Man Pleads Guilty To Murder While On Meth
Man Pleads Guilty To Murder While On Meth
(WCCO) A 24-year-old man pleaded guilty Wednesday to murdering his aunt after taking methamphetamine.
Derrek L. Hopkins, of Burnsville, Minn., pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Diane Hedalen, 50, also of Burnsville. Hedalen was killed in her apartment on March 18, 2005. Hopkins had been temporarily staying with Hedalen.
Prosecutors said on the morning of March 18, Burnsville Police received several reports that Hopkins was wandering around the area where Hedalen lived, making comments about Osama bin Laden and that there was something wrong with his aunt.
When police arrived, Hopkins refused to obey orders by officers and laid down in the street. Officers had to pick him up off the road and took him to a local hospital.
After that, police went to Hedalen's apartment to check on her welfare. Officers found her dead in her bedroom. The Dakota County Coroner determined Hedalen died after her throat was cut. She also had several broken bones, cuts and bruises on her body.
On March 19, Hopkins told police he had a fight with his aunt on the day she was murdered. He told police he hit Hedalen, with both his fists and a wooden object and stomped on her. He said he then got a knife from the kitchen and stabbed her, before returning to the kitchen to get a second knife, which he used to slice her throat.
Hopkins said he did not want to kill his aunt, but "wanted to keep her quiet," prosecutors said.
Hopkins told police he had been using methamphetamine daily for the week leading up to his aunt's murder. He said he was upset about finding the body of a man, who also lived in his aunt's apartment, the week prior.
The man had died from natural causes, the coroner said.
Hopkins' sentencing has been scheduled for Feb. 9.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
posted by Kim | 4:35 PM
7 Comments:
Do you actually believe that meth makes people murder? Please! Something had to be wrong with that kid long before he ever used meth. I will say it again and again until someone out there hears me, Meth does NOT make a person murder. Yeah, staying up for weeks can be trying on a person especially if they already exhibit signs of mental illness. So please, any meth addict out there feeling like killing someone don't do the stuff anymore! For the love of god, you make the other 95% of meth addicts look like crazed lunatics on the verge of mass murder. As for the chick who hung her baby up on the door and kicked it to death-she was messed up long before doing meth. One more thing-yeah, I always say this I know-think for a moment about what other drugs have been blamed for other hideous crimes--coke, Xctasy, heroin, and the biggest baddest one of them all ALCOHOL! Still I say no drug makes a person do these things! And if they do well you should really stop doing them because if you don't have the maturity to handle your own emotional response
while under the influence you aren't mature enough to use a mind altering chemical. I guess I sound crazy but then these posts of yours that continue to make meth users all look violent and dangerous is frustrating me a lot. So, I think today I will spend a day on the net trying to broaden my mind and see it your way if I can and I'll get back to you. D
I WILL AGREE WITH YOU ENTIRELY D. I'LL HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT DERREK LAWRENCE HOPKINS HAD MANY THINGS WRONG WITH HIM THAT I KNOW OF. THE BIG THING THAT REALLY PISSES ME OFF IS THE INVESTIGATORS AND COUNTY OFFICIALS STATE THAT THIS IS THE FIRST CRIME LIKE THIS THAT HAS BEEN METH RELATED. FIRST CLUE THAT THIER IS SOMETHING ELSE MORE TO THIS CASE. LIKE ROBBERY OR PERHAPS MURDER OF MICHEAL P. ELLSWORTH WHOM WAS FOUND BY DERREK ONE WEEK PRIOR. IN THE PAST DERREK WAS ALWAYS HIGH ON METH COULDN'T STAY AWAY FROM IT/HIGH ON METH FOR MORE THAN A COUPLE OF DAYS WHEN HIS GIRLFRIEND SMASHES A TELEPHONE OVER HIS HEAD,AND HE DOESN'T RAISE A HAND,BUT HE HAS NO CONTROL OVER KILLING SOMEONE FOR CALLING HIM A FAKE I DON'T THINK SO. MY BIGGEST QUESTION IS WHY DID HE HAVE TO MAKE DIANE QUITE,WHAT IS IT TAHT HE FEALT SO THREATENED BY. HOW COULD ANYONE DO SOMETHING SO HANUS TO THIER OWN FAMILY. TO ME THIER IS SOMETHING SHE KNEW THAT HE COULDN'T FOR THE LIFE OF HER LET HER BE KNOWN. THIS IS WHY I'
M SO PISSED OFF AT THE JUDICIAL SYSYTEM FOR USES US HUMANS AS A CRUCH FOR THEIR FUNDING PURPOSES. THIS THING WE CONSIDERED A HUMAN SHOULD BE SENTENCED WITH PREMETATED FIRST DEGREE MURDER AND NEVR BE LET OUT. HE HAS ALREADY BEEN LOCKED UP BEFORE MORE THAN I CAN COUNT HE BEEN INSTITUTIONALIZED MORE THAN A COUPLE OF TIMES ONLY TO BE LET OUT AGAIN AND AGAIN HE HAS BEEN IN TREATMENT IN PATIENT AS WELL AS OUT PATIENT AND HE STILL USED WELL THIS MY MOTHER INLAW DID ONLY HUMANLY THING THAT MOST PEOPLE WOULD DO AND THAT WAS TO TAKE DERREK IN TO HER HOME PROVIDE HIME WITH FOOD AND SHELTER, GIVE HIM A VEIHCAL TO DRIVE BRING HIM WHERE HE NEEDED TO GO AND HE CAN HAVE THE NERVE TO DO SOMETHING THIS EVIL TO HIS OWN FAMILY HE SHOULDN'T EVEN BE ABLE TO HAVE ANOTHER BREATH ON THIS EARTH. AS OF NOW I NO LONGER HAVE ANY FAITH MY MY OWN GOVERMENT OR DAKOTA COUNTY OFFICIALS. WE HAVE BEEN LIED TO AGAIN AND AGAIN BY THE ONES THAT ARE SUPPOSED BE THIER FOR THE VICTIMS OF CRIME. WE HAVE BEEN LET DOWN TO MANY TIMES BY THEM. THE GOVERMENT IS NOTHING BUT A CONSREAACY. AND ANOTHER THING I DON'T GET IS HOW AND WHY WOULD SOMEONE THAT DOES A HANUS ACT LIKE THIS HAVE EVERYTHING THAT HE HAD OVER HIS HEAD BE WIPED OFF THE BOARDS LIKE HE NEVER HAD ANY PRVIOUS RECORD OF CHARGES BROUGHT AGAISNT HIM. THIS WORLD ISN'T GETTING BETTER IT'S ONLY GETTING TO BE MORE FRIGHTENING TO EVEN WANT LIVE IN. ALONG WITH YOU D I'LL HAVE TO ALSO SAY IT AGAIN THAT METH DIDN'T DO THIS. DERREK DID THIS AND BY HIS EXSPRESSIONS AT THE COURT DATES HE HAS NO SUBCONSIOUS AT ALL HE HAS NO REMORSE OF HIS HIDUS CRIME HE COMMITTED OF CONSCIUS MIND AND I PREY TO GOD THAT THE JUDGE DON'T EVER LET HIM WALK ANOTHER STEP ON THE SAME GROUNDS TAHT MY FAMILY DOES. BECAUSE HE NO LONGER IS EVER GOING TO BE ANY PART OF MY FAMILY AGAIN. I HOPE HIM TO SUFFER IN HELL BECAUSE I BELIEVE WITH EVER PART OF MY SOUL THAT HE WILL DO THIS AGAIN AND I HOPE I DON'T HAVE TO WALK THIS EARTH IN FEAR OF HIM BEING BEHIND ME OR THE REST OF MY OR ANYONE ELSES FAMILY. MORE LATER.
Meth eats away at your mind and makes you do things you normally would never do. Let's say the tendency was already there to commit murder. It is still possible he would've not acted on them if it wasn't for the meth. Whatever bad characteristics a person has, you can bet they will get 10 times worse when meth is added.
People who are addicted to meth are lunatics. They are so selfish they cause so much pain to their friends and families so they can get high and stay up for a weeks sorting bolts. Get a life you crystal meth freaks, your a drain on society
I agree with what DAUGHTER INLAW previously stated...
Why was the death of Diane's roommate that occurred only just the week before her own not more thoroughly investigated?
Why is this being blamed on meth?
Why is that even allowed in our criminal justice system? We call this good police work? People kill people. Not guns. Not drugs. Nor any other excuse that has some pathetic reason or another has been accepted in the past.
This man was sentenced to seventeen years and with good time and whatever other bullshit he only served ten. This man admittedly brutally killed one woman. It is highly likely that he killed the other man as well and it is just as likely if not a certainty that he has killed prior to either of these two dying at his hands in the past. He got away with it this time and served far less time than those who are convicted on nonviolent drug charges.
WHERE IS THE LOGIC BEHIND THIS?
I grew up with Derrek and hung out with him on occasion... What he did was horrible, but regardless, hes out of prison and doing great!! Obviously he’s not doing meth anymore, so I would have to say the meth might have had something to do with it. He was a very nice, polite and well behaved when we were kids, and he still is! He just made a very bad decision under the influence of meth.
Prescription medication is what makes him a decent person and when he decides he doesn't want to take them that's where the different person comes from. NOT METH!
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