![\"inmate\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/TOP-L-sentenceupheld0604-01_54e573.jpg\")
Merrick Hopkins (MDOC)<\/p>\nThe Michigan Court of Appeals has upheld a 5- to 15-year prison sentence for a man convicted of assaulting his adult daughter outside her Madison Heights home in 2022.<\/p>\n
Merrick Hopkins\u2019 trial in Oakland County Circuit Court in 2024 ended with a guilty verdict for assault with intent to do great bodily harm, and acquittals for assault with intent to murder and felon in possession of a firearm. In his appeal to the higher court, he argued that the trial court erred in sentencing him outside the initial guidelines of 5 to 46 months, and that the sentence was enhanced due to a claim that the victim suffered psychological damage because of the assault. Hopkins maintained that was based on an assumption with no evidence to support it.<\/p>\n
However, in the COA\u2019s unpublished opinion issued on June 2, the judges referenced testimony from the victim, her boyfriend and others who witnessed the assault \u2014 and at the sentencing hearing \u201cthe victim testified about her nightmares, depression and anxiety\u201d that resulted from it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trial court did not assume that the victim suffered based on defendant\u2019s conduct but instead found that the victim suffered serious psychological injury based on the victim\u2019s testimony about the effects of that conduct on her, which were supported by descriptions of the assault, as well as the fact that it was her father who inflicted the injuries, \u201cthe opinion states. \u201cThe evidence of the victim\u2019s significant mental health issues as a result of defendant\u2019s assault was sufficient to (warrant an adjustment to the sentencing range) and therefore, the trial court did not err.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was also noted that Merrick\u2019s criminal history and \u201cless than truthful\u201d trial testimony were among other factors considered at sentencing.<\/p>\n
Merrick Hopkins (MDOC)<\/p>\n
As further stated in the COA opinion, the assault stemmed from \u201cseveral altercations\u201d that happened outside the home involving the victim, Hopkins, Hopkins\u2019 wife and the victim\u2019s boyfriend \u2014 after Hopkins and his wife had arrived unannounced to visit their grandchildren: \u201cDefendant\u2019s wife and the victim started fighting in the street after the wife grabbed the victim by her sweater; during the fight, the wife\u2019s arm wrapped around the victim\u2019s neck. While the victim and defendant\u2019s wife were fighting, the victim\u2019s boyfriend fought with defendant after defendant allegedly pushed the boyfriend. Eventually, several gun shots occurred. The victim, her boyfriend, and their neighbor testified that the gunshots came from defendant. Defendant claimed that his wife had the gun in her hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter allegedly shooting the gun, defendant hit the victim in the face, resulting in broken fragments and swelling. The victim and a neighbor testified that the victim fell to the ground in a fetal position, where defendant and his wife proceeded to kick the victim in the torso and legs. Defendant and his wife eventually fled the scene, later being found during a traffic stop with a handgun in the wife\u2019s purse.\u201d<\/p>\n
The prosecutor had requested an even lengthier sentence than Hopkins was handed \u2014 12 to 30 years in prison \u2014 because he was the victim\u2019s parent and allegedly lacked remorse.<\/p>\n
Hopkins, 48, is incarcerated at the Newberry Correctional Facility in the Upper Peninsula. His earliest release date is Nov. 2, 2027.<\/p>\n
The Court of Appeals unpublished opinion can be found at https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/3p4hutcf<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sheriff: Search is on for armed robber who hit Jimmy John\u2019s in Independence Twp.<\/a><\/p>\n Detroiter sentenced for indecent exposure at Rochester Hills Walmart<\/a><\/p>\n