Share and Follow
Inset, top to bottom: Jackson Hopper (SCSO) and Ellie Young (GoFundMe). Background: The parking lot where Hopper fatally shot Young (SCSO).
A Tennessee man, aged 28, has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term for the murder of his former girlfriend. The crime took place as the victim, a 22-year-old medical student named Ellie Young, was participating in a cancer walk.
Jackson Hopper will spend 40 years in a state correctional facility, following a plea agreement with prosecutors. He admitted to second-degree murder in connection with Young’s tragic death in 2024, according to records from the court.
During the sentencing on Wednesday, Judge Carlyn L. Addison spoke directly to the grieving family, acknowledging the profound and lasting impact of the tragedy.
“The devastation for both families is immeasurable. The trauma that will continue is, again, immeasurable,” Judge Addison expressed, as reported by local Fox affiliate WHBQ. She explained that accepting the plea deal was a step towards allowing the family to heal, sparing them the anguish of enduring a full trial.
Prosecutors emphasized that the decision to accept the plea was to prevent the family from reliving the harrowing details of the incident in court, as noted by local ABC affiliate WATN.
Monica Timmerman, the chief prosecutor on the case, outlined key evidence during the proceedings, including surveillance footage from Shelby Farms Park, where the fatal shooting took place.
“He turned around, went back to the victim, and shot her a sixth time,” she said. “The medical examiner’s report confirmed that all six were to victim Ellie Young’s head.”
Timmerman also emphasized that the plea deal would prevent Young’s family from having to relive her murder during trial.
“While no amount of time in prison will ever be enough to achieve justice for Ellie Young, we are pleased for the Young family that they can put this criminal matter behind them and celebrate the amazing life of Ellie without having to relive the trauma of her murder,” Timmerman told the court.
An attorney for the family echoed the prosecutor’s sentiment, saying the outcome “spares them the additional trauma of having to get on the stand at trial and having CSI evidence that would, unfortunately, show things that they would never be able to recover from,” according to local CBS affiliate WREG.
Hopper’s defense attorney acknowledged the gravity of the case after sentencing. “After 49 years of practicing law, it never gets easy,” he said. “Cases like this, it’s tragic, and if we could turn back the hands of time, this would be a case that you would want to turn back the hands of time on.”
As Law&Crime previously reported, the shooting happened on Oct. 19, 2024, in the parking lot of the visitor center at Shelby Farms Park following a breast cancer walk hosted by the American Cancer Society. Witnesses said Young had just returned to her Jeep when a white SUV pulled in behind her.
“A white Honda CRV with a Kentucky Temp Tag pulled behind the victim’s Jeep,” police wrote in a probable cause affidavit. “The male white driver of the Honda CRV fired two shots into the back of the Jeep occupied by the victim. The victim came out of the Jeep Wrangler and the male white suspect fired at least one more shot into the victim as she lay on the ground. The suspect then re-entered the white Honda and left the scene.”
Several of the victim’s family members arrived at the scene shortly after police and advised investigators that Young had recently broken up with her boyfriend, whom they identified as Hopper, and a BOLO (be on the lookout) was issued for the Honda CRV.
Law enforcement officers spotted his vehicle in a neighboring county and attempted a stop, but Hopper refused to pull over and led deputies on a chase that stretched across multiple jurisdictions. Officials said he drove recklessly, at times heading into oncoming traffic and attempting to strike officers, before deputies used a PIT maneuver to bring the pursuit to an end.
Officers took him into custody after the crash, though authorities said he initially resisted arrest.
Hopper still faces additional charges in other counties tied to the chase.