Raymont Hopewell

Case record: Raymont Hopewell

Background

Raymont Hopewell was a 35-year-old defendant who was accused of killing five people, mostly elderly women and one man, and committing four rapes and other crimes. Hopewell had a history of arrests for burglary, theft, drug possession and other charges, and he had been convicted on a drug-dealing charge in 2004, receiving an 18-month sentence. After being placed at a halfway house in Southwest Baltimore, he walked away from it.

In court, Hopewell was described as having short dreadlocks specked with gray, and he wore a white T-shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers during sentencing-related proceedings. During another hearing, he wore a gray long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers. He rarely made eye contact with anyone other than his lawyer and appeared agitated while others spoke. When he made statements in court, he stared straight ahead and his face was expressionless.

The offence

Hopewell pleaded guilty in August to five murders, four rapes and other crimes. The murders involved Constance Wills, Sarah Shannon, Sadie Mack, Carlton Crawford, and Lydia Wingfield. Prosecutors described the victims as being bound or strangled or smothered, and they said three women were raped. Authorities described a crime spree that targeted older people, and the victims would reportedly let him in, after which he used a knife to threaten residents.

Hopewell’s victims included:

• Constance Wills, 60, who was bound and strangled in February 1999; she was also raped.
• Sarah Shannon, 88, who was bound and strangled on Nov. 30, 2002; she was also raped.
• Sadie Mack, 78, who was strangled on May 27, 2005; her wrists had been bound with shoelaces and she was believed to have been strangled with bare hands.
• Carlton Crawford, 82, who was beaten and strangled on Aug. 21, 2005; he was the sole known male fatality linked to the case.
• Lydia Wingfield, 78, who was raped and strangled on Aug. 30, 2005; she was found dead in her home.

In addition to the five murders, prosecutors recounted a Sept. 2 rape and two home-invasion robberies in September. The Sept. 2 incident involved a 63-year-old woman who was attacked at knifepoint in her West Baltimore home; her hands were tied behind her back with green ribbon and measuring tape. Prosecutors said Hopewell left behind semen in the bodies of his rape victims and saliva on cigarette butts and soda cans.

Home-invasion robberies described included:

• A Sept. 9 incident at a Spaulding Avenue home around 11 p.m., where a 55-year-old woman and a 61-year-old man were attacked after a screen was cut in a rear kitchen window. Police said the attacker knocked down the 55-year-old woman, cut her right hand with a knife and demanded $150, and he cut the hand of her companion before fleeing when he realized the woman had called police.
• A Sept. 10 Fernhill Avenue incident involving a 76-year-old woman and her 80-year-old husband, who had Alzheimer's disease, followed by stabbing of a 67-year-old woman who also lived in the home. Prosecutors said Hopewell used one of stolen credit cards to talk his way into the home.

During the sentencing proceedings, additional details were given about the surviving victims:

• Rosellen McDavid, 63, said Hopewell broke into her home, ordered her down into her cellar and raped her. She said she talked to Hopewell during the assault and asked how he would feel if someone was doing this to his mother. She said: “My mother is dead,” and she described having flashbacks. She used a cane.
• Elenora Askins-McGee, 55, told the court that Hopewell broke into her house through her kitchen window, grabbed her from behind, put a knife to her throat, and stabbed her multiple times. She said she still could not use her right thumb. She said Hopewell was in her home long enough to drink three cans of soda and eat a loaf of bread, and she said he told her multiple times that he had planned to kill her and her husband. She also said she was twice able to keep Hopewell at bay until he left.

Hopewell’s apology in court consisted of a short statement:

Hopewell said: “I just wanted to tell everybody that I'm sorry for their losses.”

Investigation

Police documents were described as showing DNA evidence linking Hopewell to all five killings and a confession to the Crawford murder last summer. Prosecutors said in a hearing that Hopewell left behind semen in the bodies of his rape victims and saliva on soda cans and cigarette butts. The description of evidence also included skin cells on a shoelace used to tie up Mack.

Authorities linked the cases through DNA database hits after the arrests. Police also described investigators as exploring other cases for possible connections to Hopewell, and they said they were not sure how the killer got into most of the homes at the time of early charges.

Arrest

Hopewell was arrested and charged in the Crawford killing on Sept. 20. Connections to the other deaths were made through DNA database hits and other investigative links.

During bail-related proceedings in December 2005, it was stated that Hopewell had been behind bars and held without bail, and he was taken from city police headquarters and returned to the Central Booking and Intake Center.

Plea and sentencing

Hopewell pleaded guilty in August to five murders, four rapes and other crimes, with a deal that allowed him to escape the death penalty. As part of the agreement, Judge John M. Glynn sentenced him to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.

The sentencing included:

• Four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
• Other prison time and other concurrent sentences were referenced, including life and several 25-year and 20-year prison terms.
• Hopewell’s sentencing hearing was described as being set for Sept. 14 in one account, and another account stated that he was sentenced on September 12, 2006 to life in prison without parole.

The agreement was characterized as having been negotiated by:

• Assistant State’s Attorney Matthew Fraling.
• Defense attorney Richard C.B. Woods.

State’s Attorney Patricia Jessamy was described as rarely seeking the death penalty and as offering the plea deal after consulting with victims’ families. A spokesperson for Jessamy said the plea deal was offered after consultation, and it was described that many victims’ relatives would prefer life without parole over death-penalty appeals. It was also stated that prosecutors would be prepared to seek the death penalty if Hopewell had not entered the guilty plea.

Judge John M. Glynn oversaw proceedings described in which Hopewell made no statements beyond yes and no answers when questioned by his lawyer and judge. In one account, he said he understood that entering the plea “in all circumstances is going to result in your incarceration for the rest of your life.”

Appeals

No appeal information was included in the provided material.

Outcome

Hopewell received four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole as the resolution of the guilty plea to five murders and four rapes and other crimes. The proceedings described that deputies and correctional officers escorted Hopewell outside to a prison van, and he had been behind bars since his arrest in September. Relatives of the victims expressed mixed reactions, including some who wanted prosecutors to seek the death penalty.

Victim-related reactions and statements included:

• Isaiah Carter said:

  “To hear him say that in such a callous manner, he really shouldn't have said anything at all,”
  “It was very fake, unreal. The guy wasn't sorry.”

• Cecelia Smith said:

  “I don't think that it meant anything” and she said: “I'm satisfied. This gives me closure. I'd rather have him suffer in there with no light than get the death penalty.”

• Ivan Wingfield (son of Lydia Wingfield) said:

  “Because of what this person has done to my mother, he has torn this family apart”
  “For him to live the rest of his life, I'm not happy at all.” He added: “I have my Christian beliefs as well. But the death penalty is warranted.”

• Jerrold C. Wingfield said:

  “painful, in a way,”
  “But I felt a source of some kind of a relief. Now he has answered to his crimes instead of saying 'not guilty.'”

• Lolita Horton said:

  “Now he can't hurt any other families,”
  “We're just so happy that it's over.” and she also said: “His life is gone to me.”

• Jerrold C. Wingfield and other family members also discussed whether a trial would have helped them understand how and why Hopewell picked the victims, including John Mack who said:

  “A trial would have answered some of our questions,”
  “I don't feel like this is the best for our family, but I guess this is what had to happen.”

• Ivan Wingfield said:

  “He should suffer”
  “He shouldn't have even had the right to a plea bargain.”

Aftermath

The court proceedings included statements by surviving and affected individuals, and the case was described as ending in life without parole rather than death penalty. After the hearing described, relatives streamed into the courthouse hallway, and some said they wished for a trial and death penalty while others said they were glad of the finality.

Rose Ellen McDavid described a statement made during her rape and said:

“God used me as an instrument to stop his rampage of rape, murder and evil deeds,”
as well as that she thought he would kill her. Maj. Richard Fahlteich was quoted saying: “We are very, very grateful that there weren't more victims out there,”
and he added: “But, Fahlteich added, investigators will continue to examine evidence from other cases for possible links.”