Police at Texas Southern University have arrested a woman who is facing charges in Florida for murdering her former boyfriend.
Zoe Nicole Cooper, 18, was taken into custody on Nov. 15 and charged with second-degree murder for stabbing her former boyfriend, 19-year-old Tadarius Madquise Massey. It is unknown if she was registered as a student at TSU.
The murder happened on the night of Aug. 14, 2024, after an altercation broke out between the couple that stemmed from Massey not letting Cooper go through his phone. Massey was stabbed multiple times.
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Friends who saw the couple immediately following the attack claimed that Cooper was frantically saying “I didn’t mean to.” The group rushed Massey to a hospital, where the other individuals took Massey inside as Cooper drove the car back to her residence.
Cooper, who had a black eye, cooperated with law enforcement after the attack, providing a detailed story of events. She said the stabbing was the cumulation of a long physical altercation in which both people struck each other and handled the knife, which painted a picture that she may have killed him in self-defense. However, the evidence and investigation after the incident would tell a different story.
Cooper did not have any other injuries besides the black eye, and police found that suspicious from what was an alleged prolonged fight. Details from her timeline of events, such as Massey stabbing stuffed animals and pouring liquor on her during the attack, were also not able to be confirmed through evidence at the crime scene.
The day after Massey’s death, Cooper posted an Instagram Reel containing a picture of her and Massey with the caption reading: “I don’t expect for anyone to understand my side of the story sorry for the pain I caused upon any and everybody due to this, if I could take it back or trade place in a heartbeat I would #LLTD, i love u always I’m truly sorry for what I did it wasn’t supposed to be this way [sic].”
Massey’s autopsy report showed two healed stab wounds located near his left shoulder, as well as new stab marks from the night of the assault on his wrist, forearm, shoulder and heart. There was also a cut on his forehead and scratches on his neck that were indicative of strangulation.
During the investigation, authorities uncovered disturbing allegations of abuse from Cooper during the couple’s relationship.
Police found images in Massey’s phone of the fresh stab wounds on his left shoulder from March. They also found numerous messages in which Cooper would claim responsibility for the first stabbing and threaten future violence, saying things like, “I wish you would’ve died that day,” “I’m glad I stabbed you [sic],” “I should have killed you,” and “ima spit in yo grave [sic].”
Authorities spoke to the manager at the Subway restaurant where Massey worked, who said he would come into work looking, “beat up” and had confided in her that Cooper had attacked him. She also said that Cooper would come into the restaurant to watch Massey work, and the two would not speak during these visits.
There was also an incident in December of 2023, when Cooper attacked Massey at Ocoee High School in Florida, because he wouldn’t let her go through his phone to see if he was communicating with other girls. Massey did not strike back during this attack, and a vice principal at the school stated that Massey told her that he had previously been attacked and stabbed by Cooper.
Officials with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida have not confirmed whether or not Cooper has been returned to the state of the crime to face the charge.
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