PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. – A St. Petersburg man is facing serious charges, including attempted murder, after a violent attack on a woman in her home.
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, 20-year-old Sean-Michael Cooper was arrested on January 2nd after deputies responded to a burglary in progress at a residence in unincorporated St. Petersburg.
When deputies arrived, they found Cooper outside the home covered in blood and the 22-year-old female victim inside with significant injuries.
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The victim told detectives that she had returned home from work to find Cooper inside her residence. Cooper then launched a brutal attack, striking her in the head with a glass pipe, spraying her with pepper spray, and hitting her repeatedly with a metal frying pan. He then choked her and threatened to kill her, her cats, and her mother.
Cooper allegedly attempted to stage the scene to look like a home invasion and instructed the victim to remove her clothes so he could sexually batter her. When she refused, he continued to beat her until she lost consciousness.
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Detectives noted that Cooper’s inconsistent statements and injuries to his face and neck were consistent with the victim fighting back.
Cooper was arrested and charged with attempted murder and burglary with battery. He was transported to the Pinellas County Jail.
The victim was taken to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
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