The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Friday for the fatal 2022 stabbing of a man outside Tropical Bar in Grand Bahama after the victim accused him of cheating with his girlfriend.

Rosceno Cox, 25, was sentenced to 20 years for manslaughter and six months for causing harm, to run concurrently, before Justice Andrew Forbes.

Cox fatally stabbed Ted Cooper Jr in the parking lot of a bar on McKenzie Street on June 29, 2022. He pleaded guilty to the charge on November 20, 2025.

Cox had reportedly met the deceased, who was his friend, at the bar and told him that his girlfriend was cheating on him. The deceased then accused Cox of sleeping with his girlfriend, which Cox denied.

As Cox was leaving the bar, another man handed him a knife and told him to leave. When Cox went to his vehicle, a fight broke out between the two men, during which the deceased was stabbed.

In his probation report, Cox said he was extremely remorseful and shaken by the incident. He acknowledged that he should have run to his vehicle, but was worried about what onlookers would say if he ran away. He said he was aware that he had destroyed the victim’s family and disappointed his parents.

The victim’s family asked the court to impose the maximum penalty.

Eleina Cooper, the victim’s mother, questioned why her only son was dead. She said she was bewildered by the cruelty of the incident and that Christmas and her son’s birthday were no longer joyous occasions.

Ted Cooper Sr, the victim’s father, spoke of his profound hurt and confusion. He said his son was about to receive a promotion before his death and that he thinks of him daily.

Cox’s parents said they were shocked by their son’s actions but accepted that he must face the consequences.

The court noted that Cox had no prior convictions, pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and cooperated with investigators.

Justice Forbes said Cox made a series of poor decisions that night, which led to a tragic outcome. He said confronting the deceased with the allegation while both had been drinking, and failing to leave when tensions escalated, were serious errors in judgment. Although the justice said the crime was not as brutal as others, he said it was nonetheless brutal for the family, who lost a loved one.

The court found that both young men appeared to have been on positive paths before the incident, but that the community had lost another life to senseless violence.

While on remand, Cox will be enrolled in electrical and automotive courses and will attend anger management and substance abuse classes. Time already spent on remand was deducted from his sentence. He was informed of his right to appeal.

Ashley Carroll and Sean Smith were the prosecutors. Brian Hanna represented the accused.