Trial set for Rock Falls man in fatal stabbing

A Rock Falls man will go on trial for a murder charge related to a stabbing incident on Valentine's Day. Kyle M. Cooper, 36, has been charged with first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery in connection with the death of 27-year-old Daniel Gordon. The trial is scheduled to start on April 8, following a pretrial conference on March 19. The fatal stabbing occurred early on February 14 outside a home in Rock Falls. Gordon was discovered in a driveway with multiple stab wounds and later died in the hospital. Police say there was a confrontation between Cooper and Gordon that started at a bar earlier that night over a woman both men were involved with. According to authorities, Cooper approached the home where Gordon and the woman were after a verbal fight at the bar. He allegedly had something shiny in his hand that worried the woman. When she tried to confront Cooper, he began to push her. Gordon intervened to protect her, leading to Cooper allegedly stabbing him multiple times before fleeing the scene. Cooper later turned himself in to police while still wearing clothes stained with blood. He has been in custody at the Whiteside County Jail since his arrest on February 14. He has pleaded not guilty and has requested a speedy trial.