Man who followed ex-girlfriend to breast cancer walk shot her in event parking lot 5 times, then turned around and came back for a 6th

A 28-year-old Tennessee antheral volition walk decades down bars for killing his ex-girlfriend, fatally shooting the 22-year-old aesculapian pupil arsenic she was participating successful a crab walk.

Shelby County Judge Carlyn L. Addison ordered Jackson Hopper to service 40 years successful a authorities correctional installation aft Hopper reached a woody with prosecutors and pleaded blameworthy to 1 number of second-degree execution implicit the 2024 slaying of Ellie Young, tribunal records show.

During Wednesday's sentencing hearing, Addison addressed the victim's household straight to admit the lasting interaction of the crime.

"The devastation for some families is immeasurable. The trauma that volition proceed is, again, immeasurable," she said, courtroom footage provided by section Fox affiliate WHBQ. She besides told them she accepted the plea successful hopes they could statesman to heal and determination guardant without enduring the further symptom of proceedings testimony.

Prosecutors described the solution arsenic a mode to spare the household from reliving the details of the sidesplitting successful court, section ABC affiliate WATN reported.

Monica Timmerman, the main authoritative connected the case, outlined cardinal grounds during the proceedings, including surveillance footage from Shelby Farms Park, wherever the fatal shooting took place.

"He turned around, went backmost to the victim, and changeable her a sixth time," she said. "The aesculapian examiner's study confirmed that each six were to unfortunate Ellie Young's head."

Timmerman besides emphasized that the plea woody would forestall Young's household from having to relive her execution during trial.

"While nary magnitude of clip successful situation volition ever beryllium capable to execute justness for Ellie Young, we are pleased for the Young household that they tin enactment this transgression substance down them and observe the astonishing beingness of Ellie without having to relive the trauma of her murder," Timmerman told the court.

An lawyer for the household echoed the prosecutor's sentiment, saying the result "spares them the further trauma of having to get connected the basal astatine proceedings and having CSI grounds that would, unfortunately, amusement things that they would ne'er beryllium capable to retrieve from," according to section CBS affiliate WREG.

Hopper's defence lawyer acknowledged the gravity of the lawsuit aft sentencing. "After 49 years of practicing law, it ne'er gets easy," helium said. "Cases similar this, it's tragic, and if we could crook backmost the hands of time, this would beryllium a lawsuit that you would privation to crook backmost the hands of clip on."

As Law&Crime previously reported, the shooting happened connected Oct. 19, 2024, successful the parking batch of the visitant halfway astatine Shelby Farms Park pursuing a bosom crab locomotion hosted by the American Cancer Society. Witnesses said Young had conscionable returned to her Jeep erstwhile a achromatic SUV pulled successful down her.

"A achromatic Honda CRV with a Kentucky Temp Tag pulled down the victim's Jeep," constabulary wrote successful a probable origin affidavit. "The antheral achromatic operator of the Honda CRV fired 2 shots into the backmost of the Jeep occupied by the victim. The unfortunate came retired of the Jeep Wrangler and the antheral achromatic fishy fired astatine slightest 1 much changeable into the unfortunate arsenic she laic connected the ground. The fishy past re-entered the achromatic Honda and near the scene."

Several of the victim's household members arrived astatine the country soon aft constabulary and advised investigators that Young had precocious breached up with her boyfriend, whom they identified arsenic Hopper, and a BOLO (be connected the lookout) was issued for the Honda CRV.

Law enforcement officers spotted his conveyance successful a neighboring region and attempted a stop, but Hopper refused to propulsion implicit and led deputies connected a pursuit that stretched crossed aggregate jurisdictions. Officials said helium drove recklessly, astatine times heading into oncoming postulation and attempting to onslaught officers, earlier deputies utilized a PIT maneuver to bring the pursuit to an end.

Officers took him into custody aft the crash, though authorities said helium initially resisted arrest.

Hopper inactive faces further charges successful different counties tied to the chase.