A former Ole Miss classics professor was charged with second-degree murder on Aug. 19 in Springfield, Missouri.
According to police reports, Edward Michael Gutting, 43, entered the home of retired co-worker Marc Cooper, 66, and stabbed him to death.
Molly Pasco-Pranger chair of the Classics Department, was a colleague of Gutting’ when he was a professor in the Classics Department on campus from 2003 to 2011. Pasco-Pranger said the university asked her not to say anything more about the charge.
“This is a tragic situation in Missouri,” Pasco-Pranger said. “Those in our department feel awful for both our former colleague and his family and especially for the victim and his family.”
Jon Scott, director of university communications, said the university consulted with the legal department and will not release any more information about Gutting at this time.
Gutting and his wife, Angela Hornsby-Gutting, both taught at Ole Miss before they left to join Missouri State University’s faculty. Gutting taught in the Ole Miss’ Classics Department from 2003 to 2008 and Hornsby-Gutting taught history.
Gutting, his wife Hornsby-Gutting and Marc Cooper worked together in the Missouri State history department from 2011 until 2014.
Gutting was arrested by the Springfield Police following the attack and taken to the Greene County Jail where he resides without bond, according to the county jail docket.
According to statements released by the Greene County Prosecutor Dan Patterson, Marc Cooper was home with his wife Nancy at 7:45 p.m. on Aug. 17, the night of the attack. Gutting came in through the back door with a large knife. While stabbing Marc Cooper, Gutting chased him through the kitchen, into the living room and knocked him down in front of Nancy Cooper.
At one point, Gutting was kneeling over Marc Cooper when Nancy fought with the attacker to keep him from killing her husband and was injured in the process.
Gutting told Nancy Cooper that he did not want to kill her, but he would if he had to. Afterwards, Nancy Cooper ran from her residence and called for help. She later identified Gutting when police arrived on the scene.
Including Nancy Cooper, one witness saw Gutting arrive at the residence in a Mercedes-Benz station wagon and two witnesses saw him leave the Cooper’s home.
Springfield authorities are calling the incident “an unprovoked attack.”
Charles Ross, director of African-American Studies, said Gutting’s wife, Angela Hornsby-Gutting was a scholar in terms of research while she was at Ole Miss.
Ross said he had met Hornsby-Gutting’s husband but didn’t know him well. He said Hornsby-Gutting was a colleague who taught several key classes in his African-American studies department.
Before Ole Miss, Gutting attended Virginia Wesleyan College. He graduated from Princeton University with his doctorate.
“It’s a real tragedy,” Ross said of the situation.
Classes started at Missouri State on Monday, Aug. 22.
