Crime
Paula Cooper was 15 when she and her friends Denise Thomas, Karen Corder, and April Beverly skipped school on May 14, 1985. The four girls drank and smoked before going to the home of a neighbor, 78-year-old Ruth Pelke.
One of the girls attacked Pelke with a vase and cut her arms and legs. Cooper took things further, stabbing the elderly woman more than 30 times. The teens searched the home for valuables. They fled with 10 dollars and Pelke’s vehicle.
They were arrested soon after and confessed.
Legal Proceedings
The prosecution sought death sentences for all four, as the law in Indiana permitted executions for people as young as 10. Ultimately, the prosecution started making deals.
The lookout, Beverly, got 25 years for robbery. Thomas, who was present but didn’t participate in the murder, got 35 years. Corder pleaded guilty to murder and got 60 years.
Cooper also pleaded guilty to murder, but she was sentenced to death. She was the youngest person in Indiana history sentenced to death.
The sentence caused outrage, and in 1989, it was reduced to 60 years.
Aftermath
Beverly got out of prison in 1999, but was killed a year later by her boyfriend. Corder died in prison in 2008.
Cooper got out in 2013, after serving 27 years, but she committed suicide less than two years later on May 26th, 2015.
Denise Thomas, who was released in 2003, is the only one still alive.
DOB:
August 25th, 1969Conviction(s):
- Murder
Accomplice(s):
- Denise Thomas
- Karen Corder
- April Beverly
Date of crime:
May 14, 1985Location(s):
Gary, INDetails:
Killed an elderly woman during a robbery.Confirmed Victim(s):
- Ruth Pelke (78)
Method:
StabbingMotive(s):
RobberySentence:
60 yearsCurrent whereabouts:
Committed Suicide on May 26th, 2015.Last Updated on 07/18/2026
