Trial date set for Rock Falls man accused of fatal Valentine’s Day stabbing

MORRISON — The trial date of a Rock Falls man charged with stabbing another man to death in February has been set for early April.

During a pretrial conference Wednesday, March 19, Whiteside County Circuit Court Judge James Heuerman said that because neither the defense nor the prosecuting attorneys were asking for more continuances, he was setting Kyle M. Cooper’s trial date for April 8.

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Kyle Cooper of Rock Falls appears in Whiteside County Circuit Court on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Cooper is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the Feb. 14 fatal stabbing of Daniel Gordon outside of a Rock Falls residence. (Alex T. Paschal)

Cooper, 36, is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery in connection with the Feb. 14 death of Daniel Gordon.

Gordon, 27, was found unresponsive with multiple abdominal stab wounds around 2 a.m. Feb. 14 in the 600 block of West 20th Street in Rock Falls after Cooper and Gordon fought in a driveway, police said. Gordon died later that day at CGH Medical Center in Sterling, according to officials.

[ Prosecutor: Rock Falls man accused of Valentine’s Day murder had history of threatening exes' new partners ]

Cooper has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has demanded a speedy trial.

In laying out details of the state’s case in late February, Whiteside County Assistant State’s Attorney Ryan Simon said Cooper was taken into custody on an aggravated battery charge in the hours after Gordon was stabbed in the driveway of a Rock Falls residence.

In detailing the state’s case, Simon said the events leading up to the stabbing included a verbal altercation at a bar just hours before between Cooper and Gordon, who was dating a woman who had previously dated Cooper.

Gordon and the woman left the bar and later went to a home in the 600 block of West 20th Street in Rock Falls. Simon said the couple were at the house when a vehicle Cooper was in pulled up to the house, and Cooper got out of the vehicle while holding something shiny in his hand.

The woman was fearful Cooper was going to use a knife to vandalize her vehicle and approached Cooper, who began pushing the woman, Simon said. Simon said Gordon got involved to protect the woman, that Cooper jumped on top of Gordon and stabbed Gordon in the abdomen several times before others were able to pull Cooper off Gordon. Cooper then left the scene, Simon said.

[ Judge: Probable cause exists in Rock Falls stabbing case, will continue toward trial ]

Rock Falls police were called to the scene around 1:50 a.m. When officers arrived, they found Gordon in the driveway, unresponsive and suffering from severe injuries, Simon said.

Cooper, wearing blood-stained clothes, turned himself in at the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office later that morning and was charged with aggravated battery, police said. He was formally charged four days later with murder and an additional count of aggravated battery. He has remained detained in the Whiteside County Jail since his Feb. 14 arrest.