Ray and Faye Copeland: The Elderly Murderers

Ray and Faye Copeland were by no means the first couple to kill together, but they were certainly the strangest. At the time of their murders, both were senior citizens. When the two met in 1940, Ray had already gotten into trouble with the law several times for cattle theft and forgery. They were married approximately six months later and they had five children: four sons and a daughter. During the course of the marriage, Ray was continuously in and out of prison for livestock theft and passing bad checks. The Copeland family moved from place to place quite a bit before settling at a small farm in Missouri in 1967. Ray was an unpleasant man, despised by all of his neighbors for his poor demeanor and abusive treatment of his wife and children. After realizing that he spent more time in prison than not, Ray began using others to commit his crimes for him. This is how the killings began...

The Nebraska emergency phone line received a strange call from a Jack McCormick on August 20, 1989. He claimed to have worked on a farm for an elderly couple in Missouri. He went on to tell how his employer, Ray Copeland, used drifters to carry out illegal livestock scams. When Ray became aware of his suspicions, he tried to kill him. He also reported seeing human bones scattered around the farm. This information was forwarded to the authorities in Missouri.

Aware of Ray's extensive criminal record, Missouri authorities worked to gather enough evidence against him to obtain a search warrant. The warrant was granted and on October 9, 1989, Sheriff Leland O'Dell and 40 other officers arrived at the Copeland farm to conduct a search. Nothing was found until a week later. On October 17, 1989, officers discovered three dead bodies in a barn that was frequently used by Ray. The victims each exhibited a single gunshot wound to the back of the head. They were identified as 21-year-old Paul Jason Cowart; 27 year-old John Freeman; and 27 year-old Jimmie Dale Harvey.

The following week, another grisly discovery was made: a fourth body was found under a pile of hay in another local barn. The body was identified as that of Wayne Warner, who also died of a single gunshot wound to the back of the skull.

The police searched the Copeland home and confiscated a .22-caliber rifle. Ballistics tests soon revealed that the rifle was the same one used in all four of the murders. While searching the house, authorities also found a handwritten list of farm workers. Twelve names on the list had an "X" marked next to them. Of the twelve, four had been found dead and the rest were missing and presumed to be dead. The writing was confirmed to be that of Faye Copeland. This was the first piece of evidence that indicated that she was aware of her husband's activities. The second was a quilt that she had made from pieces of clothing from the victims.

Soon after this new evidence came to light, another body was found. Close to the site of the Warner discovery, authorities found the corpse of Dennis Murphy, 27. He too, suffered a single gunshot to the back of the head.

The prosecution offered to make a deal with Faye: her charges would be lowered to conspiracy to commit murder and she would only spend a few months in prison if she told police the locations of the other bodies. She refused the offer, claiming to have no knowledge of the killings.

Both Ray and Faye were charged with five counts of first-degree murder. They were tried separately. Faye, age 69, was found guilty and given four sentences of death by lethal injection. Ray, age 75, was also found guilty and sentenced to death by lethal injection. The two are the oldest couple in American history to receive the death sentence. Ray died in prison in 1993 while awaiting execution. Faye's death sentence was overturned on August 6, 1999. She suffered a stroke and partial paralysis in 2002 and passed away at a nursing home at age 82 in 2003.

It is still unknown whether or not Faye was an accomplice in the heinous murders committed by her husband. She claimed to be physically abused by her husband: a claim that was corroborated by her neighbors and children. It is possible that she aided him and it is also possible that she was innocent and the evidence against her was circumstantial. Only she and her husband know the truth.