A detective testified in the San Diego...
- Share via
A detective testified in the San Diego trial of accused mass murderer Kevin Cooper that Joshua Ryen, 9, the only survivor of the 1983 Chino Hills massacre, told him that three Latino men had committed the murders. But San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Detective Hector O’Campo said he did not take the youngster’s comments seriously. O’Campo said that Joshua “mentioned three Mexicans” during a hospital interview on June 14, 1983. However, O’Campo said he had previously decided that Cooper, a black Chino prison escapee, was responsible for the crime. O’Campo said he called a Los Angeles friend of Cooper on June 9 and told her, “I know that he (Cooper) slaughtered those people.” Cooper is charged with killing Doug and Peg Ryen, both 41; their daughter, Jessica, 10, and Christopher Hughes, 11.
More to Read
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.