Iowa Woman Murdered Her Husband, Then Collected Life Insurance Payout. Now His Estate Wants It Returned

NEED TO KNOW

• Karina Cooper received nearly $515,000 from her husband Ryan Cooper's life insurance in December 2021 after he was found shot dead in their Iowa home

• Prosecutors said Karina and alleged lover Huston Danker plotted the killing to cash in on the insurance policy; she was convicted on July 11 and he later pleaded guilty

• Ryan's estate asks a judge to freeze and return the money, and a hearing is scheduled for Sept. 12
  

Karina Cooper was convicted of murdering her husband Ryan Cooper last month — now his estate seeks to claw back the roughly $515,000 life-insurance payout she cashed before the death investigation even finished.

PEOPLE previously reported that Ryan, 42, was found shot twice in the face inside the couple’s home in Traer, Iowa, on June 18, 2021. While the death investigation was still underway, his wife received a payout of $514,882.21 from his life-insurance policy, according to the Times-Republican, KCRG and KCCI.

Karina was arrested nearly three years later in February 2024, and a Linn County jury found her guilty of first-degree murder on July 11, 2025. A first-degree murder conviction in Iowa carries a mandatory life sentence.

Now that Karina has been convicted — and her lover, Huston Danker, has pleaded guilty — Ryan’s siblings Aaron Cooper and Michelle Wilson, who administer his estate, are asking a judge to freeze any remaining funds and order the money returned, according to the Times-Republican, KCRG and CBS2 Iowa.

In a new filing reviewed by PEOPLE, the estate petitions for a temporary injunction to preserve and recover the proceeds. The motion notes the December 2021 payment and identifies potential custodians — Karina, her attorney Chris Wilson, investment broker Jay Devries and Chelsea Savings Bank — so any remaining money can be held while the court decides who should receive it.

Iowa’s "slayer statute" bars a person who intentionally and unjustifiably causes another’s death from receiving life-insurance benefits tied to that death.

Investigators relied on digital forensics and scene analysis to crack the case. Testimony and reports described Snapchat exchanges — including a “remember those casings” reminder shortly before the 911 call — along with phone-activity and location records, no signs of forced entry, a recovered .22-caliber casing and bloodstain analysis indicating Ryan was shot while reclined, according to The Gazette, KCRG and Court TV.

Jurors also saw messages prosecutors said showed hostility toward Ryan — including “I f—ing hate him” and “I’m wishing for a rogue semi accident, no survivors,” according to Court TV.

On Aug. 12, Danker pleaded guilty to first-degree murder just before jury selection was set to begin. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 3 in Tama County, according to the Times-Republican, KCRG and CBS2 Iowa. Karina is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 19 in Tama County, the Times-Republican reports.

A hearing on the estate’s request to freeze and recover the insurance proceeds is set for Sept. 12 at the Tama County Courthouse, according to the Times-Republican, KCRG and CBS2 Iowa.

Read the original article on People