An Illinois man, convicted of first degree murder in connection with the strangling death of a 21-year old woman and the death of her unborn child will remain in prison as a result of a decision handed down by the district three court of appeals headquartered in Wausau. Forty one year old Brian Cooper of Plainfield, Illinois contended that he had been provided a poor legal defense during his second Door County murder trial in 2014. Cooper had been accused of killing Alicia Bromfield, also of Plainfield, and, by extension, her unborn child, at a southern Door County resort in August of 2012. In 2013, a jury brought in from Wood County could not reach agreement and a mistrial was declared. However, the jury agreed that he was guilty of sexual assault because he had sex with the victim’s body after she was dead. The guilty verdict at the second Door County trial, this time involving a jury from Dodge County, came in 2014. The legal proceedings were marked by several delays caused by Cooper’s penchant for replacing legal counsel. The appeals court sided with Judge D. Todd Ehlers decisions related to Cooper’s request for a new attorney and an attempt to adjourn the second trial in order to bring the new counsel up to speed. The decision by the court of appeals was released on Tuesday.
