In the quiet town of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, the afternoon of May 3, 2023, was shattered by an act of violence that claimed the life of Dolores Hernandez, a 59-year-old Hispanic female. Just after 1 p.m., the Hopkinsville Police Department received a call reporting shots fired in the vicinity of the 300 block of East 18th Street. Upon their arrival at Hernandez's apartment, they made a grim discovery.
Hernandez was found deceased inside her home, having suffered a fatal close-range shotgun wound. The Christian County Coroner's Office pronounced her dead at the scene, and her body was subsequently sent to the medical examiner's office for an autopsy.
The investigation into the death of Dolores Hernandez quickly gained momentum as law enforcement pieced together the events of that tragic day. A crucial element in their investigation came from surveillance footage from the area, which captured a silver Chevy truck driven by a man later identified as Earl Guillemet. Witness statements corroborated the video evidence, with some reporting they had seen Guillemet discarding items. This information led police to locate Guillemet and bring him in for questioning. The investigation culminated in the recovery of the firearm used in the crime.
With the evidence mounting against him, Earl Guillemet, a man who had been a convicted felon since 1997, was arrested. He faced a trio of serious charges: murder, tampering with physical evidence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. During a police interview, Guillemet reportedly claimed to have been Hernandez's pastor at one point in time. Initially, the case against the 65-year-old was set to be heard by a grand jury. However, on June 23, 2025, Earl Guillemet entered a guilty plea in Christian County Circuit Court. Waiving his right to a pre-sentence investigation, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in the death of Dolores Hernandez.
