On Sept. 8, DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt sentenced a homicide defendant to seven years for her involvement in her best friend’s death.
Ariel Cooper-White, 40, was originally charged with second-degree murder while armed for her involvement in the fatal shooting of 38-year-old Sophia Johnson on Oct. 27, 2022, on the 1300 block of New Jersey Avenue, NW.
According to prosecutors, Cooper-White was high on phencyclidine, better known as PCP, when she shot Johnson inside a vehicle. She shot 11 times, striking Johnson twice, with a stray bullet hitting a vehicle next to theirs at a stop light. Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) located Johnson unconscious and unresponsive in the driver seat of the vehicle. Cooper-White was located at the scene.
On May 19, Cooper-White accepted a plea agreement extended by prosecutors. She pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
At the sentencing, prosecutors read a letter written by Johnson’s mother, in which she stated that “Sophia was [her] angel,” and argued that a part of her was gone with her daughter in a grave.
According to the mother’s letter, Sophia had a good heart. She was a home health aide who worked with individuals who had disabilities, and fought hard to stay clean and away from drugs.
Johnson’s mother also mentioned that Cooper-White and Johnson had been friends since their late teens, and insisted she didn’t understand why Cooper-White chose to shoot and kill her daughter.
Likewise, Johnson’s uncle argued that Cooper-White had made a decision by arming herself with a gun on the day of the incident. “A person doesn’t arm themselves with a gun unless they plan to use it… She was ready to kill Sophia,” he said.
Johnson’s uncle asked Judge Brandt to “honor the glorious value” of Johnson’s life and allow their family to get some closure.
Prosecutors requested Judge Brandt sentence Cooper-White to seven years for the possession charge, and 10 years for the voluntary manslaughter charge, and asked that the sentences run concurrently.
“This is a sad case, there’s no doubt that they were the best of friends,” said a prosecutor.
Prosecutors also argued that Cooper-White’s family knew she had drug problems and was known to throw temper tantrums, and they had hoped she would experience a wake up call. “The wake up call should not have been Sophia dying,” prosecutors insisted.
Cooper-White’s son told Judge Brandt he had seen his mother at the lowest points of her life, stating that when that happened Johnson would be the one to step in and help raise him. “Sophia is the reason I have a driver’s license,” he exclaimed.
According to Cooper-White’s son, she knows she will live with the fact she killed her best friend for the rest of her life.
When speaking to his mother, Cooper-White’s son said “I promise I’ll be here, I love Sophia so much. Mom, I love you with all my heart. I’m hoping you get better”.
Defense attorneys for Cooper-White asked Judge Brandt to sentence her to five years for both counts and requested the sentences run concurrently, stating that she was already dealing with a big loss in her life.
While she addressed the court, Cooper-White told Judge Brandt that she was already living a life sentence because she had to live with her decision for the rest of her life.
Addressing Johnson’s mother, Cooper-White said, “I want to apologize to Sophia’s mother, whom I called mine as well. You loved me like your daughter, and I loved you like my mother. Sophia was my angel”.
“I have to live with this for the rest of my life, I need help,” she insisted.
“This is truly a tragic situation,” said Judge Brandt. “You have the court’s condolences,” she told both families, explaining that she understood that both families considered Johnson and Cooper-White part of their own.
“You can’t just go around in society killing people,” she told Cooper-White. “At the end of the day, there’s a woman dead by your hands,” she said.
“You caused it all for the love of PCP,” she stated.
Judge Brandt sentenced Cooper-White to seven years for the voluntary manslaughter and five years for the possession charge, which will run concurrent to one another. She is also expected to register as a gun offender once she is released, and will have a three year period of supervised release for each charge.
Judge Brandt stated she would order she be placed in an intensive drug treatment program, and a Bureau of Prisons (BoP) location that is close to the District and that has a schooling program.
As Cooper-White was escorted out of the courtroom, Judge Brandt wished her luck, and family members reminded her they love her.
Before exiting the courtroom, Johnson’s mother hugged Cooper-White’s children and told them everything will be okay.
