Police target home, MSU offices in search of motive in professor slaying
A Missouri State University instructor accused of stabbing his former colleague to death allegedly told police he was "really drunk" before they questioned him on the night of the homicide.
Five search warrants unsealed Tuesday provide new details in the case against Edward Gutting, 43, the man accused of killing retired MSU professor Marc Cooper, 66, on Aug. 17 inside Cooper's Springfield home.
The warrants gave police access to Gutting's home in the Cherry Hills subdivision, Gutting's Mercedes-Benz station wagon, Gutting's office at Missouri State University, Gutting's blood sample and the office belonging to Gutting's wife Angela Hornsby-Gutting who is also a professor at MSU.
Police say Gutting was arrested outside of Cooper's home in the 600 block of East University Street at about 7:45 p.m. on Aug. 17 after they believe he rushed into the home and stabbed Cooper to death while also injuring Cooper's wife, Nancy.
The warrant to draw and test Gutting's blood says when Gutting was taken to police headquarters for questioning that night he said he was "really drunk."
While Gutting was in the interview room waiting for the detective, the warrant says, he appeared to fall asleep.
The warrant says Gutting had a "strong odor of intoxicants about his body."
Gutting declined to make a statement to detectives regarding the homicide and asked to speak with an attorney, according to the warrant.
The other warrants were requested with the purpose of determining the motive in this case.
Detective Robert McPhail with the Springfield Police Department wrote on the warrant for Gutting's office: "I believe a search for all electronic devices as well as any documents related to the relationships between Cooper, Gutting and Hornsby-Gutting will provide evidence of the motive as to why this homicide occurred."
Attached to the search warrant applications is a document called a search warrant return which describes the evidence seized by police during a search.
From Gutting's office, the warrant return says, police seized the following: a memo referencing Gutting's salary and his reappointment to the department of Modern and Classical Languages, Gutting's performance review, a letter from the history department about Gutting being recommended for an instructor position, a salary memo and a computer.
From Hornsby-Gutting's office, the warrant return says, police seized a computer and the university's tenure policy for 2013.
From Gutting's home on East Cherry Hills Boulevard, the warrant return says, police seized the following: five computers, an iPad mini, two external storage devices and a kitchen knife block.
The search warrant return says police did not seize any property from Gutting's Mercedes, which police found parked outside of Cooper's home after the homicide.
Gutting, a Princeton graduate, has taught at MSU since 2011 in history and the department of Modern and Classical Languages after spending eight years as an assistant professor of classics at the University of Mississippi.
Cooper worked in Missouri State's history department from 1980-2014, and served as the managing editor of the eJournal in Public Affairs, according to a news release from the university.
Hornsby-Gutting, is a history professor at MSU.
Gutting, Hornsby-Gutting and Cooper all worked together in the history department together from 2011-2014.
Lawyer wants mental exam for MSU instructor charged with murder
Cooper's friends have told the News-Leader they do not believe Gutting and Cooper were close.
A probable cause statement used to charge Gutting provides some insight into what prosecutors call an unprovoked attack.
The statement says Marc Cooper and his wife Nancy were sitting inside their home in the 600 block of East University Street on Aug. 17 at 7:45 p.m. when Gutting came in through the back door wielding a large knife.
Gutting chased Marc Cooper through the kitchen into the living room, knocked him down and stabbed him to death, according to the statement.
Nancy Cooper was also cut several times as police say she tried to fight with Gutting — who jail records list at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds.
The statement says Gutting told Nancy Cooper at one point "it was between him and Cooper," and he didn't want to kill her — but he would if he had to.
Nancy Cooper was eventually able to call for help, and police were dispatched to the scene.
The first-arriving officers found Gutting walking in the street outside of the Cooper residence covered in blood, according to the statement. He was arrested without incident.
Gutting is being held in the Greene County Jail on $1 million bond.