Ash Cooper, an 18-year-old transgender woman, formerly known as Joshua Cooper, admitted guilt on March 21, 2024, in the murder of 12-year-old Morgan Connors. The incident took place in a trailer park located in Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania back in November 2022.

The charges Cooper pleaded guilty to encompass third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

Court records show that Cooper and Connors were together watching a Netflix show before the murder. After excusing herself to use the restroom, Connors was subsequently found fatally injured.

After viewing an Instagram video chat in which Cooper showed Connors’ bloodied body and requested help in cleaning up, the mother of one of Cooper’s friends alerted the police.

Upon reaching the crime scene, police officers noticed a young person quickly leaving the trailer. After being detained, this person claimed, “It was an accident,” according to the official affidavit detailing the grounds for probable cause.

Inside the trailer, the authorities discovered Connors, dead from an apparent gunshot wound in the bathroom, with her pants pulled down.

Cooper confessed to using her father’s gun, procured from a safe, to kill Connors, and admitted to attempting to hide her actions.

On Thursday, the court sentenced Cooper to a prison term of 15 to 40 years. This sentence also demanded that Cooper undergo psychological and psychiatric assessments, indicating the court’s consideration of her mental health in relation to the crime.

Cooper has not disclosed the motive behind the fatal act, as confirmed by the prosecution. A note found in Cooper’s room was handed over to the presiding judge, but its contents remain undisclosed.

Paul Lang, Cooper’s attorney, addressed the court, describing Cooper’s difficult childhood and her expression of deep remorse for her actions. Cooper was seen crying during the court proceedings.

Judge Jeffrey Finley accepted Cooper’s plea but expressed concern about Cooper’s past behavior and her treatment of others. The judge also voiced his disappointment over the lack of a substantial explanation for the crime.

Addressing the court, Judge Finley said, “Undoubtedly, this is an awful tragedy.” He further stated, “Your life won’t be confined to a prison cell. There lies before you a chance to amend your ways, to seek atonement. You must seize this opportunity.”

After pleading guilty to additional charges, including possessing an instrument of crime and tampering with evidence, Cooper was given an additional seven-year probationary sentence.

In memory of the deceased, Allen Gold, Connors’ grandfather and adoptive parent, described Morgan as a “sweet, beautiful” person. He stated that the family commemorates the would-be writer’s birthday every year, mourning the life that was cut short.

“A parent should never have to bury a child,” Gold said in a statement read by the prosecution in court, expressing the devastating grief that accompanies such an immense loss.