THE DARK SIDE OF FLORIDA
Dana Cooper
#153837
photo courtesy FDC
Full Name: Dana Lynn Cooper
Date of birth: April 8, 1977
Conviction: 3rd-degree murder
County: Lake
City: Eustis
Current Location: Released
Partners in crime: Howard Anderson, Chasity Keesee, Rod Ferrell
Date of Crime: November 25, 1996
Release date: October 15, 2011
Victim(s): Richard & Ruth Wendorf
Date of birth: April 8, 1977
Conviction: 3rd-degree murder
County: Lake
City: Eustis
Current Location: Released
Partners in crime: Howard Anderson, Chasity Keesee, Rod Ferrell
Date of Crime: November 25, 1996
Release date: October 15, 2011
Victim(s): Richard & Ruth Wendorf
It’s not that often you hear about a murder involving “real” vampires and vampire cults these days, but back in 1996, that was a different story. Rodrick “Rod” Ferrell, a disturbed teenager from Kentucky, formed a small vampire cult called “The Vampire Clan.” The short-lived group believed that they were actually vampires – immortal. They even practiced drinking blood and other vampire rituals. But that wasn’t the worst part. They were also responsible for one of the most cold-blood home invasion murders of the past 100 years.
Rod Ferrell, who was 16 at the time, actually believed himself to be a 500-year-old vampire named Vesago. He claimed he’d live forever. Heather Wendorf-Kelly, an awkward 15-year-old, fell in with the crowd, along with a group of other teenage vampire groupies. “Part of it was just a game to me,” Heather said about the “vampires” and their “crossing-over” rituals during which the teens drank one another’s blood. “I didn’t take a whole lot of it seriously,” she said. “It was something to have, something special in your life that you felt secret about.”
Talk of the killing, which would be nationally known as “The Vampire Cult Killings,” started as harmless chatter during a late November 1996 road trip. Rod drove from Kentucky to Eustis with Howard Scott Anderson and a carload of cult followers to meet up with Heather. Rod, a Eustis High dropout who moved to Murray, KY, had met and befriended Heather the year before. Wearing black clothing, lipstick and black nail police, the group looked like vampires.
On Monday night, November 25, 1996, Rod and Howard, 16, entered the Heather’s home through the garage at Greentree Lane. Heather wasn’t home at the time, but her parents were. Howard later told detectives that he couldn’t kill Ruth Wendorf as planned. It was Rod who fatally beat Ruth, 54, and her 49-year-old husband, Richard, with a crowbar. Their bloodied bodies were discovered by Heather’s 17-year-old sister, Jennifer.
After the slayings, Rod, Howard and two other cult members – Charity Keesee, Rod’s girlfriend, and Dana Cooper – took off in the Wendorf’s Ford Explorer. Heather didn’t know about her parents’ deaths until later, when she was in the car with the killers on the way to Baton Route. Detectives tracked them down three days later and arrested all the teenagers involved – except Heather. They all pleaded guilty to some role in the murders.
Rod pleaded guilty to murder and was initially sentenced to death, but because of his age, he was later given a life sentence. Howard pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and is serving a life sentence. Charity and Dana knew about the plot but didn’t participate but still were convicted of being principals to third-degree murder.
Rod Ferrell, who was 16 at the time, actually believed himself to be a 500-year-old vampire named Vesago. He claimed he’d live forever. Heather Wendorf-Kelly, an awkward 15-year-old, fell in with the crowd, along with a group of other teenage vampire groupies. “Part of it was just a game to me,” Heather said about the “vampires” and their “crossing-over” rituals during which the teens drank one another’s blood. “I didn’t take a whole lot of it seriously,” she said. “It was something to have, something special in your life that you felt secret about.”
Talk of the killing, which would be nationally known as “The Vampire Cult Killings,” started as harmless chatter during a late November 1996 road trip. Rod drove from Kentucky to Eustis with Howard Scott Anderson and a carload of cult followers to meet up with Heather. Rod, a Eustis High dropout who moved to Murray, KY, had met and befriended Heather the year before. Wearing black clothing, lipstick and black nail police, the group looked like vampires.
On Monday night, November 25, 1996, Rod and Howard, 16, entered the Heather’s home through the garage at Greentree Lane. Heather wasn’t home at the time, but her parents were. Howard later told detectives that he couldn’t kill Ruth Wendorf as planned. It was Rod who fatally beat Ruth, 54, and her 49-year-old husband, Richard, with a crowbar. Their bloodied bodies were discovered by Heather’s 17-year-old sister, Jennifer.
After the slayings, Rod, Howard and two other cult members – Charity Keesee, Rod’s girlfriend, and Dana Cooper – took off in the Wendorf’s Ford Explorer. Heather didn’t know about her parents’ deaths until later, when she was in the car with the killers on the way to Baton Route. Detectives tracked them down three days later and arrested all the teenagers involved – except Heather. They all pleaded guilty to some role in the murders.
Rod pleaded guilty to murder and was initially sentenced to death, but because of his age, he was later given a life sentence. Howard pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and is serving a life sentence. Charity and Dana knew about the plot but didn’t participate but still were convicted of being principals to third-degree murder.