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'A heck of an officer': Phoenix detective, whose case led to the creation of Miranda Rights, dies at 87

A memorial for Cooley will be held at Hansen Mortuary in Scottsdale on June 15, sources tell 12News.

PHOENIX — Editor's note: The above video aired during a previous broadcast.

Former Phoenix Police Captain Carroll Cooley has died at 87 years old as a result of his COPD, according to his widow, Glee Cooley.

Carroll is known nationally as the arresting detective of Ernesto Miranda in 1963, an arrest that would lead to the landmark Miranda v. Arizona Supreme Court case that established Miranda Rights nationwide.

Miranda was arrested during a sexual assault investigation, during which he allegedly completed a handwritten confession after Cooley told him the lineup didn't go well. Miranda's attorneys would later appeal that he was not informed of the right to remain silent or right to an attorney before writting the confession, an appeal which would make its way to the nation's highest court.

Glee, married to Carroll for 58 years, will always remember a different case when thinking of Carroll. Before the Miranda case, Carroll was shot in the face while pursuing an armed robbery suspect and had to get facial treatment done. Glee just so happened to be working for the doctor that Carroll was a patient of.

Glee said it was still love at first sight, even with a gunshot wound to the face.

"He walked in that door and, I'm telling you, he was just a handsome man, big and tall, worked out," Glee said. "People would look at him and ask 'Was he in Hollywood'? No, but he should have been."

After retiring from the force, Carroll devoted his time to sharing the history of the landmark case. He made numerous appearences on videos, broadcasts and podcasts speaking about the arrest, including helping create an exhibit dedicated to the case at the Phoenix Police Museum.

"He's the last one ... There's no one else after him that knows this story," Glee said. "He was always really smart, really dedicated, and a heck of an officer."

Carroll's memorial is scheduled for June 15 at Hansen Mortuary in Scottsdale. The viewing is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the service follows.

This is a developing story. Tune in to 12News for the latest information.

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