February 2016 Hamilton Shootings
Jimmy Cooper transferred to
Taylor-Hardin for evaluation

Article contributed by The Journal Record

By SCOTT JOHNSON
News Editor

HAMILTON - Double-homicide suspect Jimmy Cooper has been transferred to Taylor-Hardin Secure Medical Facility in Tuscaloosa for his mental evaluation.

Marion County Sheriff Kevin Williams confirmed with the Journal Record that Cooper, 59, was transported from the Marion County Jail in Hamilton on Thursday, Feb. 21.

Williams said there has been no indication on how long Cooper will be held at the Tuscaloosa facility before he is returned.

Cooper is charged with murder for the Feb. 10, 2016, shooting deaths of Hamilton residents Linda Cole and Donny Miller in downtown Hamilton.

The case has been in gridlock as officials have been postponing Cooper’s court date until he has undergone the assessment.

At a December 2018 status hearing on the case, Cooper’s court-appointed attorney, Brian White of Decatur, said that Cooper was still 30th in line for an evaluation.

(When a defendant is charged with a crime, the charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.)