An elderly Gilpin woman was stabbed 245 times in a fatal attack last month, the Armstrong County Coroner said Thursday.
Coroner Brian Myers gave the shocking number during his testimony in a preliminary hearing for Mengqi “Mona” Zhang, 37, who was held for trial on one count of criminal homicide and two counts of aggravated assault by District Judge James Andring.
Police were dispatched to a Gilpin residence on Schenley Road a little after 4:30 p.m. on June 28. Upon arrival, police found Rosalind Cooper, 79, dead in the dining room of her home, authorities said.
During the hearing, Myers described Cooper’s body as “mutilated.” There were stab wounds found on Cooper’s legs, hands, neck, abdomen, hands and wrists, Myers said. Blood loss due to her injuries was declared as the cause of death, he said.
Cooper’s body was found by her son and Zhang’s husband, Nathaniel Cooper.
He testified Thursday that Zhang was angry about his sister visiting town. Zhang was yelling as she walked around the couple’s home before leaving at 4 p.m. on June 28, he said. He witnessed Zhang ride the family’s side-by-side across the driveway between their home and Cooper’s, and park the vehicle in Cooper’s garage, he said.
“I thought she was going to go for a walk,” he said.
He said Zhang and sister have not gotten along since an incident in 2017. That Sunday, he said, started normally until Zhang learned about the visit.
“When I told her my sister was visiting, it was a complete 180 switch,” he said.
A bit later, he said, Zhang came back holding a knife and claimed she told him she’d stabbed his mother. At first, he thought it was a joke but then ran over to his mother’s home to check on her.
When he saw her body, he said he began yelling for someone to call the police.
Cooper’s husband, Steve Cooper, had left the home at 4 p.m. to close a shed at the Kiski River Campsites. Cooper’s family has owned and operated the site for the past 50 years. It’s located just cross Schenley Road from Cooper’s home.
Steve Cooper said he got back around 4:30 p.m. and found the doors locked. He said he ended up entering the home from the second floor through an attached garage. He heard his sons yells when he got inside.
“He came running and said his mom was hurt,” Steve Cooper said.
He followed his son to the dining room where he saw his wife’s body.
“She was laying in a pool of blood,” he said.
Trooper Steven Law was called in to assist with Zhang’s interrogation as an interpreter for the state police. He testified Thursday that Zhang admitted to arguing with Cooper and grabbing a knife from the kitchen. She admitted to slashing and stabbing Cooper in her hands and stomach with the knife, according to Law.
The attack occurred on the first and second floors of the home, Law said. There was blood found in a second floor bedroom and hallway, according to photos presented at the hearing. The blood trail led down steps into Cooper’s living room and dining room on the first floor.
Trooper Greg Durick testified Thursday that Zhang was found that evening barricaded inside her nearby home. Zhang refused to cooperate with responding officers and threatened to kill them if they entered the home, according to a criminal complaint filed against Zhang.
At around 1:10 a.m. June 29, Zhang exited the home and was taken into custody, according Durick.
Zhang allegedly told Law during interrogation she went home with the knife and washed it and the clothes she was wearing at the time of the incident. She allegedly took a shower, Law said.
A trial date for Zhang has not been set.