Bensalem Teen Who Confessed To Killing On Instagram's Trial Halted

© Shutterstock Joshua Cooper of Bensalem Township waived his preliminary hearing on Monday. He is being charged as an adult with murder in a shooting death of a female juvenile last fall.

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA —The Bensalem teenager accused of murder and then chatting about the crime on Instagram had his preliminary hearing waived after it began Monday when he became ill.

Joshua Cooper, 17, appeared in Bensalem District Court before Magisterial Judge Michael W. Gallagher Monday.

Cooper is being charged as an adult in the shooting death of a female juvenile last fall at a township trailer park that he then chatted about with an acquaintance on Instagram regarding how to clean up the crime.

"That was a preliminary hearing and it was a waiver," Manuel Gamiz Jr., director of communications for the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, said Tuesday.

He said Cooper's next court appearance will be for his formal arraignment.

The arraignment will be held at noon on April 6 in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas.

According to published reports, the hearing was underway with Bensalem Det. Ryan Kolb testifying before it was halted due to Cooper feeling nauseous.

Cooper's attorney, Paul Lang, then asked to have the hearing waived, the Bucks County Courier News reported.

Bensalem police have released few details about the circumstances of the shooting, which Cooper allegedly described as an accident, according to court documents. He entered a plea of not guilty, the newspaper said.

Lang told the newspaper after the hearing that he would file a motion to decertify the case to juvenile court.

Lang did not return a call left for comment at his law office Tuesday.

Cooper has been charged as an adult with one count each of criminal homicide, tampering with and fabricating false information, and possession of a weapon with intent.

In late November, Bensalem Township Police received a 911 call about a possible homicide with the caller stating that her daughter received an Instagram video chat from a 16-year-old acquaintance, police said.

During the video chat, the teenager stated that he had just killed someone. He then flipped the video image and showed the legs and feet of someone covered in blood. He then asked for assistance with the disposal of the body, police said.

Bensalem Police said the 16-year-old, later identified as Cooper, lived in Top of the Ridge Trailer Park located at 1446 Gibson Rd. in Bensalem.

When police went to check the property, the juvenile ran out of the back of the trailer. When officers entered the mobile home, they observed a deceased juvenile female on the floor of the bathroom with an apparent gunshot wound.

There were also indications that substantial steps were taken to clean up the crime scene.

The female victim has not been identified.

The article Bensalem Teen Who Confessed To Killing On Instagram's Trial Halted appeared first on Bensalem Patch.