In the quiet of a Lee County, Georgia evening on May 14, 2017, the life of 53-year-old Keith Bradford Hopson came to a sudden and violent end. He was found deceased from gunshot wounds at his residence. The initial moments after the discovery were filled with confusion and grief for his wife, Hazel Hopson, who initially mistook the sound of the fatal shots for her son, Matthew Roy Hopson, engaging in target practice. It was only upon seeing her husband's body lying on the ground that the horrifying reality set in.
Law enforcement officers arrived at the scene to find Keith Hopson deceased. His son, Matthew, was arrested at the residence without incident. The investigation that followed would uncover a deeply troubled relationship between father and son, meticulously documented by the younger Hopson. A search of Matthew Hopson's trailer led to the discovery of a collection of journals. These writings became a cornerstone of the prosecution's case, revealing a profound and long-held hatred Matthew harbored for his father. The journals detailed perceived slights and paranoid thoughts, including a belief that his father was trying to turn his own dog against him. His entries grew increasingly dark and obsessive, displaying a fixation on death and killing.
The physical evidence at the scene pointed directly to Matthew Hopson. The murder weapon, a Taurus. 45-caliber handgun, belonged to him. Investigators found three shell casings at the scene, and it was determined that Keith Hopson had been shot twice. During the 911 call made from the residence, a pause was noted by investigators, during which the sound of the weapon's magazine being tampered with could be heard.
In June 2018, Matthew Roy Hopson stood trial for the murder of his father. The prosecution, led by acting District Attorney Lewis Lamb, presented the extensive evidence gathered, including the journals and the murder weapon. The jury was convinced by the weight of the evidence and found Matthew Hopson guilty on all charges: malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, bringing a somber conclusion to a case described by the district attorney as one of the saddest he had ever handled.
