KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A Kalamazoo man will stand trial for a rape that happened in 2005 because of the Kalamazoo County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI).
According to the Michigan attorney general’s office, 37-year-old Shawn Hopkins was bound over on April 3, 2023, to stand trial.
Hopkins is charged with two counts of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree.
He is accused of raping a 14-year-old girl back in 2005.
READ MORE: Kalamazoo man turns self in amid SAKI investigation into 2005 rape case
The now-31-year-old victim testified in front of 8th District Court Judge Becket Jones, as did the forensic nurse who treated her and collected evidence in 2005 and a SAKI investigator.
The victim said then-21-year-old Hopkins gave her alcohol and marijuana at a Kalamazoo building used as a music recording studio.
She says Hopkins took her into a dark room, forced her to the floor and raped her.
Investigators developed a suspect DNA profile after the incident in 2005; however, the suspect’s identity was unknown until April 2022.
“Bringing charges in cold case sexual assaults demands an enduring courage from assault survivors and determination from investigative teams,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. “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.”
“The importance of the work being done by the Kalamazoo SAKI team and their counterparts throughout Michigan cannot be overstated,” Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting added. “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.”
If convicted, Hopkins faces up to life in prison.
