From left, defense attorney George Cosenza, defendant Barbara Cupp and co-counsel Travis Sayre sit in the courtroom Tuesday for the beginning of testimony in Cupp’s trial on charges of murder in the death of Matthew Bills. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

PARKERSBURG — Barbara Cupp was either a woman scorned who fatally shot Matthew Bills for cheating on her or a woman in a life-and-death struggle that ended with Bills’ death, attorneys argued at the start of her murder trial Tuesday.

A six-man, eight-woman jury was seated in the courtroom of Wood County Circuit Judge Robert Waters with opening arguments presented by Assistant Prosecutor Shane McCullough and defense attorney George Cosenza.

On March 18, 2025, Wood County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to 158 Maple Drive in Williamstown, where resident Matthew Allen Bills, 37, was discovered dead of apparent gunshot wounds. Cupp was found in the residence, unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the shoulder, and taken to WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center and later to Ruby Memorial in Morgantown. She was eventually indicted on charges of murder and being a person prohibited from possessing firearms.

McCullough talked about how Bills lost his life when he was shot three times by Cupp, once in the chest, once in the abdomen and once in the back.

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” he said, emphasizing the state’s case that this was done out of a belief by Cupp that Bills was cheating on her.

McCullough said witnesses in the trial will discuss that day and the relationship between the two for more than a year prior.

“They are going to say how it was not uncommon for (the couple) to get into verbal arguments,” he said. “That regularly happened, and, at times, they would break up and then get back together.”

McCullough said a relative of Cupp’s would testify about conversations with Bills and conversations with Cupp both after Bills’ death and before – when Cupp allegedly said she would kill Bills if he cheated on her.

Testimony would come from the medical examiner and first responders who initially arrived on the scene.

“They will tell you that they responded to a 911 call made by the defendant herself and during that call she stated she had been shot,” McCullough said. “The officers will confirm that when they arrived on scene they observed the defendant inside the home and the victim outside the home (where he appeared to have) passed away.”

McCullough said testimony would also show a single gun found at the scene had blood all over it and had been fired multiple times. A purse in the bathroom had a holster inside that fits the firearm, he said, and Bills’ daughters did not recognize it.

“Ultimately, all of this information will paint a picture of what happened that day,” he said. “The state is confident when reviewing this evidence, including the fact that Matthew Bills was shot three times, once in the back, you will reach (a) verdict of guilty,” McCullough said.

Cosenza described the whole situation as a “tragedy.” for everyone involved.

He talked about situations many people can relate to, with the death of a loved one, a debilitating illness, a problem with a child and more and how this case was a tragedy for everyone involved in it.

“It is a tragedy that Matthew Bills lost his life,” Cosenza said. “Whether the cause of that was his fault, it doesn’t matter. His family lost a son, and they lost a father, and that is truly tragic.

“There is another tragedy in this case, and that is the tragedy of the State of West Virginia trying to put Barbie Cupp in prison for the rest of her life for a crime she didn’t commit.”

He described Bills as a divorced father, an avid gun owner with many firearms in his home and the owner of a .357 Magnum, the type of weapon used in this shooting.

“Matt had a history of alcoholism and erratic behavior and a history of domestic violence, which the jury (will) hear about during trial,” Cosenza said.

Cupp has three children and worked in peer recovery support, helping families to reunite.

“She loved her children and was loved by her family,” Cozenza said. “She was trying to build a life for those children.”

Like in relationships of this kind, Cupp was trying to bring the two families together.

“When you try to blend families, there are problems and issues,” Cosenza said. “It was a very volatile relationship that Matt and Barbie had, a lot of arguing, a lot of breaking up and getting back together.

“There was no evidence that either of these people were cheating on each other. They were having the challenges that many people face in trying to put these two families together. It was causing difficulty in their relationship.”

Shortly before March 18, 2025, the couple decided the relationship was over and Cupp would return to Matt’s place one more time to get her things.

After Cupp arrived, there was more arguing and Barbie was crying and went into the bathroom to clean herself up, Cosenza said.

“While she was standing at the vanity in that bathroom, Matthew Bills walked in with a .357 Magnum and pointed it at her head,” he said. “Barbie reacted, grabbed his arm and pulled it down and they began a struggle in the bathroom.

“As they were struggling with this firearm, the firearm discharged and shot Matt in his abdomen. Somehow Matt wrestled this gun from Barbie, pointed it at her chest as they were close to the ground and shot her in the chest, breaking her collar bone and her shoulder blade.”

Cosenza said Cupp received other injuries that were documented, including a black eye, damage to her skull and a nose ring ripped from her nose. Photos were taken of the bathroom covered in blood.

“There is no doubt that when Matt walked into that bathroom it was to kill Barbie,” he said. “After she was shot, she somehow got control of this gun and shot Matt two times.”

She was able to get her phone and called 911 and all she could say was “I’ve been shot,’ Cosenza said.

First responders found Cupp covered in blood and began administering first aid to her. At the hospital she had to be put on a ventilator to save her life.

“She survived,” Cosenza said. “Her left arm is virtually useless, and she is in danger of losing it.”

Cupp’s left arm was in a sling in the courtroom.

Cosenza said some of the blood found on the gun was identified as Bills’, while other samples could not exclude either Cupp or Bills. Bullets were found in the bathroom.

Cosenza said the purse the prosecution mentioned was not Cupp’s and there was no indication she ever had possession of it.

In the end, Cosenza said the gun that was used to try and kill Cupp was also the weapon she was able to use to defend herself.

Cosenza said the state has the burden to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

“In the end, we believe you will find Barbie not guilty of this crime,” he said. “This is not a crime about a woman scorned; this is a crime that involves no crime at all.

“It is a situation that involves a woman fighting for her life.”

Testimony resumes this morning.