Minot murder suspect Donald Lee Cooper Jr., 28, has entered guilty pleas to two counts of second degree reckless homicide in state court in Wisconsin, court records show, and is scheduled to be sentenced in Milwaukee on Jan. 15, 2021.

Cooper fled to Milwaukee, Wis., after the Jan. 12 shooting death in Minot of Dominick Stephens, 29. Cooper crashed into a vehicle in April while fleeing law enforcement officers in Milwaukee and killed two people in the other vehicle. Cooper has been held in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail since then. He will be extradited back to Minot to face murder and attempted murder charges after the case in Wisconsin state court is concluded.

Wisconsin State Court records show that the state agreed to drop four other felony charges against Cooper in exchange for his guilty plea to the two reckless homicide charges.

In district court in Minot, Cooper is charged with Class AA felony accomplice to murder, Class A felony attempted murder, Class C felony reckless endangerment, and Class C felony terrorizing.

According to court documents, Cooper and co-defendant Michael Lamart Dennis II had been involved in a physical altercation with Stephens’ passenger at an area hotel. That led to a car chase throughout northwest Minot, with Cooper and Dennis firing at the car driven by Stephens. The car Cooper and Dennis was in was driven by Marcus Jermaine Lee. Stephens was shot twice in the back and crashed his vehicle into a boulder in front of the Minot State University Dome at 6:07 a.m. on Jan. 12. Stephens was killed and his passenger was not injured.

Dennis and Lee pleaded guilty and were sentenced earlier. Dennis is serving 20 years and Lee is serving 15 years.