MSU professor killed in suspected homicide

Springfield Police Department officers are investigating the suspected homicide of Marc Cooper, a retired Missouri State University professor.

Police were dispatched the evening of Aug. 17 to 635 E. University St. in the University Heights neighborhood, where they discovered 66-year-old Cooper’s body with knife wounds. His wife, Nancy, 67, was transported to a hospital with nonlife-threatening stab wounds, according to a city news release.

At the scene, police arrested Edward Gutting, 43, of Springfield. He was booked at Greene County Jail.

SPD Captain Vance Holland briefed the media yesterday, saying Cooper and Gutting knew each other, but the extent of the relationship is unknown.

“We do believe we understand what happened, but we’re still piecing together the why,” he said.

In a separate release, Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson announced Gutting has been charged with murder in the second degree, armed criminal action, assault in the first degree and burglary in the first degree. He’s being held on a $1 million bond. Copies of the felony complain and probable cause statement can be viewed here.

Both Cooper and Gutting worked for MSU. Gutting, an instructor of modern and classical languages who was slated to teach this fall, has been placed on administrative leave, according to an MSU release.

Cooper, who continued to serve the university as managing editor of the eJournal in Public Affairs, worked as history professor prior to his 2014 retirement. He worked as head of the history department 1997-2003.

“During his nearly 35 years on faculty, Dr. Cooper was an active scholar, publishing several articles on the cuneiform tablets of ancient Iraq, and his teaching specialty area was in the history of the ancient Near East,” said Victor Matthews, dean of the College of Humanities and Public Affairs, in the release.

MSU officials are cooperating with the Police Department on the investigation. The school also held a news conference at 10 a.m. this morning on the subject.