Where Is Karina Cooper Now? Inside Her Life After Shooting Her Husband in the Face

Dateline, which airs on Friday nights, has investigated yet another chilling homicide.

In June 2021, Ryan Cooper was found dead in the Traer, Iowa, home he shared with his family. His wife, Karina Cooper, told police that she was sleeping when her husband was shot twice in the face while sitting in his recliner, per CBS2 Iowa.

But her Snapchat messages revealed a different story, and she was charged with first-degree murder in February 2024.

At her trial, prosecutors claimed that Karina was messaging her lover, Huston Danker, on the app before and after the murder. In one particularly disturbing message, he told her to remember to clean up the bullet casings.

“The evidence, you will see it, will show that Karina Cooper was not just an unfaithful wife. The evidence will show you that she was not just dishonest, but that she is a co-conspirator,” Assistant Attorney General Israel Kodiaga told the jury. “You’ll see that she is a planner. The evidence will show that she is a murderer.”

Her defense argued that it was Huston who was the mastermind and that he had “manipulated” the mom of three into killing Ryan. Karina was found guilty of first-degree murder in July 2025 and sentenced to life in prison. Her lover later pleaded guilty to the same charges and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the Des Moines Register reported.

So where is Karina Cooper now? Here’s everything to know about the convicted murderer’s life, four years after she fatally shot her husband.

Ryan was fatally shot in June 2021

On June 18, 2021, Karina called 911 to report that her husband had been shot while she was asleep upstairs. Multiple people who were at the scene later noted that her reaction to Ryan’s death was unusual.

“I’ve never seen someone’s emotional state almost completely inhibit them from providing pertinent information to law enforcement,” Deputy Travis Foster said during her trial, per CBS2 Iowa. Ryan’s brother, Aaron Cooper, also testified that when he arrived at the house after Karina called him screaming and crying, he found her sitting on his bloodied body.

The couple’s son, only identified as C.C., claimed that days before the murder, his mother asked him to stop sleeping downstairs in his usual spot on the couch next to his dad. The teen also said she handed him the phone while she was making a 911 call.

Karina was charged with his murder over two years later

Ryan’s murder went unsolved for nearly three years until the Tama County Sheriff’s Office arrested Karina and charged her with first-degree murder in February 2024. The Gazette reported that during the investigation, police learned that she had allegedly told two people she wanted her husband dead and said she “could shoot him in the face.”

Two months after her arrest, TCSO also arrested Huston and charged him with first-degree murder.

Snapchat messages allegedly linked her to the crime

More details of the crime — and Karina and Huston’s relationship — came to light during her July 2025 trial. The mom of three admitted in court that she had an affair with Huston, who was a client at her salon.

The prosecution also showed the jury Snapchat messages between the two in which they had expressed their desire to get married and start a family. Huston and Karina even discussed undergoing IVF treatment, per The Gazette.

But at some point, their messages turned dark, with Karina writing that she “hates” Ryan and wished he would have an “accident.” Kodiaga argued that the exchanges, some of which were deleted, showed that Karina and Huston began plotting to “eliminate” her husband and collect his $500,000 life insurance policy.

During her trial, Karina’s attorneys argued that it was Huston who was responsible for Ryan’s death and that he had taken advantage of her state of mind.

“Karina Cooper was in a dream world, and then it became real, and then she was in too deep,” attorney Nichole Watt told the jury, per the Sun-Courier. “She did not want her husband dead. She did not want his life insurance money … Nobody rode off into the sunset to the mountains. Huston Danker killed Ryan Cooper.”

Huston pleaded guilty to Ryan’s murder

In August 2025, Huston pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in connection with Ryan’s death. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole two months later, the North Tama Telegraph reported.

His attorney, Leon Spies, spoke on his behalf during his sentencing and said that Huston was “blinded, both emotionally and spiritually and morally” to “aid and abet Karina Cooper in the murder of her husband.”

Michelle Wilson, Ryan’s sister, gave a victim impact statement during Huston’s sentencing, condemning his actions. “I think you’re a psychopath just like your accomplice,” she said. “Now go to hell.”

In addition to his life sentence, Huston was also ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution to Ryan’s estate.

Where is Karina Cooper now?

In July 2025, Karina was found guilty of murdering her husband. Like Huston, she was also sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, per CBS2 Iowa.

Wilson delivered an emotional victim impact statement at Karina’s sentencing. “Those of us left on earth were sentenced to life without Ryan. There is no justice. There will be no forgiveness. What I hope for now is simply closure,” she said.

Wilson added, “There is no sentence for you that would adequately punish you for your evil, vile, selfish, delusional, and narcissistic actions. I will waste no time and no energy in addressing you about that. My full, complete, and final message to you is go to hell.”

After her conviction, Ryan’s family asked a judge to freeze any remaining funds of the $500,000 life insurance payout Karina received. They also asked that any money she spent be returned to his estate.