Vernon Cooper

SCOTTSVILLE — A woman accused of multiple crimes in the traffic death of a Scottsville man brought her trial to an early end with a guilty plea.

Annissa Stanton, 29, of Nashville, pleaded guilty Wednesday afternoon in Allen Circuit Court to charges of vehicular homicide, first-degree wanton endangerment, first-degree criminal mischief, second-degree disorderly conduct and operating on a suspended/revoked license.

Stanton was the driver of a 2017 Nissan Murano that hit a 2006 Buick driven by Vernon D. Cooper, 78, of Scottsville, on Sept. 1, 2022, on U.S. 31-E at Franklin Road.

Cooper was pronounced dead at The Medical Center in Scottsville.

Police who arrived at the scene suspected Stanton of impairment, and determined that Stanton ran a red light while traveling north on U.S. 31-E, striking Cooper’s vehicle as it traveled east on Franklin Road.

A bottle of gin was located in the front driver’s side area of Stanton’s vehicle, according to prior court testimony.

Trial interruptedStanton’s trial entered its third day Wednesday, with several prosecution witnesses having testified.

During a break, members of Stanton’s defense team reached out to Allen County Commonwealth’s Attorney Corey Morgan to express a willingness to reopen plea negotiations.

Morgan said after court adjourned that he consulted with Cooper’s family about this, and that they agreed to this step.

“Our office typically will listen heavily to the victims and if the victims are wanting to resolve the case, we’ll do the best we can to resolve the case,” Morgan said.

Nonetheless, Morgan said resolving a criminal matter with a guilty plea after a jury has been seated and witnesses have begun testifying is an extraordinary development in his experience.

“I’ve been practicing law for nearly 25 years and this is the only time in the middle of a trial that I’ve resolved a case,” Morgan said.

Amber Duncan, Cooper’s oldest daughter, said after court adjourned that the surviving family in attendance at the trial sat down with a “very remorseful” Stanton while court was in recess, with attorneys from both sides on hand as a resolution was worked out.

“Now we get to go home and start our healing process,” Duncan said.

Morgan said he believed Cooper’s surviving family would more easily obtain closure with Stanton’s admission of guilt.

“Ultimately, I think that’s one of the things the victims wanted – they wanted to hear (Stanton) say ‘I did it, I drove drunk and because of that I caused (Cooper’s) death,’ and I think that helps them move forward,” Morgan said.

Stanton makes admissionStanton’s attorney, Kayla Fugate of the Department of Public Advocacy, had previously reached out to the prosecution to pursue plea negotiations, with no success.

This week, Fugate approached Morgan and suggested that Cooper’s family meet with Stanton in an effort to shepherd the case to a resolution.

Morgan agreed, resulting in an emotional meeting between Cooper’s family and Stanton, but a fruitful result, Fugate said.

“It was really impactful. It was one of the most emotional things I’ve ever been a part of,” Fugate said. “(Stanton) was able to express her genuine remorse to them, and Mr. Cooper’s family was very graceful and gracious. They didn’t want their dad to die in vain and they gave (Stanton) advice for the future and how to make life better for her and her son … we all cried and it was just very impactful. It was what I think restorative justice should be.”

Stanton had originally been indicted on a charge of murder, which carries a potential life sentence, but that count was amended down prior to trial to vehicular homicide, a criminal offense that went on the books in Kentucky last year.

Under the law, a person is guilty of vehicular homicide when they cause another person’s death as a result of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, a controlled substance or other substance that impairs a person’s ability to drive.

The maximum penalty for vehicular homicide is 20 years in prison, which is the sentence recommended for Stanton as part of her plea agreement.

Stanton agreed to a 15-year sentence on the vehicular homicide charge, which will be served consecutively to concurrent five-year sentences for wanton endangerment and criminal mischief for a total sentence of 20 years.

Several traffic offenses against Stanton were dismissed as part of the agreement, as well as a count of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, with Morgan saying that the elements needed to prove the DUI charge were the same as those required to prove vehicular homicide.

Stanton also had to give an allocution in court in which she stated what she did to be guilty of the charges against her.

“I was operating a motor vehicle under the influence that resulted in an accident that killed someone,” Stanton said in response to questions from Allen Circuit Judge Mark Thurmond.

While answering a series of questions from Thurmond about her choice to plead guilty, Stanton was comforted occasionally by Fugate.

“She has genuine remorse for the loss of Mr. Cooper and for her to be able to express that to (his family) was very amazing,” Fugate said Thursday. “I think it was a just and fair result for all parties. This was a very good resolution in a very, very sad case.”

Stanton will return to court June 4 for final sentencing.

The vehicle Stanton drove was registered to Desiree O’Neal, who was a passenger in the crash and faces charges of complicity to second-degree manslaughter and alcohol intoxication in a public place.

Family remembers CooperCooper’s surviving family includes a son and two daughters, who all traveled to Scottsville to attend the trial.

After court adjourned, they remembered Cooper as a friendly man with a generous, kind spirit.

“He had a personality that if you ever met him, you never forgot him,” said Laura McCoy, Cooper’s daughter. “He didn’t walk into a room without talking with everybody there.”

An obituary said Cooper was a retired carpenter, Pentecostal minister and member of White Plains Baptist Church.

His children said he loved to play the guitar and was a daily fixture at Scottsville’s Dairy Queen, where he ordered a coffee each morning.

“My dad was a forgiving man, and he would have forgave (Stanton) and he would have been happy with the terms (of the plea agreement) and ready to push on,” McCoy said.