Faye Della Copeland

Serial Killer

Faye Della Copeland: The Missouri Farm Murders

Background

Faye Della Copeland was an American serial killer convicted for her role in the murders of five men in rural northwestern Missouri between 1986 and 1989. Born Faye Della Wilson on August 4, 1921, in Harrison, Arkansas, she married Raymond "Ray" Copeland and eventually settled with him on a farm near Mooresville, Missouri. By the time their crimes were uncovered, the Copelands appeared to outsiders to be an unremarkable elderly farm couple. Behind that appearance, however, prosecutors established that the couple were operating a fraudulent cattle-buying scheme that repeatedly ended with the disappearance and murder of the men they recruited. Faye's precise physical role in the killings was a major issue at her trial. Evidence established Ray as the person principally responsible for recruiting the men, and the prosecution's case against Faye was based on her complicity in the larger criminal operation and murders. The Missouri Supreme Court later upheld her convictions, finding sufficient evidence that she knowingly participated in the scheme and aided Ray. Five victims were ultimately connected to the Copelands, all of whom had been shot in the head.

The Cattle Fraud Scheme

Ray Copeland had a history of fraud involving livestock and bad checks. During the 1980s, the operation became increasingly elaborate. Men with few local connections were recruited under the promise of farm work. Some were located at homeless shelters or missions and brought to the Copelands' farm near Mooresville. The men were instructed to obtain post-office boxes and establish checking accounts using money supplied by the Copelands. They then accompanied Ray to livestock auctions and purchased cattle using checks drawn on accounts that contained insufficient funds. The cattle could then be quickly resold before the original checks were returned unpaid. By placing the checking accounts and purchases in the workers' names, the Copelands created distance between themselves and the fraudulent transactions. The greatest danger to the scheme was the recruited worker himself. Once fraudulent checks began attracting attention, the man whose name appeared on the account could lead investigators directly back to the Copelands. Prosecutors argued that murder became the final stage of the operation: after the worker had served his purpose, he was killed so that he could not explain who had actually organized the transactions. ...

Confirmed Victims: (5)

Dennis K. Murphy Age: (27), Date of Death: October 17, 1986

Ray and Faye Copeland - Wikipedia