Mountain_Kat
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Marking my spot to come back to after some research.
TN - Athina Hopson (Huff), 25, Johnson City, + Elizabeth Vanmeter, Joycelyn Alsup, 2019, murdered, SK James Michael Wright - guilty*
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UK 100 year old skeleton of baby doe, Bishop Auckland, County Durham
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JennIfOnly
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I just heard of this case a little while ago and I've read everything I can find about. I'm 25 minutes away from Johnson City. This poor girl. One Facebook comment said that the sheriff said that if she was put in the river she may never be found because of the unusually large amount of rain we've had up until a few months ago. It's finally leveled of but it was bad. I've lived here my entire life and I've never seen the amount of rain we had. I'm so sorry for all three of these young ladies and their families. I cannot imagine this happening to my child. But to know they may never find her body for a proper burial? I couldn't endure that. I hope this monster pays for what he did. God be with the families.
YaYa_521
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Athina Reneea Hopson – The Charley Project
Details of Disappearance
Hopson was last seen in the Carver Community area of Johnson City, Tennessee on March 16, 2019. An acquaintance, a carnival worker named James Michael Wright, picked her up to take her to his trailer in Mendota, Virginia so she could clean it. He claimed he dropped her off in Johnson City on March 18. No one else besides him saw Hopson after March 16, however. Her cousin contacted police after she didn't return on March 18 as expected.
In May 2019, Wright was interviewed by police and they searched his truck and found Hopson's cellular phone. In a subsequent interview, he confessed he had killed Hopson and two other women, 22-year-old Elizabeth Marie Vanmeter and 17-year-old Joslyn Alsup. He said they died over the course of eighteen days and all three killings were accidental shootings, not murders.
Police searched Wright's property and found the remains of the other two women, but no sign of Hopson. According to his confession, while he and Hopson were on a walk on March 17, he shot and killed her and was transporting her body in the back of his truck when the body fell out and rolled down an embankment near a bridge. He said he dumped Hopson's remains in the Holston River.
A photo of Wright is posted with this case summary. He has been charged with three counts of capital murder, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and concealing a body.
Hopson has never been located, but foul play is suspected in her case due to the circumstances involved.
Investigating Agency
Height 5' 2" (62 Inches)
Weight 114 lbs
Hair Color Brown
Eye Color Blue
Other distinctive physical characteristic - Athina is missing all of her teeth.
Details of Disappearance
Hopson was last seen in the Carver Community area of Johnson City, Tennessee on March 16, 2019. An acquaintance, a carnival worker named James Michael Wright, picked her up to take her to his trailer in Mendota, Virginia so she could clean it. He claimed he dropped her off in Johnson City on March 18. No one else besides him saw Hopson after March 16, however. Her cousin contacted police after she didn't return on March 18 as expected.
In May 2019, Wright was interviewed by police and they searched his truck and found Hopson's cellular phone. In a subsequent interview, he confessed he had killed Hopson and two other women, 22-year-old Elizabeth Marie Vanmeter and 17-year-old Joslyn Alsup. He said they died over the course of eighteen days and all three killings were accidental shootings, not murders.
Police searched Wright's property and found the remains of the other two women, but no sign of Hopson. According to his confession, while he and Hopson were on a walk on March 17, he shot and killed her and was transporting her body in the back of his truck when the body fell out and rolled down an embankment near a bridge. He said he dumped Hopson's remains in the Holston River.
A photo of Wright is posted with this case summary. He has been charged with three counts of capital murder, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and concealing a body.
Hopson has never been located, but foul play is suspected in her case due to the circumstances involved.
Investigating Agency
- Johnson City Police Department 423-434-6115
Height 5' 2" (62 Inches)
Weight 114 lbs
Hair Color Brown
Eye Color Blue
Other distinctive physical characteristic - Athina is missing all of her teeth.
Al Ka
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‘The death penalty is on the table’: Remains of third victim found, positively identified in 2019 Mendota murder case
(click on image to enlarge)
Authorities in Washington County, Virginia said they discovered and positively identified the remains of the third victim in a murder investigation from 2019.
The remains of Athina Hopson, 25, were found and positively identified in the Mendota area.
Hopson, who last lived in Johnson City, was reported missing March 21, 2019.
On Friday, Washington County, Virginia Sheriff Blake Andis said in part, “The Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded back to the scene of previous murders involving three victims in the Mendota area of Washington County. Detectives going on a tip went back to that area where the search was conducted and skeletal remains were found…the DNA analysis was conducted and we came up with a positive identification on Athina Huff Hopson.”
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Sheriff Andis said a preliminary investigation on Hopson’s death is due to a “gunshot wound.”
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“The death penalty is on the table, he is charged with three counts of capital murder, however, it is still very early to even prognosticate what the end result might be,” Josh Cumbow said.
‘The death penalty is on the table’: Remains of third victim found, positively identified in 2019 Mendota murder case | WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather
(click on image to enlarge)
Authorities in Washington County, Virginia said they discovered and positively identified the remains of the third victim in a murder investigation from 2019.
The remains of Athina Hopson, 25, were found and positively identified in the Mendota area.
Hopson, who last lived in Johnson City, was reported missing March 21, 2019.
On Friday, Washington County, Virginia Sheriff Blake Andis said in part, “The Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded back to the scene of previous murders involving three victims in the Mendota area of Washington County. Detectives going on a tip went back to that area where the search was conducted and skeletal remains were found…the DNA analysis was conducted and we came up with a positive identification on Athina Huff Hopson.”
---
Sheriff Andis said a preliminary investigation on Hopson’s death is due to a “gunshot wound.”
---
“The death penalty is on the table, he is charged with three counts of capital murder, however, it is still very early to even prognosticate what the end result might be,” Josh Cumbow said.
‘The death penalty is on the table’: Remains of third victim found, positively identified in 2019 Mendota murder case | WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather
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Al Ka
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Discussion thread for Athina Hopson, his last victim -
Deceased/Not Found - TN - Athina Hopson (Huff), 25, Johnson City, Washington County, 18 Mar 2019 *ARREST*
Al Ka
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‘The death penalty is on the table’: Remains of third victim found, positively identified in 2019 Mendota murder case
(click on image to enlarge)
Authorities in Washington County, Virginia said they discovered and positively identified the remains of the third victim in a murder investigation from 2019.
The remains of Athina Hopson, 25, were found and positively identified in the Mendota area.
Hopson, who last lived in Johnson City, was reported missing March 21, 2019.
On Friday, Washington County, Virginia Sheriff Blake Andis said in part, “The Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded back to the scene of previous murders involving three victims in the Mendota area of Washington County. Detectives going on a tip went back to that area where the search was conducted and skeletal remains were found…the DNA analysis was conducted and we came up with a positive identification on Athina Huff Hopson.”
---
Sheriff Andis said a preliminary investigation on Hopson’s death is due to a “gunshot wound.”
---
“The death penalty is on the table, he is charged with three counts of capital murder, however, it is still very early to even prognosticate what the end result might be,” Josh Cumbow said.
‘The death penalty is on the table’: Remains of third victim found, positively identified in 2019 Mendota murder case | WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather
imstilla.grandma
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On Jan. 11, 2021, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded back to the scene of previous murders involving three victims in the Mendota area,” Sheriff Blake Andis said to begin a Friday morning news briefing. “Detectives, going on a tip, went back to that area. A search was conducted and skeletal remains were found.”
Those remains were sent to the Roanoke western regional office of the medical examiner where DNA analysis confirmed it was Athina Hopson, also known as Athina Huff, Andis said.
“We haven’t gotten a complete analysis from the medical examiner’s office, but preliminary investigation on Ms. Hopson’s death is due to a gunshot wound,” the sheriff said.
Andis declined to say specifically where her body was recovered, but the residence was in the 3000 block of Mendota Road. It was there, in 2019, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office found the bodies of Elizabeth Marie Vanmeter, 22, of Elizabethton, Tennessee, and Joslyn M. Alsup, 17, of Cobb County in Georgia.
Vanmeter was apparently killed first, shot Feb. 28, 2019 and her body was buried in a shallow grave near Wright’s home. Alsup was shot and killed around March 9. Wright told authorities he was shooting at an animal and the bullet struck her instead. Her body was found covered with some logs, authorities previously said.
Hopson’s remains were found nearby, Andis said Friday in response to a reporter’s questions.
“I think officers had been in the area and the remains were hidden underneath some rubble,” Andis said. “It was in close proximity — within a quarter-mile or eighth-mile [of where the other bodies were recovered].”
Commonwealth’s Attorney Josh Cumbow said his office notified Hopson’s family on Thursday.
Authorities ID remains as missing murder victim in 2019 Mendota slayings
Those remains were sent to the Roanoke western regional office of the medical examiner where DNA analysis confirmed it was Athina Hopson, also known as Athina Huff, Andis said.
“We haven’t gotten a complete analysis from the medical examiner’s office, but preliminary investigation on Ms. Hopson’s death is due to a gunshot wound,” the sheriff said.
Andis declined to say specifically where her body was recovered, but the residence was in the 3000 block of Mendota Road. It was there, in 2019, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office found the bodies of Elizabeth Marie Vanmeter, 22, of Elizabethton, Tennessee, and Joslyn M. Alsup, 17, of Cobb County in Georgia.
Vanmeter was apparently killed first, shot Feb. 28, 2019 and her body was buried in a shallow grave near Wright’s home. Alsup was shot and killed around March 9. Wright told authorities he was shooting at an animal and the bullet struck her instead. Her body was found covered with some logs, authorities previously said.
Hopson’s remains were found nearby, Andis said Friday in response to a reporter’s questions.
“I think officers had been in the area and the remains were hidden underneath some rubble,” Andis said. “It was in close proximity — within a quarter-mile or eighth-mile [of where the other bodies were recovered].”
Commonwealth’s Attorney Josh Cumbow said his office notified Hopson’s family on Thursday.
Authorities ID remains as missing murder victim in 2019 Mendota slayings
imstilla.grandma
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The timelines and investigation data were as follows:
- The first murder happened on February 28 near Wright's home in the Mendota section of the county. The suspect told investigators that he shot and killed Elizabeth Vanmeter, 21, during an altercation. She had been reported missing out of Carter County, Tennessee, the information said.
- The second victim was a 17-year-old juvenile from Cobb County, Georgia that he met while working for a traveling carnival. Wright claimed the two had sex and then he killed her with a gun on March 9, covering her body with logs in the nearby woods at his home. He reportedly made the claim that he was shooting at an animal in the woods and shot the teenager by mistake, the report said.
- The third murder victim was identified as Athina Hopson, 25--a woman reported missing by Johnson City police on March 27. The warrant said that Hopson was killed on March 17. Wright told officers that he tripped twice and shot the woman in the head. The suspect also told investigators that he loaded Hopson into his pickup truck bed and was taking her to a hospital when her body fell out of the truck. He told officers he got scared and dumped Hopson's body in the Holston River.
- The report said Wright used a .22 caliber rifle that was recovered at his grandfather's property also located in Mendota.
- On January 11th, officers received a tip that led them to discover the body of 25 year old Athina Hopson in close proximity to where the other bodies were found.
Legally Bland
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His capital defense team asked the judge for a motion to withdraw from the case, due to Virginia's decision to abolish the death penalty.
"The judge granted our motion to withdraw from the case, because the capital defenders office won't exist after the end of June," said capital defender, Steven Milani.
Wright will receive new legal counsel, and a preliminary hearing has been set for August 19th, at 9:00a.m. Milani said he hopes to move into private practice, and continue with Wright's case.
Accused Mendota serial killer given new date for preliminary hearing
"The judge granted our motion to withdraw from the case, because the capital defenders office won't exist after the end of June," said capital defender, Steven Milani.
Wright will receive new legal counsel, and a preliminary hearing has been set for August 19th, at 9:00a.m. Milani said he hopes to move into private practice, and continue with Wright's case.
Accused Mendota serial killer given new date for preliminary hearing
MecheleP
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‘I think we can provide justice’: Case against accused Mendota serial killer to move to trial | WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather
A judge decided Thursday that Wright’s case will advance to trial on all nine of the following charges:
A trial date will be set as long as a plea deal is not taken. Cumbow said there have been no talks of one at this time.
The remains of two of the women, Elizabeth Vanmeter and Joycelyn Alsup, were recovered from shallow graves. The third victim, Athina Hopson, was found in January 2021.
A judge decided Thursday that Wright’s case will advance to trial on all nine of the following charges:
- 3 counts of aggravated murder
- 3 counts of disposal of a body
- 3 counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony
A trial date will be set as long as a plea deal is not taken. Cumbow said there have been no talks of one at this time.
The remains of two of the women, Elizabeth Vanmeter and Joycelyn Alsup, were recovered from shallow graves. The third victim, Athina Hopson, was found in January 2021.
YaYa_521
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TY for the update!
SBM
- 3 counts of aggravated murder
- 3 counts of disposal of a body
- 3 counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony
...as long as a plea deal is not taken. [snip]...no talks of one at this time.
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Trial for accused Mendota murderer to begin Nov. 22
Records from the Washington County, Va. Circuit Court state the trial against James Wright will begin on Nov. 22, 2021 at 9 a.m.
On Tuesday, a grand jury returned a true bill indicting Wright. Investigators spoke at a preliminary hearing on Oct. 21 and stated that Wright had previously admitted to authorities that he had killed Elizabeth Vanmeter, Joycelyn Alsup and Athina Hopson in 2019.
Records from the Washington County, Va. Circuit Court state the trial against James Wright will begin on Nov. 22, 2021 at 9 a.m.
On Tuesday, a grand jury returned a true bill indicting Wright. Investigators spoke at a preliminary hearing on Oct. 21 and stated that Wright had previously admitted to authorities that he had killed Elizabeth Vanmeter, Joycelyn Alsup and Athina Hopson in 2019.
Legally Bland
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Prosecutors said James Michael Wright’s trial is scheduled to begin on Jan. 9.
www.wjhl.com
Mendota triple-murder trial scheduled for January
MENDOTA, Va. (WJHL) — The trial of the man accused of killing three women in Mendota is set to begin early next year. Prosecutors said James Michael Wright’s trial is scheduled to begin on Ja…
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Mendota triple-murder suspect pleads guilty
ABINGDON, Va. (WJHL) — A man accused of murdering three women in Mendota, Virginia has pleaded guilty less than a week before a jury trial was set to begin. James Michael Wright pleaded guilty Tues…
www.wjhl.com
James Michael Wright pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences, according to Commonwealth’s Attorney Joshua Cumbow.