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On Friday, November 25, authorities in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, arrested 16-year-old Joshua Cooper for murder after he allegedly posted a confession video on Instagram.
As per Fox News, Cooper reportedly showed a teenage girl a murder victim on an Instagram video chat. He then allegedly proceeded to ask for help in disposing of the body. Subsequently, the girl's parents called the authorities, who went to Cooper's home in Bensalem's Top of the Ridge Trailer Park, where they discovered the body of a deceased girl. The suspect was arrested shortly after.
The Bensalem police reported that Joshua Cooper will be charged as an adult with criminal homicide, possessing instruments of crime, and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
Joshua Cooper allegedly shot and killed a minor
CNN reported that while the name of Cooper's victim has not been released, authorities determined that she was fatally shot in the bathroom of the suspect's home.
ABC7 reported that authorities also confirmed that the victim is a minor. While speaking to the Courier Times, William McVey, the director of public safety in Bensalem, said that the victim was a 13-year-old girl who was not a local in the town. McVey added that she also had no relation to the suspect.
The case remains under investigation, and Bensalem authorities have not yet revealed any potential motivations for the homicide.
Bensalem Police said that when they arrived at the scene of the crime, 16-year-old Joshua Cooper attempted to flee before he was apprehended by authorities on Newport Mews Drive and Groton Drive. In an affadavit of probable cause, officers reported that the teen told them the killing of the young girl was an accident.
In a press release statement, Bensalem police summed up the accusations made against the teen. The statement read:
“During the video chat, the 16-year-old stated that he had just killed someone. He then flipped the video image and showed the legs and feet of someone covered in blood. He then asked for assistance with disposal of the body.”
Authorities added that the teen had already attempted to hide the crime.
The statement continued:
“There were also indications that substantial steps were taken to clean up the crime scene."
According to CBS, the murder has shocked the community of Bensalem, a town of just 60,662 people that is roughly 200 miles away from Philadelphia.
Charlie Petree, a resident at Top of the Ridge, discussed the crime with CBS reporters. Petree said:
"I have seen the police in and out over the 30 something years, but it's not like an every day occurrence."
ABC reported that Joshua Cooper is currently being detained at the Edison Juvenile Detention Center. On Friday night, the teen was denied bail at a preliminary hearing. While the name of his attorney has not yet been released through online court records, his arraignment has been scheduled for December 7.
