LANSING, Mich. — A Kalamazoo man has turned himself in amid a cold case investigation into a 2005 rape case.
Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office says 37-year-old Shawn Darnell Robinson Hopkins is now in custody and has been charged with criminal sexual conduct in the first degree.
Hopkins is accused of giving alcohol and marijuana to a 14-year-old girl before raping her in 2005, according to the state of Michigan.
We’re told the girl met Hopkins hours before the incident took place and that she only knew him by “Chicago,” a pseudonym Hopkins reportedly used.
Investigations into the case stalled when Hopkins fled to Chicago after he learned he was being investigated, Nessel’s office explains.
The state tells us Hopkins used a handful of aliases as far back as the early 2000s, adding he has been violent with members of his family in the past.
Authorities recently learned of Hopkins’s identity through DNA testing.
“This defendant has a track record of multiple violent assaults, and yet his survivors still had the courage to come forward and report their experiences to law enforcement,” says Nessel. “I’m grateful for the continued hard work and determination of the Kalamazoo SAKI team who help cold cases like this achieve justice.”
We’re told Hopkins was released Thursday on a personal recognizance bond.
If Hopkins does not appear in court or violates the terms of the bond agreement, he will again be taken into custody and placed on a $100,000 bond, the state adds.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 21.
