KALAMAZOO (WWJ) – A Kalamazoo man will face trial for an alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl nearly two decades ago.
Shawn Hopkins, 37, was bound over for trial in early April on two counts of 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct, Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office announced Friday.
Hopkins is accused of sexually assaulting the victim, now 31 years old, at a building used as a music recording studio in Kalamazoo in 2005.
On April 3 a judge heard testimony from the victim, the forensic nurse who treated her and collected evidence after the alleged rape and an investigator with the Kalamazoo County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI).
The victim testified that Hopkins, then 21 years old, gave her alcohol and marijuana at the studio. After she became intoxicated he allegedly took her into a dark room, forced her onto the floor and sexually assaulted her.
The victim reported the sexual assault to her family, an officer from Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, and the forensic nurse the next day, according to the AG’s office.
A suspect DNA profile was developed in 2005, but the suspect’s identity remained unknown until April 2022.
“Bringing charges in cold case sexual assaults demands an enduring courage from assault survivors and determination from investigative teams,” Nessel said, per a press release. “The Kalamazoo SAKI team is among the most productive teams pursuing cold case sex crimes in the state and I’m grateful for their tireless work which resulted in these charges."
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The victim traveled back to Michigan to face the person who raped her when she was a child, officials said. In her testimony she detailed the significant long-term impact this experience has had on her life and well-being.
Based on the victim’s testimony and the other evidence presented at the preliminary exam hearing, Hopkins has been bound over to stand trial in the 9th Circuit Court. A trial date has not yet been set.
If convicted at trial, Hopkins faces a maximum penalty of up to life in prison.
“The importance of the work being done by the Kalamazoo SAKI team and their counterparts throughout Michigan cannot be overstated,” said Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting. “Being able to provide justice that is long overdue for victims of sexual assault is extraordinarily important. Equally important is the fact that we know that prosecuting these cases often results in preventing future assaults on others by these men.”
Anyone with potentially relevant information about this case or about Hopkins is asked to contact investigator Scott Eager by email or 269-303-8524.
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