Great Lakes Wire

Shawn Darnell Robinson Hopkins, a 39-year-old from Kalamazoo, was sentenced last week to 12-50 years in prison for the 2005 sexual assault of a minor. Judge Kenneth Barnard delivered the sentence in the 9th Circuit Court of Kalamazoo County. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that Hopkins was found guilty by a jury in November.

The victim, who was 14 at the time of the assault, reported it immediately in 2005. However, Robinson Hopkins remained unidentified until DNA evidence surfaced in 2022, seventeen years later.

Attorney General Nessel commented on the sentencing: “After so many years following this tragic assault, I hope this sentence will bring a sense of justice to the victim. Her courage to come forward and seek accountability for her abuser is truly commendable. I am, as always, thankful for the Kalamazoo SAKI unit in pursuing justice for her and many other survivors of cold-case sexual assaults.”

Kalamazoo County Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey S. Getting also expressed his satisfaction with the outcome: “Knowing that the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General were able to bring this survivor a measure of justice makes me proud of the work that we do. This defendant will spend at least the next decade in prison for his actions. A sentence that is well deserved, and one that I hope brings the survivor peace and strength moving forward.”

During Wednesday's sentencing hearing, the survivor shared her experiences with the court: “My childhood was stolen from me, which altered my adult life... I sometimes wonder how my life could have been had I not had such a traumatic thing happen to me.” She continued by stating she has suffered nightmares from childhood into adulthood due to the assault.

In closing remarks, she added: “I still need help dealing with this trauma that may never go away but I pray for my own deliverance from the pain and suffering that I’ve went through and still go through.”

This case marks the 22nd conviction achieved by Kalamazoo Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) for cold-case sexual assaults. Established in 2016, SAKI aims to investigate cases linked to previously untested evidence kits using a trauma-informed approach. The project is a collaboration between Michigan Attorney General’s Office, Kalamazoo County Prosecutor’s Office, and YWCA of Kalamazoo. Currently, they are investigating over 200 cold-case sexual assaults dating back as far as 1976.