Published May 03, 2016
Indianapolis police say a woman who was once the nation's youngest death row inmate left a suicide note that described her struggle to survive outside the prison walls that were her home for nearly 30 years.
Lt. Richard Riddle told The (Munster) Times newspaper (http://bit.ly/1AD0X6E ) on Friday that Paula Cooper left a note indicating her intentions before fatally shooting herself Tuesday.
Cooper's death came 30 years after she and three friends killed a 78-year-old Bible school teacher in her Gary home. Records show the then-15-year-old Cooper stabbed Ruth Pelke 33 times before stealing $10 and Pelke's car.
Cooper was sentenced to death, but her sentence was later commuted to 60 years in prison. She was released in 2013, after receiving credit for good behavior.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/police-suicide-note-from-former-youngest-death-row-inmate-describes-struggles-outside-prison