Inset, top to bottom: Jackson Hopper (SCSO) and Ellie Young (GoFundMe). Background: The parking lot where Hopper fatally shot Young (SCSO).
A 28-year-old Tennessee man will spend decades behind bars for killing his ex-girlfriend, fatally shooting the 22-year-old medical student as she was participating in a cancer walk.
Shelby County Judge Carlyn L. Addison ordered Jackson Hopper to serve 40 years in a state correctional facility after Hopper reached a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder over the 2024 slaying of Ellie Young, court records show.
During Wednesday's sentencing hearing, Addison addressed the victim's family directly to acknowledge the lasting impact of the crime.
"The devastation for both families is immeasurable. The trauma that will continue is, again, immeasurable," she said, courtroom footage provided by local Fox affiliate WHBQ. She also told them she accepted the plea in hopes they could begin to heal and move forward without enduring the additional pain of trial testimony.
Prosecutors described the resolution as a way to spare the family from reliving the details of the killing in court, local ABC affiliate WATN reported.
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.
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