Inset: Robert Cooley (Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Dept.). Background: Police at the scene where Cooley killed his wife (WISH).
In a tragic case that has gripped Indiana, a 27-year-old man has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term for the brutal murder of his wife just weeks after she gave birth to their child. Robert Cooley inflicted a horrific ordeal on his wife, Amber Cooley, a kindergarten teacher, by beating, slashing, and shooting her in their home before calling 911 to confess, stating he had “done something bad.”
According to court records examined by Law&Crime, Marion County Superior Judge Cynthia L. Oetjen has sentenced Cooley to 45 years in a state prison for this heinous act. Cooley managed to avoid a trial by entering a plea agreement with the prosecutors, admitting to the charge of murder in connection with Amber’s death.
The judge also accounted for Cooley’s time already served, crediting him with 614 days, and added an additional 205 days for “good time credit.”
As initially reported by Law&Crime, officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded to an emergency call at approximately 7:20 a.m. on June 1, 2024. The report concerned a shooting at a residence located in the 3000 block of Armory Lane.
Upon arrival, first responders discovered Amber Cooley in the home’s upstairs bedroom, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Tragically, emergency medical personnel pronounced her dead on the scene.
Robert Cooley reportedly exited the house through an open garage door to meet the officers as they arrived, according to a report by the Indianapolis Star, which referenced a probable cause affidavit.
“I did something bad,” he allegedly said to the officers. “I need to go to jail.”
As officers were walking him away from his house, body-worn camera footage showed Robert Cooley saying, “I took my wife’s life,” the Star reported.
In a post-Miranda interview with detectives, police say that Robert Cooley admitted to beating and cutting his wife before ultimately shooting her in the head, local CW affiliate WISH reported. Police reportedly noted that Amber Cooley’s throat had been slit and her face was beaten so badly that she was virtually unrecognizable.
Robert Cooley’s brother told police that Robert Cooley used FaceTime to call him Saturday morning. During the call, Robert Cooley said, “I just killed Amber, bro,” WISH reported.
Police said they also found an infant inside of the home. While police did not state the child’s relationship to Robert or Amber Cooley, the victim’s parents told WISH that their daughter had given birth to the couple’s first child about five weeks earlier.
Amber Cooley’s mother said that Robert Cooley had been verbally abusive to her daughter over the course of their five-year relationship.
Additionally, the victim’s parents told WISH that one day before her death, Amber Cooley had asked her mother to get her a petition for dissolution of marriage.
“We think he tried to confront her and she told him something he didn’t want to hear,” Amber Cooley’s father, Corey Cooley, told the station.
