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Anthony Hopkins killed his wife!

DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
edited August 2008 in Social Entropy++
(CNN) -- An evangelical preacher killed his wife several years ago and stuffed her body in a freezer after she caught him abusing their daughter, according to police and court documents.

Anthony Hopkins, 37, was arrested Monday night at the Inspirational Tabernacle Church of God in Christ in Jackson, Alabama, just after he had delivered a sermon to a congregation that included his seven other children, officials said.

He faces charges including murder, rape, sodomy, sexual abuse and incest.

Hopkins was denied bail Thursday when he appeared before Mobile County District Judge George Hardesty. The case is set for arraignment next week, Hardesty's clerk said.

The case began Monday, when the daughter, now 19, went to the Mobile Police Department's Child Advocacy Center and reported that she had been sexually abused by Hopkins since she was 11 years old, according to an affidavit filed in support of a search warrant of the preacher's home in Mobile.

The affidavit related the daughter's story as follows:

Her mother, Arletha Hopkins, 36, caught her father abusing her in a bathroom in November 2004. Afterward, her parents argued, and her mother locked her father out of the house. The father came to the daughter's window and asked her to let him in, and she did so.

The next morning, her father asked her to help him hide her mother's body in the freezer in the laundry room of the home.

The girl said she moved out of the home about two weeks ago and was living with a neighbor. She told police that her mother's body was still in the freezer.

When authorities went to the home, no one was there, as Hopkins and the other children were at the church. A body was found in the freezer, the affidavit says.

Although police think the body is that of Arletha Hopkins, an identification is not expected until early next week, Mobile Police spokesman Officer Eric Gallichant said Thursday. Video Watch Nancy Grace's report »

Mobile Police Chief Phillip Garrett had said that an identification and autopsy results would take a few days: "obviously, the body was in a freezer."

He said he was not sure of the body's condition or whether it was intact, as upon seeing the body, authorities immediately sealed the chest-type freezer. The body had been covered in the unit, he said, and the entire appliance was taken to the state Department of Forensic Science.

At the Inspirational Tabernacle Church of God in Christ, Hopkins was preaching at a revival, pastor Beverly Jackson told CNN affiliate WKRG. His message, she said, was about forgiveness and not passing judgment -- and at one point, he turned to his seven children and asked them to forgive him his past, present and future.

Police allowed Hopkins to finish his sermon before arresting him, Jackson said. She said she asked police why they were arresting him and was told, "he murdered his wife."

She said Hopkins had told her his wife died four years ago while giving birth to their youngest son.

Attempts to reach Jackson on Thursday were unsuccessful.

Authorities moved quickly on the daughter's accusations to make sure the children still in the household were OK, Garrett said. They were placed in the custody of child welfare authorities. The next-oldest child is a 17-year-old female, he said.

All eight were the children of Arletha Hopkins, and Anthony Hopkins fathered six of them, he said.

An investigation has not found any record of Arletha Hopkins' existence since 2004, according to the affidavit. Asked how long police think the body had been in the freezer, Garrett said, "I'm thinking that she's probably been there for a number of years."

He said Anthony Hopkins did not have a regular church but apparently preached in various areas around the South.

"Part of the mystery here is that, apparently, none of these children were in school" but were being home-schooled, Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson said. "Home schooling, under this situation, removes almost any chances of us catching up with these kinds of things until there is a catastrophe."

Pastor Jerry Porter said he used to preach with Hopkins at his church, the Williams Street Holiness Church, and knew the family.

Arletha Hopkins "was very quiet," he told Mobile television station and CNN affiliate WPMI. "She was kind of secluded. She'd talk, but not much."

Anthony Hopkins, he said, made statements that led him to believe all was not well at home. "He always used to tell me ... 'You're blessed in the fact that you have a wife that supports you and what you're trying to do for God,' " Porter said.

He said Arletha Hopkins disappeared shortly after the couple's youngest child was born. As rumors swirled, Porter said, he confronted Hopkins and asked whether his wife was dead. Hopkins "wouldn't give me an answer," he said.

After that, Porter said, he banned him from the church but remained on good terms with him.

He said he visited the family a few years ago, and their home was clean and well-kept.

"It was the ideal family. I mean, the children were so respectful, just so easygoing," Porter said. "Didn't seem to be no stress at all. Never got that impression, never."

The children, he said, "loved their dad. They were very close to him."

Of Hopkins' preaching ability, Porter said, "he was a bulls-eye prophet. If he told you something, you could pretty much bank on it."

Source





This is the thread where you post news articles with your own misleading but technically true headlines for them.

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Posts

  • FutoreFutore Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    can this be the serial killer thread instead?

    Futore on
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  • FandyienFandyien But Otto, what about us? Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Hey guys

    http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=65922

    This thread is really funny.

    Fandyien on
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  • Clint EastwoodClint Eastwood My baby's in there someplace She crawled right inRegistered User regular
    edited August 2008
    How about the one where Dane Cook fell off a cliff in Australia and died?

    Clint Eastwood on
  • NotASenatorNotASenator Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    The important thing here is that they let him finish his sermon because apparently religion is that much more important than executing the law.

    This guy was a psycho killer, but dammit, can't interrupt a sermon.

    NotASenator on
  • OrikaeshigitaeOrikaeshigitae Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited August 2008
    you better not be raiding, fandy

    Orikaeshigitae on
  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    NotACrook wrote: »
    The important thing here is that they let him finish his sermon because apparently religion is that much more important than executing the law.

    This guy was a psycho killer, but dammit, can't interrupt a sermon.

    Psycho killer and a child molester.

    DarkPrimus on
  • FandyienFandyien But Otto, what about us? Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Man I didn't post anything

    I just said it was funny.

    Fandyien on
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  • StraightziStraightzi Here we may reign secure, and in my choice, To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Futore wrote: »
    can this be the serial killer thread instead?

    Yes yes a thousand times yes

    Straightzi on
  • StraightziStraightzi Here we may reign secure, and in my choice, To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Fandyien wrote: »
    Man I didn't post anything

    I just said it was funny.

    And my advice in that thread was totally legitimate

    Straightzi on
  • OrikaeshigitaeOrikaeshigitae Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited August 2008
    Fandyien wrote: »
    Man I didn't post anything

    I just said it was funny.

    just sayin'

    Orikaeshigitae on
  • ButtersButters A glass of some milks Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    DarkPrimus wrote: »
    NotACrook wrote: »
    The important thing here is that they let him finish his sermon because apparently religion is that much more important than executing the law.

    This guy was a psycho killer, but dammit, can't interrupt a sermon.

    Psycho killer and a child molester.

    So it's not just the catholics?

    Butters on
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  • QorzmQorzm Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
  • OrikaeshigitaeOrikaeshigitae Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited August 2008
    aw shit aw shit

    been a while since i got hit with THE GOAT MAN

    Orikaeshigitae on
  • MonkeyfeetMonkeyfeet Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Oh you got me you son of a bitch

    Monkeyfeet on
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  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Qorzm I couldn't be the gayest even if I tried.

    DarkPrimus on
  • FandyienFandyien But Otto, what about us? Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Bulls-eye prophet?

    What the fuck does that mean, exactly

    Fandyien on
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  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Fandyien wrote: »
    Bulls-eye prophet?

    What the fuck does that mean, exactly

    That he totally called it at the beginning of his sermon that the dudes in the police uniforms in the back were gonna arrest him for killing his wife a few years back because she was going to tell the cops that he was having sex with his pre-pubescent children.

    DarkPrimus on
  • FandyienFandyien But Otto, what about us? Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    DarkPrimus wrote: »
    Fandyien wrote: »
    Bulls-eye prophet?

    What the fuck does that mean, exactly

    That he totally called it at the beginning of his sermon that the dudes in the police uniforms in the back were gonna arrest him for killing his wife a few years back because she was going to tell the cops that he was having sex with his pre-pubescent children.

    Oh.

    I guess that was pretty intuitive.

    Fandyien on
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  • FutoreFutore Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Straightzi wrote: »
    Futore wrote: »
    can this be the serial killer thread instead?

    Yes yes a thousand times yes

    Eddie Gein:
    Considered to be a mild-mannered bachelor whose emotional development had been stunted by his domineering mother, he shocked the world when police found his vest of human skin and a cache of body parts. Gein is the model for The Silence of the Lambs' Buffalo Bill and Psycho's Norman Bates.

    gein.jpg

    Futore on
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  • FutoreFutore Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    best dressed with skin vests

    Futore on
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  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    I find some of the guys who only killed one or two people to be more disturbing than serial killers sometimes.

    Like, who was that fuck who killed the French woman and ate her and ended up just being deported to Japan and never serving any jailtime or anything.

    DarkPrimus on
  • World as MythWorld as Myth a breezy way to annoy serious people Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    "eddie"

    what are you, close personal friends with him

    World as Myth on
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  • OrikaeshigitaeOrikaeshigitae Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited August 2008
    what if he was?

    Orikaeshigitae on
  • Dead LegendDead Legend Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    that one dude

    that hitman

    the iceman he's pretty intense, richard kuklinski.

    Dead Legend on
    diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
  • World as MythWorld as Myth a breezy way to annoy serious people Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    hypotheticals don't interest me

    World as Myth on
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  • FutoreFutore Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    "eddie"

    what are you, close personal friends with him

    he was an alright guy but whenever we would hang out, he'd give me a strip of duct tape and ask if i would wear it for him.

    and always with the tape measure when we were in the pool!

    Futore on
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  • BalefuegoBalefuego Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    what if this was a hypothetical serial killer thread?

    I'll start

    "Keith in 10 years"

    Balefuego on
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  • StraightziStraightzi Here we may reign secure, and in my choice, To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered User regular
    edited August 2008
    I think Son of Sam has my favorite serial killer story

    I mean come on

    Neighbor's possessed dog commands him to kill?

    That's awesome



    I like Jack the Ripper a lot too

    Straightzi on
  • FutoreFutore Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    I don't think Keith could actually kill someone, much less do anything interesting with them

    Futore on
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  • MeizMeiz Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    What kind of a sick parent calls their daughter Arletha?

    Meiz on
  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Jack the Ripper is neat because he was the first serial killer recognized as such.

    He gets called "the first serial killer" a lot, but I'm pretty sure there were serial killers before him, and folks just couldn't put the murders together.

    DarkPrimus on
  • StraightziStraightzi Here we may reign secure, and in my choice, To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered User regular
    edited August 2008
    DarkPrimus wrote: »
    Jack the Ripper is neat because he was the first serial killer recognized as such.

    well

    Some people have been retroactively considered serial killers

    And I don't really know if they called him that at the time anyways

    I just find him fascinating because he's a great unsolved mystery

    Straightzi on
  • thorpethorpe Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Straightzi wrote: »
    I think Son of Sam has my favorite serial killer story

    I mean come on

    Neighbor's possessed dog commands him to kill?

    That's awesome



    I like Jack the Ripper a lot too

    This is sort of creepy on its own.

    thorpe on
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  • JedocJedoc In the scuppers with the staggers and jagsRegistered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Meiz wrote: »
    What kind of a sick parent calls their daughter Arletha?

    Oh, wow. I don't think I could come up with a better white trash name if I tried for a week.

    Jedoc on
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  • StraightziStraightzi Here we may reign secure, and in my choice, To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered User regular
    edited August 2008
    I mean I think Vlad the Impaler and Elizabeth Bathory could both be considered serial killers

    Straightzi on
  • World as MythWorld as Myth a breezy way to annoy serious people Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    I used to be really into serial killers

    I'd read the encyclopedias on my lunch breaks when I worked at barnes & noble and borders

    World as Myth on
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  • I Win SwordfightsI Win Swordfights all the traits of greatness starlight at my feetRegistered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Frailty is an awesome movie.

    I Win Swordfights on
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  • thorpethorpe Registered User regular
    edited August 2008
    Also Nice Pete is the best serial killer.



    "I put the man's body in my van.


    And I am the winner."

    thorpe on
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  • OrikaeshigitaeOrikaeshigitae Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited August 2008
    oh really?

    help me out, then - who was the english guy who ran an inn and devised elaborate traps to kill his houseguests

    Orikaeshigitae on
  • OrikaeshigitaeOrikaeshigitae Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited August 2008
    Straightzi wrote: »
    DarkPrimus wrote: »
    Jack the Ripper is neat because he was the first serial killer recognized as such.

    well

    Some people have been retroactively considered serial killers

    And I don't really know if they called him that at the time anyways

    I just find him fascinating because he's a great unsolved mystery

    i like jack the ripper so much i made him one of my ongoing characters

    (he's not a bad guy really)

    Orikaeshigitae on
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