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Man Gets Death Penalty In Murder Of U Of Del. Student Woman Raped, Strangled In Off-Campus ApartmentWILMINGTON, Del. -- A judge sentenced a man to death Wednesday for raping and strangling a University of Delaware student from New York before torching her apartment in an attempt to destroy evidence. The jury convicted James E. Cooke Jr. in March of first-degree murder, arson, rape, burglary and reckless endangering in the death of Lindsey M. Bonistall, of White Plains, N.Y., whose body was found covered with charred debris in her bathtub on May 1, 2005. Bonistall, who was white, was a 20-year-old...

WILMINGTON, Del. - Jurors today unanimously recommended the death penalty for the ex-convict who raped and murdered White Plains college student Lindsey Bonistall. James Cooke Jr. said nothing to his lawyers as he was led into the courtroom for the verdict. He sat quietly, showing no emotions, as Superior Court Judge Jerome Herlihy read the jury's findings that the aggravating factors of the grisly slaying outweighed any mitigating factors presented by the defense for why Cooke's life should be spared. It will now be up to Herlihy to decide the fate of Cooke, who will likely become the 17th man...

Man convicted in murder of Delaware U. student from White PlainsWILMINGTON, Del. (AP) _ A man accused of raping and killing a University of Delaware student, whose body was discovered in her burning apartment, was found guilty Thursday and could face the death penalty. Defense attorneys had urged the jury to find James E. Cooke Jr. mentally ill. Cooke, 36, broke into the apartment of Lindsey M. Bonistall, of White Plains, N.Y., in May 2005, then raped and strangled the 20-year-old college sophomore before placing her body in a bathtub and setting the fire, prosecutors said. Cooke, however, denied killing...

WILMINGTON, Del. - Jurors found out for the first time yesterday that James Cooke Jr. and his lawyers are not in agreement about his defense against capital murder charges in the death of White Plains college student Lindsey Bonistall. "I'm not guilty! I'm not guilty! They chose that mentally ill, not me. You know? Yeah, keep that in mind," Cooke yelled to the jury about his lawyers just before autopsy photos were shown. The latest outburst from Cooke, the loudest to date and on the last day of the prosecution's case, prompted one of his lawyers to request a mistrial....