What happened to the lady who shot Sam Cooke?

Samuel Cook, known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur.

Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Sam Cooke is commonly referred to as the “King of Soul” for his distinctive vocals, notable contributions to the genre and significance in popular music.

Sam Cooke was also a central part of the civil rights movement, using his influence and popularity with the white and black population to fight for the cause.

Sam Cooke was good friends with boxer Muhammad Ali, activist Malcolm X and football player Jim Brown, who together campaigned for racial equality.

Sam Cooke, born on January 22, 1931 met his untimely death at the age of 33 on December 11, 1964, at the Hacienda Motel, in South Central Los Angeles, California, located at 91st and South Figueroa Street.

When Sam Cooke’s body was found, it had sustained a gunshot wound to the chest, which was later determined to have pierced his heart.

The motel’s manager, Bertha Franklin, said she shot him in self-defense.

Bertha Franklin said that Sam Cooke had banged on the door of her office, shouting “Where’s the girl?!”, in reference to Elisa Boyer, a woman who had accompanied Cooke to the motel.

According to Bertha Franklin, she grappled with Cooke till the two of them fell to the floor, and she then got up and ran to retrieve a gun.

She said she then fired at Sam Cooke in self-defense because she feared for her life.

Sam Cooke was struck once in the torso and according to Franklin, he exclaimed, “Lady, you shot me”, in a tone that expressed perplexity rather than anger, before advancing on her again.

Bertha Franklin said she hit him in the head with a broomstick before he finally fell to the floor and died.

Bertha Franklin, the motel night manager, was actually a madam with a criminal record and ultimately left her job at the motel.

Bertha Franklin said she received numerous death threats after shooting Cooke and left her position at the Hacienda Motel, refusing to publicly disclose where she had moved.

After being cleared by the coroner’s jury, Bertha Franklin sued Cooke’s estate, citing physical injuries and mental anguish suffered as a result of Cooke’s attack.

Bertha Franklin’s lawsuit sought $200,000 in compensatory and punitive damages.

However, Barbara Womack countersued Franklin on behalf of the estate, seeking $7,000 in damages to cover Cooke’s funeral expenses.

Elisa Boyer provided testimony in support of Bertha Franklin in the case.

In 1967, a jury ruled in favor of Bertha Franklin on both counts, awarding her $30,000 in damages.