Back in 1987, cops say, Roger Cook blasted a guy with his .357 Magnum for no good reason.
The single bullet killed 22-year-old Terrance Keenan. The young man's friend, Richard Fair, dodged more shots fired his way by Cook, who was reportedly known in his apartment complex at 617 North Third Avenue as a paranoid, confrontational geezer. Both the younger men were unarmed, authorities say.
A judge ordered Cook released from jail three days later on his own recognizance. Then Cook disappeared.
But now, 22 years later, Cook is back in Maricopa County and awaiting trial on a charge of manslaughter. He turns 89 next month.
As we reported in August, a Phoenix police cold-case sleuth tracked
Cook to a care facility in Long Beach, California. As the above mug
shot show, Cook has now been booked into the Maricopa County Jail.
Last week, Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe agreed to extend the last
expected trial date to March 31, writing in a minute entry, "It
will take some time for both sides to review the evidence and locate
and contact witnesses."
With Cook in the county lock-up, eating its nasty food, and being subject to its low standards of medical care, time is one thing neither side has in this case.
