Ryan Christopher Hopkins, 37, of Fairwood Drive in Jackson, Mississippi, on one count of second-degree assault-strangulation-domestic violence, one count of criminal restraint, two counts of kidnapping, three counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault, and two counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault-domestic violence, all felonies. He was accused of repeatedly raping and assaulting a woman in Londonderry who he picked up in Arkansas between Aug. 27 and Aug. 28. Hopkins was also involved in a murder charge in Mississippi from April 2019. Article
The Patch.com is a Rockingham County, New Hampshire publication.
About that "murder charge in Mississippi." WAPT reported on April 4, 2019:
The body of Celeste McDonald, 21, was found Monday in shallow water in Mound, Louisiana, officials with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said. McDonald had been reported missing in Scott County earlier in the day, authorities said.
MBI officials said McDonald was killed in Jackson late Sunday night. Investigators were tipped off about her body being in Louisiana, Capt. Johnny Poulos said.
A combined investigation involving Mississippi and Louisiana law enforcement led to the arrest of Ryan Christopher Hopkins, 33, and Yolanda Michelle Torns, 46, both of Jackson, authorities said. Hopkins and Torns will both be charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, police said. Rest of article.
Hinds County Court Judge Johnny McDaniels denied bond for Hopkins. Prosecutors provided more information on the murder in a response to a later motion for habeas corpus for Hopkins:
Judge McDaniels ruled (per Circuit Judge Tomie Green's policy) that Hopkins must be indicted by November 2019 or else he would be released. Circuit Judge Faye Peterson held a bond hearing on April 3, 2020. Judge Peterson set Hopkins' bond at $50,000 and placed him under house arrest since his case had not yet been presented to the grand jury.
Hopkins served time for a 2009 felony sexual assault conviction in Iowa and a 2013 aggravated assault conviction in Arkansas. (You read that correctly.).
The Hinds County grand jury indicted Hopkins on June 30, 2020 for first degree murder and conspiracy. The indictment states:
based upon a series of acts connected together and constituting parts of a common scheme and plan, said Ryan Christopher Hopkins being a male human being above the age of eighteen (18) years, whose date of birth is November 21, 1985, did on or about the 31st day of January, 2019, in the county aforesaid and within the jurisdiction of this Court, did willfully, unlawfully, and feloniously, with deliberate design to effect the death of the Celeste K. McDonald, a female human being, killed Celeste K. McDonald by strangling Celeste K. McDonald and cutting her throat with a knife, all occurring within the jurisdiction of this court and in violation of Section 97-3-19(1)(a), Mississippi Code Annotated (1972, as amended).
Unfortunately, the monitoring company, Hinds County Probation Services Company, went out of business so the indictment was not served upon Hopkins until April 2021.
Hinds County Circuit Judge Tomie Green kept the accused killer's bond at $50,000 and allowed him to remain under house arrest on May 28, 2021.
Attorney Dennis Sweet, IV represents the defendant. The case was assigned to Special Circuit Judge Frank Volley in October. It was continued twice.
No motion to revoke Hopkins' bond has been filed. The District Attorney's office said it is waiting on Rockingham County, New Hampshire officials to send documentation of the arrests. Once received, the District Attorney will file a motion to revoke his bond and place a detainer on him in New Hampshire.
Kingfish note: Judge Green's treatment of this alleged killer is very similar to her actions in the Funches case. JJ reported on February 9, 2021:
PD arrested Augena Funches yesterday. for the murder of Kiana Singleton on I-220 last month. She is ineligible for bond because she was out on bond for a previous murder charge.
Funches and Singleton got into an argument in the parking lot of either the M Bar or Zaxby's on January 24 (Different sources provided different locations.). Singleton left but Funches allegedly pursued her on I-220 and shot into her car, allegedly killing her.
This is not the first time Funches stands accused of murder. A Hinds County grand jury indicted her for first-degree murder in the shooting death of Kiona Morgan on January 23, 2019 in Clinton. Hinds County Circuit Judge Tomie Green set her bond at $50,000, which she posted.
Hey Senator Horhn, want to know why there is a House Bill #1020? These two cases are perfectly examples of why Hinds County voters are working hard to get rid of their right to elect judges.
Oh, and make no mistake, you will never see Jerry or Mina covering this catch & release crap. Hell, Cliff Johnson is probably mad Hopkins isn't back out on the street.
28 comments:
MDOC is too good for them. Summary execution is the way to go.
KF, you are correct in your shout-out to Senator "do-you-know-who-I-am" Hohrn, but because of that middle moniker is why he and his constitutents don't want to have Judges that might actually apply the law appropriately. Just as they don't want to face 'real policing' with the expansion of the Capitol Police into their (or their gangs) territory.
Absent consequences, nothing will change in the Hinds County system of judicial and prosecutrial malpractice
I wish the law firm that's representing these "catch and release" thugs would be published. Obviously they are paying off the judge or making the arrangements to do so.
And they all said - Jackson may be a sack of crap, but its OUR sack of crap.
You cannot fix Hinds County's justice when the majority of the voters endorse this type of thing.
Its hard to fathom what a small role facts play in our society.
We are emotionally and hedonistically driven and our leaders have monetized our need for sensationalism.
I am glad I live near like-minded responsible adults with a government that somewhat reflects our desire for order and decency...as much as any government can anyway.
Just another reason I do not go into Hinds County unless it is to a hospital. When I do cross over the river on Lakeland I have one hand on the wheel and my Glock in my other hand and it does does not leave my body until I cross back over the river. When in Rome do as Romans do.
How much blood does Judge Green have on her hands at this point?
Apparently, black lives only matter when they are lost in confrontations with police, and not by repeat violent offenders. Why is no one in Jackson protesting Tomie Green?
3:52 PM
The good news is she retired at the end of the year last year.
3:21 put it perfectly. It's really that simple.
Judges like Green and most of the lawyers practicing in her court were fed the notion that the judicial system is unjustly oppressive to poor and "minority" defendants who cannot afford bond like more affluent defendants. They make a priority of reversing that trend and allowing these accused perps an "affordable' opportunity at bond even though they are likely to be dangerous if allowed back on the streets. They (lawyers and judges) don't care, they are doing their part to create a more equitable society, not a safer one. If safety is your priority avoid their jurisdictions.
Follow the racist money.
Living in Jackson now must be like waking up on an inflatable lifeboat to find all your neighbors gleefully fashioning sharp objects and stabbing themselves, each other, and the raft in a fury. They can't do anything right, even under court order. They need strait jackets and sedation, if any of the sane left are to survive.
Only a matter of time when these fools will harm their loved ones!
Great work as usual, KF! This shit is ridiculous. This must stop and immediately!
"Only a matter of time when these fools will harm their loved ones!"
As well as harming Jackson's politicians. Wouldn't that be sweet. Anyway, it's their shit pile, let them roll in it.
If Judge Green or Wooten or any of these DA’s judges in Hinds County let a killer or rapist go
and they harmed a family member of mine, it would not end well for the judge.
This is BEYOND believable yet it CONTINUES to happen.
How do these judges look themselves in the mirror after crap like this occurs?
So if the victim had been a Hinds county "judge," he would have gotten away with it...
It is very telling that no one ever protested Judge Green’s actions. I don’t know of anyone, except the criminals themselves, that did more to make Jackson the haven for crime and criminals that it is. It’s shameful. Sadly, many of the citizens of Jackson will stand behind these “do nothing” officials because of their skin color. Another reason to support HB #1020.
This right here is why the House version of HB1020 should be passed. Take the power away from the absolutely useless “elected officials” in Jackson and Hinds County and get some qualified appointed judges in there to stop this madness.
8:43 Some due diligence must be done on the Judges part to keep us safe! The Judges are letting these fools back in our neighborhoods, not theirs!
I'm glad she retired. I hope her replacement is a judge who is more aggressive in holding those responsible accountable.
It is clear that no one dealt with the monitoring failure. No one convened a grand jury in a timely manner. And, there are limitations even for judges.
But,the SAD truth KF misses is that few judges in this State exercise the powers to hold the bar and legal SYSTEM accountable. They accept requests for delays and bogus discovery demands ( often when discovery has already been provided), tolerate " papering" attorneys with discovery not requested to hide key discovery of in every kind of case. And, allow the attorneys to "testify" in court themselves by inventing imaginary scenarios with no basis in fact.
Our Mississippi Bar doesn't hold incompetent attorneys who violate ethics accountable. Our bar standards are now too low when they were once nearly impossible ( a 14% passage rate) to try to keep attorneys from any law school except Ole Miss who were at the top of their class and law review from competing with the "good ole boys".
We like to pretend we don't have to "reap what we sow". But, unfortunately denial means we refuse to fix what was broken.
And, our legislature, rather than "fixin'" has chosen to make incompetence and corruption easier not harder. If they had done due diligence, the News and Favre couldn't have misused TANF funds.
to the moron philosopher at 4:36..............
who waxes eloquently '' the lawyers don't care ...they wish to create an equitable society, not a safe one"
35 year member of the bar here..................
if you are so brilliant, well ,start naming a few names...........
tell us who these ''lawyers'' are.............
i want to know if I'm on your list....................
fake intellectuals like your self really should be a home with their mothers
John Horhn is running for Mayor. He's already tried a couple of times running as a reasonable and thoughtful pro-business candidate. That didn't work so now he thinks he needs to seen as a key player amongst the agitator class of Jackson politicos. He's running unopposed for his Senate seat this year but once all those precincts in Madison County realize Democrat Delbert Hosemann moved them into Horhn's district it is unlikely John Chokwe-lite wins a run for State Senate again in 2027.
Unfortunately there are some very evil people out there, and this one needs to be removed from the gene pool.
10:25 AM: This is a serious question and if you have any insights that would be very informative. Thanks in advance.
Since you practiced for 35 years, inform the readers here what the heck is going on in Hinds County Circuit Court. KF has been reporting for years (maybe over a decade) that in Hinds County people who have been accused of very serious crimes get low bonds, or high bonds reduced to low amounts, bail out, are accused of other crimes, receive another low bond, bail out, rinse and repeat. Also, KF has reported convicted criminals receive low sentences, i.e. - sentence might be for 10 years, but 5 years is taken off, and a 50/50 crime gets the criminal out in 2.5 years minus any time served (Dude's mother must have been broke!).
So, what is going on in Hinds County Circuit court that is not happening in Rankin, Madison, Simpson, Claiborne, and Scott counties?
Where is his accomplice?
And CJ for the rip
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