SWANSEA, Wales, March 23 (UPI) -- A Welsh farm laborer, 66, went on trial Tuesday, charged with two double murders committed in the 1980s.
As the proceedings opened in Swansea Crown Court, John Cooper was described as a ruthless criminal who shot a married couple walking on a coastal path and killed two former employers, a rich farmer and his sister, the Daily Mail reported. Cooper, who has a long burglary record, became a suspect in the killings during a cold case review.
Gerard Elias, the prosecuting lawyer, said despite the passage of time there is evidence linking Cooper to both killings. He said Cooper displayed "the use of cold, calculating violence and the merciless execution of four people for pitifully small financial gain but to ensure their silence."
Peter and Gwenda Dixon, both in their early 50s, were on a two-week vacation in Pembrokeshire National Park in 1989 when Cooper allegedly ambushed them. Elias said there is DNA evidence proving his guilt.
Richard Thomas, 58, and his sister, Helen Thomas, 54, were killed just before Christmas 1985. They were shot and the Pembrokeshire manor house they shared was set on fire.
