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A clip from a new documentary has revealed the moment a man confessed to killing his wife after she suffered years of abuse.
The murder took place in front of the woman’s daughter, who was 14-year-old at the time.
In January 2018, Cheryl Hooper, 51, was shot outside of her home in Newport, Shropshire by her husband, Andrew ‘Jack’ Hooper.
After the murderer fled the scene, he shot himself in the face and sustained facial injuries that resulted in the loss of his mouth and nose, but survived.
Ms Hooper’s daughter, Georgia Gabriel-Hooper, said in the ITVX documentary a Murder in the Family that Mr Hooper had been ‘incredibly abusive in many forms’ towards her mother, ‘financially, emotionally and mentally’.
In a clip from the programme, a police officer explained that the case of Ms Hooper’s murder ‘on the outset looked like a fairly straightforward investigation’.
Mr Hooper had to point at his answers because he was unable to talk (Picture: ITV)
However, it turned out to be ‘an emotional rollercoaster for 18 months, full of unexpected twists and turns’.
Speaking in the film, the policeman said: ‘We’ve got a witness that shows he killed Cheryl, but by the time I get to interview Hooper, it’s 10 months down the line.’
The officer said that when they finally were able to speak to the killer, ‘the police interview with Jack Hooper was extraordinary, something that I’ve never done and probably will never do again in my career’.
Because Mr Hooper was unable to speak, he had two pieces of paper laid out in front of him, allowing him to point at letters, numbers, or the words ‘yes’, ‘no’, and ‘I don’t understand the question’ when questions were put forward to him.
Ms Hooper’s daughter, who witnessed the murder recently appeared on This Morning (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
‘He suffered terrible injuries, he’s unable to speak, he hasn’t got a mouth, he hasn’t got a nose,’ the police officer explained.
In footage from the interview, Mr Hooper was asked: ‘Is your name Andrew Jonathan Hooper?’, to which he placed his finger on the word ‘yes’.
Mr Hooper, who was accompanied by his solicitor, was then asked: ‘Are you responsible for the death of your wife, Cheryl Gabriel-Hooper, on the 26th January 2018?’
Ms Hooper was killed at the age of 51 (Picture: West Mercia Police/PA)
He pointed at the ‘yes’, again, but was asked to ‘be more accurate’ as the paper was brought closer to him, allowing him to place his finger directly on the word to provide his answer clearly.
Mr Hooper was found guilty of murder in June 2019, and was sentenced to a minimum of 31 years behind bars.
At the trial, which took place at Birmingham Crown Court, it was heard that Mr Hooper suspected his late wife of having a suspected affair.
The day after the killing, Ms Hooper’s daughter told police: ‘Literally, he looked like a psychopath’.
A Murder in the Family is available to watch on ITVX.
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The documentary is available to watch on ITVX.
