and his partner lived on the 17the floor of the “M Street” apartments on First Hill.

Police say Chen was found by the door covered in blood. His son was found dead in a bathtub, his throat slit, according to investigators. Eric Cooper was stabbed more than 100 times. When asked who did this, police say Chen answered, “I did.”  Investigators found five knives in the penthouse apartment.

Chen’s trial was scheduled to begin in April. Court documents filed by the defense last fall showed they were considering a defense that blames cough medicine for triggering the violent killings, claiming the drug dextromethorphan can cause psychosis in high doses.
Instead of going to trial, both sides reached a  plea agreement.

For the prosecution to prove aggravated murder, they need to convince a jury that the murder of Eric Cooper was premeditated and that both murders were part of a common scheme or plan.

Prosecutor Don Raz told the judge, “The state believes due to the risks associated with the proof of those two topics that it was appropriate to amend the information. And we do so believing the defendant will enter a plea of guilty to those amended charges.”

Minutes later, Chen answered “guilty” to both counts.

The guilty plea was motivated by the length of time Chen, 43,  could spend behind bars. The only sentence for aggravated first-degree murder is life. He was facing two consecutive life sentences. With the amended changes, the sentencing range is 34 1/4-49 years in prison. The state will ask for 49 years.

Chen’s defense team says he suffers from mental illness and will have experts testify during his sentencing. They will ask for an exceptional sentence downward and hope for a sentence closer to 24 years.

“We maintain, as we always have, there’s substantial evidence that he had a significant mental illness at the time of the event and he’s continued to have concerns regarding mental illness,” said Todd Maybrown, defense attorney.

The sentencing is postponed until at least June. Chen waived his right to a speedy sentencing to allow his attorneys to get the experts ready and so relatives from Taiwan can attend.”

Seattle doctor pleads guilty to murdering his partner, toddler [Kiro 7 2/26/16 by Alison Grande]