On April 3, Shawn Hopkins, 37, of Kalamazoo, was bound over to stand trial on two Counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the 1st Degree for a sexual assault he perpetrated on a 14-year-old girl in 2005, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced.
Kalamazoo County 8th District Court Judge Becket Jones heard testimony from the now 31-year-old victim, the forensic nurse who treated her and collected evidence in 2005, and an Investigator with the Kalamazoo County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. The victim described being provided alcohol and marijuana by the then 21-year-old Hopkins at a building used as a music recording studio in the city of Kalamazoo. After the victim became intoxicated, Hopkins took her into a dark room, forced her onto the floor and penetrated her vagina with his fingers and his penis. The victim reported the sexual assault to her family, an officer from Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, and the forensic nurse the next day. A suspect DNA profile was developed in 2005 but the suspect’s identity remained unknown until April 2022.
“Bringing charges in cold case sexual assaults demands an enduring courage from assault survivors and determination from investigative teams,” said Nessel. “The Kalamazoo SAKI team is among the most productive teams pursuing cold case sex crimes in the state and I’m grateful for their tireless work which resulted in these charges."
The victim traveled back to Michigan to face the person who raped her when she was a child. In her testimony she detailed the significant long-term impact this experience has had on her life and well-being. Based upon the victim’s testimony and the other evidence presented at the preliminary exam hearing last week, Hopkins has been bound over to stand trial at a later date in the 9th Circuit Court. If convicted at trial, Hopkins faces a maximum penalty of up to life in prison.
“The importance of the work being done by the Kalamazoo SAKI team and their counterparts throughout Michigan cannot be overstated,” said Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting. “Being able to provide justice that is long overdue for victims of sexual assault is extraordinarily important. Equally important is the fact that we know that prosecuting these cases often results in preventing future assaults on others by these men.”
Anyone with potentially relevant information about this case or Hopkins is asked to contact Investigator Scott Eager by email or 269-303-8524.
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