ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — [UPDATE: July 6 at 6:30 p.m.] Jury selection had just gotten underway when Chief Superior Court Judge Denise Marshall asked prospective jurors whether they knew Cooper. One juror stood and said he knew Cooper because he worked at the jail.

The defense immediately moved for a mistrial, arguing the comment could influence the rest of the jury panel. Judge Marshall said she did not believe the comment was prejudicial.

“I personally wouldn’t know too much about him, or how long he went to jail, or something like that; I didn’t know him,” Marshall said. “But I would assume he went to jail; you’re charged with murder [so] I’m going to assume he went to jail. And you were told that you went to jail, and you were bonded out or you may not have bonded out... I don’t know.”

Judge Marshall then questioned the juror outside the presence of the rest of the panel about his relationship with Cooper and ultimately dismissed him.

Court will resume tomorrow on Tuesday, July 7 at 9 a.m. with jury selection. Opening statements could begin tomorrow afternoon.

[UPDATE: July 6 at 11:45 a.m.] Before jury selection began, Judge Denise Marshall heard the state’s motion to combine the murder trial with a separate 2022 aggravated assault case involving Toomer. After hearing arguments from both the state and the defense, Marshall denied the motion.

Jury selection officially began at 11 a.m.

WALB’s Zoe Wells has more in our 6 p.m. newscast. Tune in using the live player below:

[ORIGINAL ARTICLE:] Jury selection began at 9 a.m. Monday, July 6, for a Dougherty County man on trial for the death of his girlfriend, who was the mother of his child.

Ryan Cooper was indicted in March on the following charges:

• Malice Murder
• Felony Murder
• Aggravated Assault
• Possession of a firearm in commission of a crime
• Concealing the death of another person

Lacambria Toomer was first reported missing in August 2022. Her body has never been found.

Case background

Toomer first disappeared in 2022. Ryan Cooper, the father of her child, was the last person to see her. Cooper first claimed that he dropped Toomer off at a truck stop in Cordele. However, investigators uncovered that wasn’t true.

In March 2026, prosecutors formally indicted Cooper in connection with her disappearance and death.

A motion in June, filed by prosecutors, shows they want to combine the murder case with a 2022 aggravated assault case involving Toomer.

The filing outlines evidence that prosecutors say links Cooper to Toomer’s death. Prosecutors said Cooper beat Toomer and pointed a gun at her during an incident inside his Audi convertible months before she disappeared.

Investigators later found a bullet hole and blood inside the car. According to court records, DNA testing on blood from the car’s headliner was consistent with Toomer’s family line.

Prosecutors also claim that a witness told investigators Cooper admitted to shooting Toomer.

In a most recent filing, prosecutors said they plan to call an expert who will testify to GPS data from the trucking company that Cooper worked for and AT&T phone records.

The filing said that the expert will testify to the records that allegedly show the last text, cellular phone calls, and communication between the victim and Cooper on Aug. 15, 2022.

Prosecutors said the expert will also illustrate, with diagrams, the whereabouts of the truck Cooper drove for his employer. They said Cooper drove the truck from just before midnight on Aug. 15, 2022, until 11 p.m. on Aug. 16, 2022, when the defendant arrived in Savannah.

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