‘Revenge killing’ or ‘self-defense’? Judge rules in Cahokia Heights murder case
After Anthony Andrews was shot dead in a Cahokia Heights front yard, he was kicked in the head by the alleged gunman, whose son had also been killed in the shootout, a St. Clair County prosecutor said Tuesday.
“This was a revenge killing,” St. Clair County Assistant State’s Attorney Levi Carwile said in a detention hearing for 62-year-old Louis E. Hopkins, who faces charges of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with Andrews’ death.
Patrick Sullivan, an attorney appointed by the St. Clair County Public Defender’s Office to represent Hopkins, said this was a case of “self-defense” as Hopkins needed to “neutralize” a threat so he could try to help his wounded son, Torian T. Hopkins.
After listening to the two attorneys, St. Clair County Associate Judge Sara L. Rice ordered that Hopkins be detained in the St. Clair County Jail before his trial.
Andrews, 41, and Torian Hopkins, 40, were both pronounced dead in the front yard at 123 Judith Lane in Cahokia Heights on Friday afternoon. They had shot at each other as part of landlord-tenant dispute, authorities said.
Autopsy records show that Andrews suffered gunshot wounds from two different weapons, Carwile said.
Andrews was staying with his girlfriend, who rents a place at 123 Judith Lane from Louis Hopkins. Hopkins family did not want Andrews living in the building, Carwile said.
The dispute between Andrews and the Hopkins family began on Thursday and it continued on Friday, Carwile said.
Torian Hopkins and Andrews exchanged gunfire in the confrontation Friday afternoon, police said, and Torian Hopkins was killed in this shootout.
According to witnesses, Carwile told Rice, Andrews was still alive when Louis Hopkins shot him “right through the brain.”
Andrews’ girlfriend said Andrews looked at her just before Hopkins shot him, according to Carwile. She also said Andrews was kicked in his head several times after he had been shot dead.
The public defender said Louis Hopkins wanted to “tend to his son” to see if he could assist him.
Louis Hopkins needed to protect himself because Andrews had just killed his son, he was still moving and he still had a gun, Sullivan said.
Carwile countered that Andrews was “not crawling around” and that this was not an act of self-defense by Louis Hopkins.
The charges against Louis Hopkins will be “dealt down to some minor offense,” Sullivan told Rice.
After the detention hearing, Sullivan declined to comment on Rice’s ruling.
Since Sept. 18 when Illinois ended its cash-bail system, judges have been conducting detention hearings to determine whether someone charged with a serious crime can be released from jail before their trial. One of the components of the new criminal justice system calls for judges to decide whether someone could be a threat to any person or persons in the community if released from jail.
In this case, Rice ruled that Louis Hopkins could pose a threat to the community.
As part of her ruling, Rice noted that Louis Hopkins has a criminal record that includes convictions for federal and state weapons offenses.
Belleville News-Democrat reporter Carolyn P. Smith contributed information for this article.
