MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Attorney Gen. Steve Marshall on Friday announced that the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction of Dale Lynn Hopson, 54, of Joppa, for murder. Hopson was convicted in Marshall County Circuit Court on Feb. 26, 2021, for the murder of his wife, Joyce Green Bates.
The evidence at trial showed that on April 24, 2016, family members observed Hopson was acting erratically and around 10 p.m. Hopson called 911 to report that he had accidentally shot and killed his wife. Hopson’s behavior was unusual and alerted the suspicions of both first responders and law enforcement. A subsequent investigation revealed that Hopson’s wife could not have died due to an accident as claimed by Hopson and that he was, in fact, responsible for her murder.
Marshall County District Attorney Everette Johnson’s office successfully prosecuted this case and obtained a guilty verdict. Hopson was sentenced to life imprisonment for his crime. Hopson sought to have his conviction reversed on appeal.
The Attorney General’s Criminal Appeals Division handled the case during the appeals process, arguing for the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to affirm Hopson’s conviction. The Court did so in a decision issued Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.
“The facts of this case establish that Dale Hopson intentionally shot and killed his wife and then claimed the murder was an accident,” said Marshall. “The jury reached a just verdict in finding him guilty, which was correctly affirmed by the Court of Criminal Appeals. Mr. Hopson will now serve a life sentence for his crime.”
Marshall commended Assistant Attorney General Steve Dodd for his successful work on this case, and thanked Marshall County District Attorney Everette Johnson and his staff for their valuable assistance in defending the murder conviction.
