In the small town of Dexter, Maine, the sense of security was shattered on December 3, 1999, with the discovery of a brutal crime. Mindy Elizabeth Angel Gould, a 20-year-old Caucasian female, was found murdered in the home she shared with her sister. Alongside her was the body of 21-month-old Treven Jacob Cunningham, a toddler she was babysitting and the son of her close friend. Both victims had been shot once in the head in what was described as an execution-style killing.
The discovery was made by Mindy's older sister, Melanie Bragg, when she returned home from work.
The investigation quickly zeroed in on a primary suspect: Mindy's 36-year-old ex-boyfriend, Jeffrey Cookson. The relationship between Mindy and Cookson had been troubled, and she had recently moved back to Dexter from southern Maine to escape it. Just days before her murder, on November 30, 1999, Mindy had obtained a yearlong restraining order against Cookson, citing that he had been harassing and stalking her. Despite the order, the harassment reportedly continued. The day of the murders, Mindy was happy and looking forward to watching Treven.
On December 17, 1999, Jeffrey Cookson was arrested and charged with two counts of murder. The evidence against him included shell casings found at the crime scene that matched a 9mm handgun traced to him. Police were able to track down the person who sold the gun to Cookson and obtain shell casings that proved to be a match. Despite his claims of innocence and an alibi that he was at his brother's home, Cookson was found guilty of the murders and sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison. The prosecution argued that the motive was Cookson's desire to control Mindy and his anger over their separation. Following his conviction, there were appeals and even a confession from another man that was later recanted and found to have been fabricated at Cookson's request. These efforts for a new trial were ultimately unsuccessful.
