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Chen pleads guilty to 2011 murders of son, partner in First Hill condo

Chen in a 2013 court appearance (Image: CHS)

Chen in a 2013 court appearance (Image: CHS)

Louis Chen has pleaded guilty to the 2011 slaying of his partner and their toddler son inside a First Hill condo, King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg announced Thursday:

A 43-year-old man pled guilty this morning in the fatal stabbings of his partner and their two-year-old son in Seattle in 2011. The defendant, Louis C. Chen, pled guilty to charges of Murder in the Second Degree for the murder of his partner, Eric Cooper, and Murder in the First Degree for the murder of their two-year-old son Cooper Chen at their apartment in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood on August 11, 2011. Each charge includes a deadly weapon enhancement. The defendant faces a sentence range of 34 to 49 years in prison, which includes the deadly weapon enhancements. Prosecutors will recommend a top of the range sentence of 49 years. Chen was originally charged with Aggravated Murder, however, the death penalty was not requested in the case. Today’s guilty plea achieves the goals of the prosecution with certainty, finality and what could potentially be a sentence of life in prison. The defendant also gives up his right to any appeal in the case. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. The sentencing hearing will be before Judge William Bowman in courtroom W-739 of the King County Courthouse. The case was handled by Senior Deputy Prosecutors Don Raz and Mary Barbosa.

The plea agreement means we’ll never know how a cough syrup defense being planned by Chen’s attorney’s would have played out at trial.

Chen was charged with two counts of first degree murder. Prosecutors said they would not seek the death penalty for Chen who had faced life in prison for the murders if convicted. In 2011, the prosecution requested more time to prepare for the case in order to complete a reconstruction of the bloody murder scene. CHS detailed SPD’s account of the brutal murders here in which Chen is alleged to have stabbed his partner more than 100 times and stabbed his child to death.

Chen, 43, will now face sentencing of between 34 to 49 years in prison, according to the prosecutor.

UPDATE: As Chen’s legal proceedings near a sentencing conclusion, it also marks an end to a series of high profile legal cases for crimes involving Capitol Hill and surrounding areas. In 2015, the Neighbours arson case finally drew to a close as an appeals court ruled that a 10-year sentence in the case should stand. Meanwhile, the proceedings around the murder of Broadway QFC wine steward Yancy Noll culminated early last year with a 29-year sentence for 32-year-old convicted in the road rage slaying. Another part of the justice process in high profile cases is also about to play out for the Noll case as this weekend TV program 48 Hours examines the 2014 murder and shooter Thomasdinh Bowman:

If road rage on some level is something that many of us are familiar with, might Dinh Bowman’s unique defense work with the jury? Prosecutors scoffed at his defense and said Bowman was “a student of murder” who’d been training himself to commit the perfect murder for years. When he found the “right” victim under the “right” circumstances, they said, he blasted away.

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RWK
RWK
8 years ago

If any crime justifies the death penalty, this one is it. Has the prosecutor explained why this was not sought?

iluvcaphill
iluvcaphill
8 years ago
Reply to  RWK

After the Jury refused to give the death penalty to the first Carnation killer I think the King County Prosecutor has wisely decided to save taxpayer dollars with useless death penalty cases, especially since our current Governor has said that he will not sign any death warrants as long as he is in office. The millions that would have been spent on a death penalty case can now be put to more productive use.

RWK
RWK
8 years ago
Reply to  RWK

Your argument is a common one and does make some sense. However, what about the huge cost of incarcerating someone for 40-50 years? I believe the figure is something like $30,000 per year.

iluvcaphill
iluvcaphill
8 years ago
Reply to  RWK

There are numerous studies that prove that life in prison is much much less expensive than pursuing death penalty cases which involve enormous lawyers fees during the decades worth of mandatory appeals.

I get the urge to want death for people like this, but I also am able to look at the facts and the death penalty is just not an effective deterrent and there just isn’t a humanly possible way to impose it objectively. Poor people of color are disproportionately executed. And I think there is enough evidence out there to show that too many innocent people either have been or were nearly executed. Since warehousing is cheaper, why not do that and use the money saved to improve the conditions (Poverty, poor education, etc) that contribute to these problems in the first place. Though this case is not really a model case for the poverty and education argument, obviously this guy was just a heinous human being. Let’s not waste anymore money on this garbage and let him live a long life of misery in Walla Walla.

Calvin
Calvin
8 years ago

Probably because the death sentence is barbaric, and many people have been put to death only to be later exonerated.