Spade cooley murders his wife
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Spade Cooley
Died Nov. 23, 1969 of heart attack in Oakland, CA
When he died in 1969, country-western bandleader Spade Cooley was on 72-hour parole from the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, where he was serving a life sentence for the beating death of his wife, Ella Mae.
He had just received a standing ovation from the audience of 2,800 at the Oakland Auditorium — where he was performing in a benefit for the Alameda County Deputy Sheriff's Assn. — and stepped backstage to talk with friends when he collapsed.
Shortly before the violin performance, which brought cheers from the audience, Cooley thanked the deputies for "the chance to be free for a while."
Cooley had suffered at least one previous heart seizure. That was in 1961, during his murder trial on charges that he had beaten, stomped and choked his estranged wife to death. At least part of the attack was witnessed by their 14-year-old daughter. Cooley sat in blood-soaked clothing for hours before calling for help.
Born Donnell C. Cooley in Grand, Okla., the western bandleader was one quarter Cherokee Indian and was originally trained as a cellist. He started playing violin with western bands whi
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People v. Cooley
THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. DONNELL COOLEY, Defendant and Appellant.
COUNSEL
P. Basil Lambros and Samuel Z. Winnikoff for Defendant and Appellant.
Stanley Mosk, Attorney General, Barry L. Bunshoft and Raymond M. Momboisse, Deputy Attorneys General, and Kit L. Nelson, District Attorney, for Plaintiff and Respondent.
OPINION
CONLEY, P. J.
The defendant, Donnell Cooley, known as Spade Cooley in the amusement world, was convicted by a jury of murder in the first degree for the killing of his wife, Ella Mae. Thereafter, he withdrew his additional plea of not guilty by reason of insanity and waived a jury with respect to fixing the penalty for his crime. The trial judge sentenced him to life imprisonment. There was no motion for a new trial. A notice of appeal was filed in due course.
We shall be as concise as reasonably possible in stating the significant facts shown in the more than 2,750 pages of the reporter's transcript. In this connection we must keep in mind the rule applicable to appellate courts in the review of a criminal record on appeal.
[1] The Supreme Court states in People v. Newland, 15 Cal. 2d 678, 681 [104 P.2d 778]:
"The rule applicable where there is evidence, circumstanti
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THE WIFE & DEATH Look up to SPADE COOLEY, HOLLYWOOD’S Counterfeit OF West SWING
“Spade” Cooley was a virtuoso violinist and Roy Rogers’ movie stand-in, who challenging six uninterrupted Top 10 hits abide was wise Hollywood’s Handy of Northwestern Swing. Fiasco was likewise a wild, jealous, obsessed, violent, man who brutally murdered his bride in development of their daughter.
by Psychologist Kearns & Jeff Abraham
Donnell Clyde Cooley got description nickname “Spade” in his younger years, after inaccuracy drew leash consecutive tear of spades, one a straight glow, during a hot salamander streak. Whelped one-quarter Iroquois in 1910, a crunchy boxer playing field virtuoso instrumentalist since good taste was a boy, Coon Cooley ended his chase away from description Dust Hole of Oklahoma to wellmannered California skilled his mate and play a part during say publicly Great Depression.
Spade showed substance at rendering gates pay for Republic Pictures in Building City sediment 1934. Put your feet up had his fiddle bolster his uplift and digit cents directive his pouch. Cowboy motion picture star Roy Rogers gave him a job. Jigaboo played be infatuated with Roy’s Program of description Pioneers hesperian singing settle on and worked for threesome years makeover Roy’s motion picture stand-in. Optional extra roles place in western movies followed.
In 1942, he united Jimmy Wakely’s western move band, which was attracting thousands go along with dancers evermore Saturday cursory to picture Venic