Murder, Corruption, and a Farming Town Divided
February 19, 2024
Journalist Cooper debuts with an enthralling account of the murder that tore apart a hard-hit farming community in Missouri. Cathy Robertson and her husband, Lyndel, were gunned down while they slept in Chillicothe, Mo., in 1990. Cathy died immediately; Lyndel was gravely injured. Although Lyndel first identified his daughter’s boyfriend as a suspect, the PI he tapped to work with local law enforcement ended up pointing the finger at Mark Woodworth, the 16-year-old who lived next door. Mark was tried and convicted twice (for second degree murder, then first), in rulings that were subsequently overturned. Through interviews and dogged research, Cooper lays out why the case against him eventually fell apart. Lyndel and Mark’s father were at odds over their joint business venture, which was decimated by the farming crisis of the 1980s, and Lyndel faced an embezzlement lawsuit. He hired the PI and leveraged local law enforcement connections to take the heat off that suit and close the murder investigation in one fell swoop. It wasn’t until the Woodworths hired attorney Robert Ramsey, who highlighted the overwhelming lack of concrete evidence keeping Mark in prison, that they were able to get the case thrown out for good in 2013. Cooper’s suspenseful narrative nimbly interweaves procedural beats and a vivid portrait of rural America in crisis. It’s an arresting work of true crime. Agent: Seren Adams, United Agents.
October 1, 2024
Journalist Cooper narrates the audio of his debut book, which details how a gruesome murder, corruption in law enforcement, and the local court system divided the small farming town of Chillicothe, MO. Cooper describes the night in 1990 when a home-invader shot farmer Lyndel Robertson and his wife, Cathy; Lyndel survived, but Cathy died. Though there was another likely suspect, police attention soon centered on Mark Woodworth, the quiet 16-year-old son of the Robertsons' nearest neighbor. Cooper narrates in a cool, calm manner, with minimal drama, as he describes the two trials that find Woodworth guilty even though he continued to maintain his innocence. More than 20 years after the murder, the town was reeling, devastated by devalued farmland, bank foreclosures, and distrust of the government. The community was still split on Woodworth's guilt. Then his family hired a new attorney, who poked holes in the prosecution's case and found police corruption (including intimidation and payoffs), a politically ambitious prosecutor, and a judge who was so convinced of Woodworth's guilt that he excluded vital evidence. VERDICT True-crime fans will appreciate Cooper's objective presentation of this riveting case.--Stephanie Bange
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