Irina Cooper is the Russian mail-order bride of William Cooper, whose murder she facilitated.
History[]
Irina is a highly qualified scientist from Russia who emigrated to America as a mail-order bride for a more opportunistic life. Her husband, Billy, a meat-packing factory owner a generation older than her, was abusive and only saw her as a trophy wife for housework and sex. In addition to her only finding custodial work at Hudson Diagnostic Labs, Irina was forbidden from bringing her son with her to America and was forced to have an abortion, all by Billy’s orders.
She fell in love with one of the lab techs at her place of employment, Puerto Rican man Alex Nunez, and started an affair with him. When Billy found out, he threatened Irina with deportation and refused to accept a divorce, so Alex shot Billy in his office with Billy’s own gun. Irving was terrified of the cops questioning her, even assuming they’d rush to send her to jail just from simple questioning.
When she and Alex were found out and taken to trial, Alex was terrified of her being returned to Russia, as the jury racially othered the both of them and saw them as cold-blooded killers in it for money and their love. As part of a plea, Irina was sentenced to prison time in America for 3 years, and Alex received a fifteen-year sentence. (L&O: “The Pursuit of Happiness”)