Eva Coo
The Oneonta Murderer
The Oneonta Murderer
Eva Coo also know as the “Mallet Killer” was known for committing a murder in Oneonta, NY on June 14th, 1934. She was born in Haliburton, Ontario in 1889 as Eva Currie. She married William Coo and they moved upstate together in 1921 from Canada. Although she was married she did not have any children. She was about 5’7” and weighed about 170 pounds. She ran a successful brothel and bar called ‘Little Eva’s.’
Harry “Gimpy” Wright was the man who was killed. Harry was said to be ‘disabled’ and unable to care for himself. After his mother passed away suddenly, Harry was left in the care of his employer Eva Coo. Shortly after her death, Harry's mothers house burned down “under mysterious circumstances” and Eva collected on the home’s insurance and sold the property for additional property. In 1934 Eva Coo and accomplice Martha Clift murdered Eva’s live in handyman, with the motive of receiving his life insurance money.
Eva owned a bar and brothel called ‘Little Eva’s’ where Wright went to drink and often walked home. On the night of the murder as he walked home from the bar Coo and Clift followed him. As Wright was walking Eva came up behind him and hit him over the head with a mallet. Shortly after Clift ran him over with a large rental truck. Just as Wright’s body was run over, the two women saw headlights approaching. Though abandoned, the farmhouse owners, Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Hunt, with Mrs. Hunt’s mother, Mrs. Iva Fink, saw the lights from the vehicle used in the murder and came to investigate. Mrs. Clift walked down the road to meet the vehicle and talk with the owners while Mrs. Coo placed Wright’s body into the automobile. After the owners left, the two proceeded to drive back toward Coo’s Roadhouse where Mrs. Clift pushed the body of Wright out of the truck after it had stopped by the side of the road.
Little Eva’s bar flourished during the last years of prohibition, but had come to a halt once prohibition had ceased. At this point, Eva had become desperate for money and had planned on solving her financial problems by collecting Harry’s life insurance policy.
Martha Clift was a wife and mother of 2 who worked for Eva. Clift was also Eva’s accomplice to this gruesome murder. Due to the fact that she pleaded guilty to the murder and worked with the police to help them put the pieces of the murder together she was spared from the death penalty and sentenced to 20 years but only served 13 years in prison. Martha had worked on this plan to murder Wright with Eva for 2-3 months. Eva had promised Mrs. Clift $200 to help her. As Wright was walking Eva came up behind him and hit him over the head with a mallet. Shortly after Clift ran him over with a big rental truck.
Harry “Gimpy” Wright was a disabled man who was unable to care for himself on his own. After his mother died he came to live with Eva in exchange for $2,000 of his mother’s inheritance money. Harry was 52 and working as Eva’s live in handyman at the time that he was murdered. Harry was known for the excessive drinking he often did at Little Eva’s bar. It was also common for him to leave the bar and walk along the highway in a drunken manner which led to other patrons stopping and bringing him back to the bar safely. This fact aided in his murder and helped Eva initially get away with her crime because before Eva tried to get Harry’s life insurance, the coroner ruled that he was most likely hit and killed by a driver while strolling along the road drunk.
In August of 1934, the trial had begun in Cooperstown, New York. The media swarmed the courthouse and entrepreneurs sold souvenirs and memorabilia surrounding the case. Eva Coo was eventually found guilty of 1st degree murder and was sentenced to death at Sing Sing prison. Coo was executed on June 27th, 1935 and was the third woman to die at Sing Sing in the 20th century.
As previously discussed, Eva ran a brothel and a bar. Eva’s bar and brothel was said to be located at 39 Chestnut Street. Above, we is a picture of Eva’s place when it was running. Because Eva murdered Harry Wright right off of the road next to her bar, we can also see the general area the murder had happened in. From 1928 through the 1930’s, Eva’s businesses were very successful due to the busy railroad that passed through Oneonta. Many travelers would stop into "Little Eva’s" on their way to their destination, on top of Eva’s normal customers.
- Eva’s murder case made national news/newspaper articles in 1934.
- Eva was the owner of “Little Eva’s” roadhouse and brothel.
- She killed Harry “Gimpy” Wright in hopes of profiting from his life insurance.
- Coo hit Wright in the head with a mallet and her accomplice then ran him over with a truck.
- Coo was found guilty and sentenced to death in 1934. She was killed in an electric chair at the Sing Sing prison in June 1935.
Eva Coo dated a man named Jess Louck in the 1930’s after her husband. Previous to the murder and trial of Harry “Gimpy” Wright, the two were in love and Louck had wanted to marry her. Tragically it was known that he committed suicide. Or did he? Was Wright not Eva’s first murder? We may never know!
Eva’s trial happened right in Cooperstown only about 30 minutes from Oneonta. The trial lasted almost three weeks and quickly turned into a circus. But in the end, it took just one hour for the jury to bring in a verdict. Eva Coo was found guilty of Murder 1st degree and sentenced to death at Sing Sing.
The Sing Sing prison is a maximum-security prison located in the village of Ossining NY about 30 minutes north of NYC. It holds about 1,700 inmates and housed the execution chamber for the State of New York until the abolition of capital punishment in 1977.
Death by electric chair was first adopted by New York State in 1899. It was a way of killing those who were sentenced to death. Individuals were strapped to a wooden chair and electrocuted from head to toe.