Tony King, an alcoholic recluse who viciously murdered Sabrina Cooper, the niece of comedy legend Tommy Cooper, after she felt sorry for him and tried to help him, has been sentenced to prison, as per Daily Mail.
Who is Tony King?
Tony King was found guilty of the murder of Sabrina Cooper, 68. Cooper was discovered by her daughter Natasha laying face down in a pool of her own blood murdered at her home in Eastbourne just one week earlier. He was sentenced to life in prison with the recommendation that he serve a minimum of 23 years, reduced by the 183 days he has spent on remand.
King is 60 years old. King used to run a bric-a-brac and antiques shop on Seaside Road, but it closed many years ago.
At first, it was believed that Cooper had passed away due to complications from a recent cancer surgery. But it was swiftly determined from an examination of her body that she had sustained many stab wounds to her torso.
When her phone was examined, it was discovered that she had recently spoken to King, a casual friend, sparking the start of a murder investigation. Early the next morning, he was detained at his residence on suspicion of killing her.
When informed of his detention on murder suspicion, King said to the officer, “You’re having a laugh.” But when investigators searched King’s apartment, which was only five minutes from Cooper’s house, they discovered a bloody kitchen knife in a plastic bag under his bed. King later confessed to killing Cooper, saying, “I just f*****g took her life and to this day I don’t know why.” She had not broken any laws.
Cooper had recently sold her Eastbourne home for £725,000 and was getting ready to leave the neighborhood.
She was recovering from a hysterectomy and had recently received a cancer diagnosis. King promised to assist her pack her possessions into boxes in order to move the day before she passed away.
On Sunday, December 18, just after 8:00 am, King was seen on surveillance footage walking into Cooper’s apartment.
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Shortly later, Cooper and her two dogs, Abra and Tricks, are seen returning to the property, and King can be heard firmly telling Cooper to “Get in! Get in!’
The mother-of-one was then repeatedly stabbed by King as she frantically attempted to protect herself, according to the testimony given in court. He stole a bottle of wine from her kitchen, her passport, and her driver’s license before returning to his apartment after emptying her handbag of its contents, which contained £100 in cash.
Later, police discovered a horrible TikTok video King had filmed the day before the brutal murder.
‘Watch out for my next magic trick,’ he says in it. It’s going to be awesome.’ Following the murder, he posted another TikTok video in which he stated, ‘I took a life today.’
Blood-stained clothing was discovered in a washing machine and the lounge of the one-bedroom flat by crime scene investigators. Cooper, who liked to help people in the neighborhood, is said to have encountered King, a drug-addicted, alcoholic recluse, and offered to help him.
According to friends, the pair became acquainted, and she would talk to him about his problems and once prepared him Sunday lunch because he was skinny.
The court heard that King attacked Cooper at her home in a’motiveless’ but horrific killing.
When King appeared in court last month, he initially denied murdering Ms Cooper but later altered his plea to guilty. He also pled guilty to carrying a knife in a public area.
According to the court, King was a drug and alcohol addict with a narcissistic personality problem.
Natasha Cooper, Cooper’s 42-year-old daughter, told the court, “There are no words to describe the suffering we have endured since my mother was taken away.” Life will never be the same without her.
