An 18-year-old student, Zoe Cooper, has been accused of fatally stabbing her 19-year-old boyfriend, Tadarius Massey, in Orlando on August 14. The incident occurred after Massey refused to let Cooper access his phone and she accused him of cheating. Massey died from stab wounds to his shoulder and heart.
Cooper claimed self-defense and was arrested on November 15 at Texas Southern University in Houston by campus police. She was charged with second-degree murder for the fatal stabbing of her boyfriend Massey and faced court in Houston, according to Daily Mail.
She was released on November 20, though it is unclear if she was returned to Florida. Cooper admitted to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department that she stabbed Massey during a fight after demanding to see inside his phone.
“Cooper and Massey then had a prolonged physical altercation there they both struck one another and grappled with one another,” court documents stated she told them.
“Cooper during the argument said she armed herself with a knife, but then Massey took the knife and stabbed stuffed animals and out the knife down.”
She admitted to retrieving the knife and fatally stabbing her boyfriend during the fight.
Cooper, who had a visibly bruised eye when interviewed by police, claimed Massey poured liquor on her, but no evidence supported this. Witnesses reported seeing the couple outside the house after the stabbing, describing Cooper as “frantic” and overhearing her say, “I didn’t mean to.”
After the stabbing, Cooper drove Massey and the witnesses to the hospital in a silver car, dropped them off, and then left. Massey died at the hospital before police arrived.
The day after his death, Cooper posted an Instagram reel with photos of them, captioned: “If I could take it back or trade place in a heartbeat I would #LLTD, I love u always I’m truly sorry for what I did it wasn’t supposed to be this way.”
An autopsy revealed additional stab and slash wounds on Massey’s left wrist and forearm, a cut on his forehead, and strangulation marks on his neck.
Further investigations indicated a pattern of abuse in the couple’s relationship. Massey’s boss at Subway reported that Massey sometimes appeared “beat up” and that Cooper would come in just to watch him without speaking.
After an alleged attack by Cooper at Ocoee High School last December, Massey told the vice principal she was angry because he wouldn’t let her see his phone and accused him of talking to other women.
A school official stated that Massey reported not fighting back when Cooper attacked him and that she had assaulted him multiple times before, including previous stabbings.
Police discovered a photo on Massey’s phone showing a fresh stab wound on his left shoulder from March 24, and the autopsy revealed two healed stab wounds in the same area.
Cooper sent abusive messages to Massey just days later on March 29, saying “I should have killed you,” and “ima spit in yo grave [sic].”
Other messages read: “I wish you would’ve died that day.” ‘I’m glad I stabbed you [sic].”
Cooper was arrested at Texas Southern University a day after Orange County police requested them to take her into custody.
Despite the serious charges, she was released, and court documents suggest that Orange County police rescinded their extradition request.
“Demanding jurisdiction released hold, will not extradite,” the document read.
Massey’s aunt Alicia Grant started a fundraiser on behalf of his mother Susanna Massey, which attracted $6,130 for his funeral.
“He had his whole life ahead of him. Parents shouldn’t have to bury their children. This has been a tremendous and unexpected loss,” she wrote.
