Vincent Stopher

Case information

• Name: Vincent Stopher
• Date of birth: 7-11-72
• Place: Jefferson County

Timeline

• March 10, 1997 — Deputy Sheriff Gregory Hans was dispatched to the home of Vincent and Kathleen Becker in Jefferson County; Stopher attacked the deputy, obtained Hans’s 9mm pistol, and shot him, killing him.
• March 23, 1998 — The Supreme Court of Virginia opinion 1998-SC-0334-MR STOPHER, VINCENT; Stopher was sentenced to death.

The offence

• In March 1997, a Jefferson County deputy sheriff responded to a report of a disturbance at the residence of Stopher.
• When Stopher saw the deputy, he uttered a series of obscenities and immediately attacked the deputy.
• Stopher was able to obtain the officer’s handgun and shot the deputy in the face.
• The deputy died of this wound.
• After the murder, Stopher confronted a witness; Stopher pulled the trigger of the weapon, but it jammed.
• When other officers arrived, Stopher vigorously resisted arrest.
• During the arrest struggle, Stopher grabbed the gun of another officer and attempted to fire it, but he was unsuccessful.
• During the struggle incident to the arrest, Stopher had to be hit on the head before he would release the weapon.
• Stopher’s wounds were consistent with resisting arrest.
• As Stopher was being loaded into the ambulance, he told an officer: “I hope that cop dies.”

Investigation

• On March 10, 1997, Deputy Sheriff Gregory Hans was dispatched to the home of Vincent Stopher and Kathleen Becker.
• A struggle occurred in which Stopher obtained Hans’s 9mm pistol and shot Deputy Sheriff Hans.

Arrest and resistance

• Stopher vigorously resisted arrest after officers arrived on the scene.
• During the struggle, he grabbed another officer’s gun and attempted to fire it, but was unsuccessful.
• Stopher had to be hit on the head before he released the weapon.

Trial

• A jury recommended the death penalty for a man convicted of killing a Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy.
• The victim was Deputy Gregory Hans.
• Vincent C. Stopher turned around in the courtroom and apologized to the family of the slain deputy, Gregory Hans, after the jury’s verdict was returned.
• He also told his family he would be OK.
• After the courtroom proceeding, defense attorney Vincent Yustas read a statement from Stopher.

  “Tell my family that I love them and tell the Hans family how much I deeply regret what I'm putting them through,”

Sentencing

• Stopher was 25 when convicted and sentenced.
• The court sentenced him to death on March 23, 1998.
• He was convicted of shooting Hans during a violent rampage on March 10, 1997.
• He was convicted of 4 counts of assault and 1 count of wanton endangerment.

Appeals

• The Supreme Court of Virginia issued the opinion 1998-SC-0334-MR STOPHER, VINCENT.

Outcome

• Stopher received a sentence of death on March 23, 1998.

Other details

• The case involved the victim’s death from a gunshot wound to the face.
• Stopher’s resistance included attempting to fire another officer’s weapon after seizing it, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
• The gun used in the confrontation with a witness jammed when Stopher pulled the trigger.
• Stopher told an officer as he was being loaded into the ambulance: “I hope that cop dies.”
• After the jury’s verdict, Stopher apologized to the slain deputy’s family and told his own family he would be OK.
• Defense attorney Vincent Yustas read Stopher’s statement in court.