Lee County murder trial begins

LEESBURG — The trial began Tuesday for the murder of Keith Hopson, who was fatally shot in May 2017. Matthew Roy Hopson was arrested and charged with the death of his father.

During the trial Tuesday, acting District Attorney Lewis Lamb questioned his witness, Investigator Bill Smith of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, about the events that took place on the night on the murder. Police arrived on scene, where Keith Hopson was dead, and arrested his son without incident. Lamb and Smith went over all of the evidence that was taken from the scene of the crime before the judge and jury.

Among the items found were several knives, .45-caliber clips and a Taurus .45-caliber handgun hidden beneath a towel. Three shell casings were found dislodged from the murder weapon.

Keith Hopson was shot twice, and a third bullet entered into the side of the home. The victim’s wife, Hazel Hopson, told investigators she heard shots fired but thought her son, Matthew Hopson, was target practicing until she saw her husband’s body on the ground. Evidentiary photos showed the victim’s body behind a tractor.

A key component in the case, other than the gun belonging to Matthew Hopson, was the 911 call itself. Smith said that during a pause in the call, he could hear the magazine of the weapon being removed and tampered with. Smith demonstrated the action to the jury with a loud snap that echoed throughout the courtroom.

After reviewing the weapons, a collection of journals written by the defendant were presented as evidence. Investigators were issued a search warrant of Matthew Hopson’s trailer to seize the journals that contained “everything they would need to know.”

The trial is currently ongoing as both sides present their case in the Lee County Courthouse. Matthew Hopson is represented by Assistant Circuit Public Defender Kevin Kwahnak.

“We’re not pursuing the death penalty in this case,” Lamb said during a recess. He said the state is pursuing a sentence for life without parole.

Jennifer Parks