Athens Police Chief Floyd Johnson
ATHENS-Athens Police Chief Floyd Johnson held a press conference on Thursday, April 13 regarding the arrest of a suspect on the capital murder charge issued yesterday in the death of the woman’s 4-year-old daughter:
Athens Police have arrested Stephanie Diane Smith, also known Stephanie Diane Cooper, age 25, of 12166 Lakeview Street, Athens, for capital murder in the death of her 4-year-old daughter, according to Chief Floyd Johnson.
Zadie Cooper died on July 7, 2016, at Huntsville Hospital.
Johnson said Smith called 911 on July 4, 2016, and reported her daughter was not breathing. Athens Police, Athens Fire and Rescue and EMS responded. At the time, they lived in an apartment on Elm Street.
Upon arrival, the mother was performing CPR per instructions from a 911 operator. Zadie was on the bed. Athens Fire took over performing CPR until an ambulance arrived to transport Zadie to Athens-Limestone Hospital. Athens-Limestone later that day transferred Zadie to Huntsville Hospital, Johnson said.
Huntsville Hospital performed a series of tests and determined there was no brain activity. On July 7, 2016, the family removed her from life support, and Zadie was pronounced dead.
Stephanie Diane Smith aka Stephanie Diane Cooper
Johnson said investigators questioned Smith, who said she heard something on the baby monitor and found Zadie between the bed and wall, and she was not breathing. Police investigators and the Department of Human Resources re-interviewed Smith in October 2016, and Johnson said Smith provided the same sequence of events.
A private autopsy did not determine a cause of death.
On Wednesday, April 12, 2017, Smith arrived at Athens Police Department and told investigators she wanted to confess to killing her daughter, Johnson said. Smith said she put a pillow on Zadie’s face and smothered her, the chief said. Smith told investigators she has a mental condition and was not initially aware of what she was doing to Zadie, he said. When she removed the pillow, Zadie was not breathing, Johnson said.
Johnson said Smith told investigators she lied to police initially because she was “scared of what would happen to me.”
Athens Police charged Smith with capital murder because of the age of the child, per Alabama law. She is in the Limestone County Jail.
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