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Thread: Two Members of the Aryan Brotherhood Sentenced in 2008 TX Murder of Scott Freeman

  1. #1
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
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    Two Members of the Aryan Brotherhood Sentenced in 2008 TX Murder of Scott Freeman

    Men accused of Aryan brotherhood ties could face death for 2008 killing

    Two men said to be part of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas could face the death penalty in connection with the death of a Liberty County man involved in a competing Aryan Brotherhood faction.

    Steven Walter Cooke, 43, of Tomball, and David Jason Michels, 28, of Magnolia, went before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Giblin on Wednesday for their initial court appearances, according to the U.S. District Attorney John Bales' office. If convicted, the two face up to life in prison or the death penalty.

    Cooke and Michels were indicted in July for violent crimes in aid of racketeering activity, including conspiracy to commit murder, murder, and possessing and discharging a firearm with the intention of committing a crime or violence resulting in death, according to a news release from Bales' office.

    The indictment states Cooke and Michels killed Scott Freeman, 37, of Livingston, on Oct. 12, 2008, in Liberty County to help their position in the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, according to Bales' office. Freeman was a member of a competing faction of the group, the release states.

    http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/local/men_linked_to_aryan_brotherhood_could_face_death_f or_2008_killing.htm

  2. #2
    Senior Member CnCP Legend JLR's Avatar
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    Steven Cooke, a 48-year-old Tomball man with ties to the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT), has pleaded guilty to involvement in the 2008 murder of Scott Allen Freeman, 37, whose bullet-riddled body was found along FM 787 in Cleveland on Oct. 13, 2008.

    The investigation into Freeman’s murder led to the discovery that he had been killed because he was actively recruiting members of an opposing faction in the Aryan Brotherhood. Cooke, a member of the rival faction, had been “given a green light to assault or kill members of the rival faction,” claims the US Attorney’s Office in Beaumont.

    “In the early morning hours of Oct. 12, 2008, Cooke, using the ruse that his own vehicle was overcrowded, persuaded Freeman to pull over as both men were traveling in separate vehicles from Cooke’s residence in Rye, Texas, to Cleveland, Texas,” said US Attorney John Malcom Bales in his statement to the media.

    When Freeman came around the truck to greet Cooke and David Jason Michels, a co-defendant in the case who has yet to be tried, Cooke shot Freeman six times with a .45 caliber pistol, once in the left arm, three times in his left side, once in his right buttock and once in the face.

    Freeman’s body placed behind his abandoned vehicle. A passerby noticed the body and reported it to Cleveland Police Department.

    On Freeman’s body, police found his wallet with cash inside, an ID card and a birth certificate that showed he was born in Petoski, Mich. He also was in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine and two cell phones.

    Early in the murder investigation, Freeman’s tattoos led police to suspect immediately that he had been involved in the Aryan Brotherhood. On his back was a tattoo that read, “Aryan Pride.” On his right arm was a tattoo of a lightning bolt, and on his left arm was a tattoo that read, “Intimidator 3,” which is believed to be a reference to the late racing legend Dale Earnhardt Sr. Freeman’s chest also bore a tattoo of a man holding two flags — a Rebel Flag and a Nazi Flag.

    In his announcement of the plea agreement, Bales offered words of appreciation for the investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Texas Rangers and Cleveland Police Department. The prosecutor in the case is the US Attorney in Lufkin, Texas.

    Of the Aryan Brotherhood in Texas, Bales said, “In both word and deed, the ABT has consistently demonstrated a flagrant disrespect for the law and a pitiless disregard for the standards and norms of conduct that bind our society together. Scott Freeman’s murder was a completely senseless act of violence that accomplished nothing but to further cement the ABT’s reputation as a loathsome gang dedicated to enforcing a foolish and evil code of conduct.

    “We have now convicted two of the five ABT generals from the Poncho faction. A third general has died from natural causes. This most recent accomplishment signals not only the end of Steven Cooke’s criminal career but underscores our present intention to completely dismantle the ABT’s ability to do harm.”

    While murder cases are typically handled in district courts of law, Cooke and Michels are being prosecuted federally because of the alleged violations of the VICAR (Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering) statute.

    Now convicted of racketeering, Cooke faces life in prison. His sentencing date has not been set.

    http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/easte...4ff6a02ee.html

  3. #3
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    David Jason Michels has been imprisoned and has a release date of October 17, 2025.

    Steven Walter Cooke has been given a life sentence.

    http://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/

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