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Murder suspect Donald Cooper Jr. is contesting extradition to North Dakota

Minot murder suspect Donald Lee Cooper Jr., 27, is contesting extradition to North Dakota from Wisconsin, state court records there show.

An extradition hearing was held Wednesday in court in Milwaukee, where a judge found that Cooper is the man wanted by North Dakota. Cooper contested extradition and the judge ordered him remanded to the custody of the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department. A status conference was scheduled for May 15 in Wisconsin State Court.

Cooper fled North Dakota after the Jan. 12 shooting death of Dominick Stephens, 29, and the attempted shooting of Stephens’ passenger, Patrick Bost, 28. Cooper was captured on April 3 in Milwaukee. According to the U.S. Marshals Service, Stephens crashed into another vehicle while fleeing from police and killed two people. Cooper is facing reckless homicide and related charges in Wisconsin state court. Lee pleaded not guilty to those charges on Wednesday. A scheduling hearing in that case has been scheduled for June 12 in state court in Wisconsin.

Cooper’s co-defendants, Marcus Jermaine Lee, 22, and Michael Lamart Dennis II, 25, have pleaded guilty in district court in Minot. Lee is scheduled to be sentenced on Class A felony accomplice to murder on May 28 and Dennis is scheduled to sentenced on Class AA felony accomplice to murder and Class A felony attempted murder charges on June 12.

Sheridan Charlene Simms, 30, is accused of driving Cooper to Milwaukee after the shooting and leaving her children for an extended period of time with a friend while she was out of state. She is charged in district court in Class C felony hindering law enforcement and Class C felony child neglect in district court in Minot. A pretrial conference for Simms is scheduled for June 17.

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