The trial, which started Monday, focused on a shooting late on Aug. 8, 2023, in which police said Hopkins, along with other accomplices, went to the 600 block of South York Street, just southeast of downtown, and shot and killed Michael Minter outside of his home.
Officers responded to the address just before midnight and found Minter, 29, in the driveway with gunshot wounds to his wrist and abdomen. He was transported to Mercy Health — Springfield, where he was pronounced dead.
“The investigation later revealed that Hopkins went to Minter’s home on the guise of buying ammunition from Minter. However, once there, Hopkins shot and killed Minter, taking (his) wallet and the ammunition he was there to buy,” according to case documents.
Heskett said the sentencing was held immediately after the jury reached guilty verdicts on all counts, which took about 2.5 hours. Judge Douglas Rastatter sentenced Hopkins to life without parole, plus three years.
“Thanks to the great work of Detective Miller from the Springfield Police Division and the rest of his coworkers, other departments, he (Hopkins) was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, which is the highest sentence you can get in that matter, consecutive to three years on firearm specifications,” Heskett said.
As for the other accomplices to Hopkins, Heskett said it’s still an open investigation into the other cases.
Hopkins was initially a robbery suspect, then was later arrested on the murder charges last December.
On Nov. 14, 2023, police asked for the public’s help in locating Hopkins in connection with a separate armed robbery, saying he was considered armed and dangerous. He was accused of robbing a man at gunpoint on West Mulberry and South Yellow Springs streets on Aug. 7. He was taken into custody days later.
The shooting death of Minter was the eighth homicide of 2023 and the second one in a three-day period.
Hopkins also has three other pending indictments against him related to aggravated robbery, court files show.
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