David Lawrence Hopkins was 19 years old when he was stabbed to death on Saturday, November 13, 2010, in the 400 block of South East Avenue in Baltimore (the address appears in the Baltimore Sun's database as "400 SE Ave"). The Baltimore Police Department investigated the death, and the Baltimore Sun's homicide database lists it as a homicide.
The Sun's notes on the case contain one important detail.
They say that police said Hopkins "was stabbed to death by his uncle," a 44-year-old relative. That statement suggests that detectives believed they knew who was responsible soon after the killing. Yet no record of an arrest, a criminal charge, an indictment or a court case for this death could be found in news archives or the other public sources reviewed for this story. Whether the man police named was ever taken into custody, charged and prosecuted, or whether the case stalled for some other reason, is not clear from the public record. For that reason the man is not named here.
The notes do not describe what led to the stabbing, whether it happened inside a home or outdoors, or whether anyone else was present. They do not say whether Hopkins died at the scene or later at a hospital. A killing within a family can leave relatives divided and reluctant to speak, which may be one reason so little about it was ever reported.
Beyond his name, his age and the block where he was found, almost nothing about David Hopkins has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have reported on the death in detail. He surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record. David Hopkins is also a very common name, and searches for him return mostly other people, including teachers, athletes and older men with the same name who died in other years.
At 19, he was barely an adult. People his age in Baltimore are often still finishing school, starting work or living with relatives, but the record does not say anything about his schooling, work or home life, and none of it should be guessed.
The 400 block of South East Avenue is the place the Sun's database gives for the killing. On a city block like this one, neighbors are often aware of trouble on their own street, and a violent argument within a family may have been heard by people living nearby.
Baltimore recorded roughly 200 to 280 homicides a year between 2007 and 2014, one of the highest rates of any large American city, and many of those killings were never solved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of David Hopkins could be found in news archives or public records. More than 15 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who knew the Hopkins family, or who was on or near South East Avenue in mid-November 2010, may know what happened that day and what became of the investigation. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call Baltimore Police homicide detectives at 410-396-2100, or leave an anonymous tip with Metro Crime Stoppers of Maryland at 1-866-7LOCKUP (1-866-756-2587).
