Tearful Plea From Family Of Murdered Teen
MIAMI (CBS4) - The family of a teenage mother shot in her own home is asking for the public's help in finding her killer.
Daniella Cooper's two year old son found standing by her body.
"If there is anyone who knows what happened, can you help?," said her sister Ernishka Cooper. "I found her laying there, I still think I'm dreaming or something."
"I don't know why some person killed my daughter," said Josiamene "Jo Jo" Cooper. "She meant so much to me. So much. I will ask whoever did this, why did you do this? She loved her baby so much."
"And she was so nice," said Jo Jo Cooper. "She was so nice."
The body of 16-year old Daniella Cooper was found in her bedroom by her sister in the family's home in the 100 block NE 82nd Avenue around 6 p.m. Family and friends were shocked and saddened by her death and said they can't figure out who could have done something like this or why.
"I didn't know that God would take her so soon. I don't know why God took Daniella, (it was) God's decision, God is the best, we can do nothing about it," said JoJo Cooper.
Daniella died on her son Jeremiah's second birthday and just days after her 16th birthday on October 31st.
The boy's father is distraught.
"I feel bad because she was my first baby mama and she died. And we don't know how she died," said Cooper's former boyfriend Pierre Louis Jr.
D'Oench caught up with him at his apartment in North Miami and asked, "Any idea who might have done this?"
"No," he said.
"Any sort of message here?" D'Oench asked.
"I hope they find whoever did this," said Louis. "I feel really bad about what happened."
Louis told D'Oench he had not seen Daniella Cooper since October 23rd and said they had been together as a couple for two years.
Louis plans to fight Cooper's family for full custody of the toddler.
Cooper's mother is now left to bury her daughter in their native Haiti if she can raise enough money.
"I don't want to bury here," she said. "I want to bury her in Haiti. But I need help. I don't have enough money for that."
"Last night I wanted to die," said Cooper. "But today I forgive the person who did that. If I see the person I will only ask 'Why did you kill Daniella?'," said Cooper.
"God is a big God," she said. "But he can't do enough about it. I don't know why."
"She was like really nice. I don't know how she gets shot, like if she was in trouble, because she was never in trouble," said family friend Loveline Kebreau.
Police said they have no leads or a motive for the murder.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Miami Police Department's Homicide Unit at (305) 603-6350 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-8477 (TIPS).
CBS4's Gwen Belton also contributed to this report.
