GUILTY VA - Nicholas Hopkins, 38, shot to death, Rocky Mount, 7 Sept 2006

curious_mom

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A shooting on Muddy Fork Road. Police say Chrystal Hopkins called 9-1-1 early this morning after shooting her husband and teenage daughter.

"Whether it was self defense or what it was we just don't know. It's just too early in it," said Lt. David Cundiff with the Franklin County Sheriff's Department.

Police say Hopkins' husband Nicholas died less than an hour later. Her fifteen year old daughter Diana Brown was shot in the stomach and flown to roanoke memorial hospital for surgery.

"We don't know where she was hit by a stray bullet or whether she was shot by her mom

more at: http://tinyurl.com/fm5ju
 
Police said she was "VERY" concerned about the condition of her husband and daughter. With such limited information, and assuming the police officer wasn't stupid - I'm thinking self defense for the husband's wound, and accident for the daughter's wound. If a woman is concerned for a man she injured on purpose - she's probably a victim of abuse.

It will be ineteresting to find out the answer from her, about what happened.
 
Authorities arrested a Franklin County woman after her husband was killed and her teenage daughter was wounded in a shooting Thursday morning in the Fork Mountain area.

Chrystal Hopkins, 36, told authorities that she shot her husband, Nicholas Homer Hopkins, 38, after he threatened her outside their home on Muddy Fork Road, said Lt. David Cundiff of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office.

Hopkins, who went by Nick, died later at Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital.

Chrystal Hopkins told investigators that one of the bullets ricocheted and struck 15-year-old Dianna Brown, her daughter from another marriage. Brown was recovering at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

"I think she's going to be OK," Cundiff said of the teenager

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/81776

My son goes to school with the 15 yr old that was also shot. From all outside appearances, nobody could have predicted that something like this would happen within this family. Such a tradegy all the way around, but I don't feel sorry for the mother. I hope they press more charges against her!
 
Note to self: Do not threaten anyone who is holding a gun.

What was she doing in the yard with a gun to begin with, target practice?
 
GlitchWizard said:
Note to self: Do not threaten anyone who is holding a gun.

What was she doing in the yard with a gun to begin with, target practice?

'
According to her statement, she and her daughter felt threatened and were trying to leave in their truck. The husband reached in and grabbed the keys out of the truck and said he was going into the house to get a gun. The wife retrieved a gun that was in the truck and began firing....Possibly self defense? It may depend on what the daughter has to say.
 
I wonder if there hadn't been a lot of domestic violence in the marriage. If they were trying to leave and he took her keys so that she couldn't go anywhere and then he said he was going to go in and get a gun....and she knew that he was capable of doing what he said then she might have thought their only chance was to shot him before he got the gun and shot them. She probably didn't mean to kill him but just to stop him. I say that because she was so worried about him afterwards.

If the above was the case then I don't think she should be charged at all. She had the right to defend herself and her daughter.
 
Bobbisangel said:
I wonder if there hadn't been a lot of domestic violence in the marriage. If they were trying to leave and he took her keys so that she couldn't go anywhere and then he said he was going to go in and get a gun....and she knew that he was capable of doing what he said then she might have thought their only chance was to shot him before he got the gun and shot them. She probably didn't mean to kill him but just to stop him. I say that because she was so worried about him afterwards.

If the above was the case then I don't think she should be charged at all. She had the right to defend herself and her daughter.

Perhaps the logic will be that she could have tried to run away...to a neighbor for help or called 911 if she had a cell.

Of course, she may have well known that nothing would stop him from killing her.

This is one where you have to wait for more info.
 
From June 2007:

http://www.roanoke.com/webmin/news/...cle_940a5743-d036-5b3b-8410-62cbe37209dd.html

Chrystal Dickinson Hopkins maintained at her jury trial Thursday that she shot her husband, Nicholas Homer "Nick" Hopkins, 38, in self-defense.

But before the jury could deliberate on the evidence, she pleaded guilty to the lesser charge, said Franklin County Commonwealth's Attorney Cliff Hapgood. She was sentenced to 10 years suspended after serving one, the prosecutor said.
 
I am Nicky Hopkins sister he was not killed out of self defense. He didn't even have a gun and was over 6 feet away from her. Her daughter was shot because she was on my brother back choking him. What has not been told is that she was cheating on him and had the nerve to bring her boyfriend to the trial. Also she had the choice to walk away but instead went to their truck got a gun from under the seat and shot him. Her and her daughter told different stories in court. He was raised better than to put his hands on a woman. If anyone was the battered spouse it was him. She killed him for no reason. She took my only sibling. My nephew dad , my mother's son. She deserves to be in jail for the rest of her life. And Franklin County investigation was a joke. Calling me asking can she have her belongs. When they should have been doing their job. They never called me or our Mother. I found out from a close friend 3 hours after it happened. So for me to read these post really makes me angry
 

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