LAKE COUNTY ? Disabled former firefighter Wilbur H. Cope, 37, is charged with the shooting death of Kristen Lori Raviotta in an alleged shooting spree that involved four victims in the early morning hours of Sept. 10, 2006.
Defense attorney Steven Carter was appointed to the case Oct. 1 after Cope”s former attorney Bruce Laning was released due to conflict of interest. A jury trial was set for June 10, 2008 on Monday. “I was just appointed to the Cope case, and I need to do an investigation of this case and prepare it.
The court is accommodating my schedule and my need to defend him adequately and well,” Carter said. Cope faces three additional counts of attempted murder with the use of a firearm in the shooting of Terry Cain, Cope”s ex-wife Michele Cain and Sharon England. One count includes an allegation for assault resulting in great bodily injury. Deputy district attorney John Langan said a count for aggravated mayhem was added when Cope was found competent to stand trial at a January 5 trial following a psychiatric evaluation. Cope was held to answer for the charges at a March 23 preliminary hearing. He is held at the Lake County Jail on $1,500,000 bail.
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