August 1, 2003
After less than four hours of deliberation, the 11 men and one woman on a Boundary County jury acquitted Henry Ryder, 59, of murder for the August 12, 2002, shooting death of Frederick Orval Cooper, 44, Naples, over a property line dispute.
After three days of testimony, the jury was instructed to rule on three counts; first-degree murder, second-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter; or to determine if Ryder’s contention that he acted in self defense when he shot and killed Cooper was credible.
The jury returned three “not guilty” verdicts.
Despite the verdict, Prosecutor Jack Douglas said he feels the state did well in presenting what he called a tough case; one with little evidence and no eyewitnesses to the shooting.
“I think everyone involved did very well,” Douglas said. “From the officers who responded to the scene, the good work by investigators Mike Naumann and Kurt Castens, the forensics specialists who examined the evidence that was available, to the prosecution team who presented the case.”