In a significant development, Attorney General Peter F. Neronha has disclosed the conclusion of a prominent murder trial. The verdict, reached in the Providence County Superior Court, found a local man guilty of killing his girlfriend in 2022.
The six-day trial culminated on May 15, 2023, with a jury presided over by Superior Court Justice Robert D. Krause. The defendant, 54-year-old Nathan Cooper, faced serious charges and was ultimately convicted. He was found guilty of second-degree murder, illegally discharging a firearm, and possessing a firearm as a prohibited individual.
The state’s presentation in court painted a grim picture. It was established conclusively that Cooper had shot and killed his girlfriend, Sherbert Maddox, aged 40, at his Parkis Avenue residence in Providence on March 16, 2022.
In a chilling turn of events, just under a week later, several of Maddox’s family members approached a Providence police officer patrolling Parkis Avenue, alleging Maddox’s murder at Cooper’s hands. They claimed her body was being kept inside his apartment. Upon arrival at the scene, officers encountered unsettling findings.
Officers discovered a .38 caliber revolver and a shotgun inside the apartment. Further investigation led to a disturbing discovery. Cooper had relocated his refrigerator from the kitchen to his bedroom, where it was securely fastened with a cord.
Unwrapping the cord, officers discovered Maddox’s body inside the refrigerator. It was concealed beneath multiple layers of plastic wrap and bedding. The state’s medical examiner later confirmed that Maddox was ultimatley killed by a gunshot wound to the chest.