Brian Cooper will spend the rest of his life in the Wisconsin prison system. At a sentencing hearing Thursday afternoon, Door County Circuit Court Judge D. Todd Ehlers handed down two consecutive life sentences without parole for the 37-year old Plainfield, Illinois man. A 12-person jury convicted Cooper on two counts of first degree intentional homicide in May in connection with the strangling death of 19-year old Alisha Bromfield &, by extension, the death of her unborn daughter at a southern Door County resort in August of 2012. His first trial ended in a hung jury in June of last year. Door County District Attorney Ray Pelrine asked for the maximum, life in prison without parole. Defense Attorney John Birdsall, while acknowledging that his client was eligible for life in prison, asked the judge to allow the Illinois man to petition for parole in 20 to 30 years. However, Judge Ehlers, in sentencing Cooper, noted that he spoke of being remorseful, but never apologized to the family for their loss. A video on the life of Alisha Bromfield was shown prior to sentencing. Cooper was also sentenced to jail time & extended supervision in connection with an earlier sexual assault conviction.
