TURN
OF EVENTS
How BOBBY RAY HOPKINS,
AN INNOCENT MAN,
ended up on TEXAS' Death Row
By: Bobby Ray Hopkins, # 999101, 12002 FM 350 Terrell Unit
- Livingston, Texas, 77351 USA
Bobby Ray Hopkins To whom it may concern, My
name is Bobby Ray Hopkins #999101 and I am currently living on Texas' death
row for a crime I did not commit or know anything about. I
will try as briefly as possible to fill you in on how I wound up in this
situation and why I think law enforcement targeted me, some of which is
not on record. On
the early night of July 30th of July 31st of 1993 two young women were
found dead in their apartment. Jennifer Weston, 19, and
Sandy Marbut, 18. Neither one of the women were raped, but the prosecution
did try to base their case on robbery, which there was no proof of forced
entry. Within
an hour of the discovery, local law enforcement agents and (Texas Ranger)
George Turner went to my mothers house looking for me. It was later
found out at my trial that law enforcement agents had gotten my name from
an individual that had gathered in the crowd to see what was going on.
That individual was the ex boyfriend of Ms. Weston. The
murder of these two women happened in the small town of Grandview, Texas;
28 miles south of Fort Worth and 48 miles Southwest of Dallas. After
my August 4th of 1993 arrest I asked Ranger Turner how did he come across
my name ? He said that he was working the crowd and a person told
him that a guy named "Bobby" had some troubles with the girls, the person
who voluntarily gave them the name Bobby was the ex boyfriend of Ms. Weston,
who he had trouble with her breaking their relationship just days before
her death. His name is Kelly Tarver. In
this town of about 2,500 people, there are three other "Bobby's" that had
come in contact with both women; all of which my investigator found out. One
"Bobby" who had just recently moved from the same apartment that
the women lived in, he could have most likely still had a key! Another
"Bobby" who lived right next door to the women in the adjoining apartment
when the women were murdered, my investigator found out that from one of
the rooms in his apartment, a person could climb up in the ceiling and
jump down into the womens apartment. All of this which was testified
to, his name is "Bobby Farmer!", his wife was home the night of the
murders, in which she said she seen or heard nothing and that Bobby Farmer
said he was in another town eight miles away. Also
"Bobby Crawford" who at the time lived with his mother in the apartments
on the next street about 25 yards away. When
law enforcement agents came to my mothers house looking for a "Bobby",
at that time they could not put a last name with the first name.
It was found out that the reason law enforcement agents came to me was
because I was somewhat well known in Grandveiw by the townspeople and by
the chief of police because of the fact that I had worked at its only bank
and one of its major gas stations. After
law enforcement agents go to my mothers house looking for me, my younger
sister answered the door. They asked her if Bobby was home?
She told them, "No, I think he's across town." The place that I was
at is just across the street from my Grandmother's house, which my mother
was there at that particular time. My
mother had come over to where I was saying that she had just recieved a
call from my little sister telling her that law enforcement officers had
just left the house looking for me. The first thing that came out
of my mothers mouth was, "Lets call them and see whats going on,"
At that same time, (Texas Ranger) George Turner drove by with two
other law enforcement agents. While
standing in my grandmothers front yard talking to my mother, I noticed
the unmarked police car that he was driving and I ran to the street and
flagged him down. After he had already passed I guess he saw me in
his rearview and put his car in reverse. I then went up to the car
and said to him, "I heard you was looking for me," (all of this is
taking place just minutes after the discovery of the women.) He asked
me my name and I told him Bobby Hopkins, without even hesitating he told
me to get in the car. There was one officer already in the fromt
and another in the back, so I got into the back seat, and at that very
moment not knowing what for. He
then drove a little ways down the street from where they picked me up and
stopped! George Turner was asking all the questions, he started asking
me where I was last night and who was I with. I told him I was at
my mothers house from around 10:30 pm. until the next morning, which
was a Saturday and about 9:00 am is when my neice woke me up saying that
my older sister wanted me to put a table together for her. He then
asked me if I knew the two women, I told him that I had met both of them
about two months before this incident and that I had come in contact with
one of them twice after I had met her and the other on once after. He
then told me to show him my hands and arms to see if I had any cuts or
scratches on them, there was none. I
was co operating to the fullest, still not knowing what was going on and
why they were talking to me. After
a bunch of other questions, suddenly Ranger Turner asked me why did I kill
those women and a lot of other disturbing questions. I told him that
I did not kill anyone and never would, he started getting real upset at
the answers that was given to him. Without
the other officers saying a word, Ranger Turner said I think we should
take him to the main station (meaning me ) for further questioning. He
drove back to the scene of the crime and dropped the other two officers
off at their cars so that they could proceed and follow us to the main
station. At
this particular time, I get from the back seat to the front seat on my
own. Not searched, not handcuffed, and not read my Miranda warnings...Now
if they thought I just killed two people don't you think they would have
done all these things just for a precaution ? You're damn right they
would have. Once
we get to the Sherriff's Department, there are other officers waiting on
our arrival. All of this is taking place around 8 pm on the Saturday
night of July 31st, 1993. They
more or less started asking me the same qusetions, did I know these women
and how long, what type of relationship did I have with them. I
told them that I had met both of the young lady on the same day and that
it was at their apartment where I had met them. Jennifer and Sandy,
from what I understood had a lot of so-called friends because of the fact
that they threw a lot of parties and at their house people came and went
as they pleased, even when they were not home. All that was testified
to by close friends. On
the night or early morning of their death, they had a big party which
about 30-35 people were there. Law enforcement agents asked if I
had gone to the party and I said no. I did not even know that they
had a party until the conversation that I had with the investigators.
It was testified to that I was not there and that Michael Meeks, the ex
boyfriend of Ms. Marbut had come to the party and was arguing with her,
tore up her room and told her if she did not get back with him that he
would kill her. People
who was at the party was giving reports to the Chief of Police on this
incident, who just ignored it. All of which is on record and testified
to. Michael
Meeks was going around bragging that he killed the women. Chief
of Police Doug Allen went to his house and told him if he did not shut
his mouth that he would be in big trouble because he did not know what
he was talking about. When
Chief Allen was questioned by my defence attorney and asked why he didn't
investigate Michael Meeks, he replied and said that he felt there was not
a need for him to do so. When asked if he went
to Mr Meeks house to tell him to shut his mouth about killing the women,
Chief Allen said that he did go to Mr Meeks house and told him to shut
up or he would be in big trouble.
When asked why would you go to a persons house and tell them to
shut up when he is investigating a double murder. Cheif Allen replied
and said he felt like Mr Meeks did not know what he was talking about,
all of which is on record. I
do not mean to jump from one place to another, but as different peoples
names come up, there is important information behind it. Also
when Chief Allen was asked by my attorney why didn't he attempt to investigate
anyone else, he said he felt like there was not any need to investigate
anyone else. Witnesses
who had seen certain things and who was at the party on the night or early
morning of the murders told Chief Allen that "Bobby Farmer" who lived
right next door to the women at the time of their death, would borrow money
from them and would not pay it back, he would also mooch off of the people
who came to visit with the women. "Donald
Doings" who is the brother in law of Bobby Farmer was seen walking from
that same area earlier that morning. Back
at the Sherriffs Department on the night of July 31st. I was asked
if I remember all of what I touched the time I was at the apartment.
I told them that I had gone to the bathroom and that I had changed about
four CDs in the Compact Disk Player. I also told them that I had
not been back to that apartment in over two months, or, for that matter,
since that time. They
told me to take off my shirt so that they could examine my body to see
if I had any scratches, there was one that was already there from a car
that I helped work on. They was also demanding me to give them
blood and fingernail scrapings from under my fingernails. I felt
the tension building around these questions and that those people really
thought that I committed this crime or that they was going to make it look
like I did. I
then asked them if I was under arrest and they said no. I said, you
mean I can get up out of this chair and leave, and they said no. Still
demanding the sample of blood, fingernail scrapings, and fingerprints,
I then asked them if I could call home and talk to my mother to let her
know what is going on, they would not let me and for the next few hours
everybody was just looking at each other wondering what to do. Earlier
on in the questioning they told me to take my boots off so that they could
look at the bottoms of them. They
finally let me call my Mom, I told her that they are questioning me about
two murders that happened, I also told her that they wanted to take
blood samples, fingernail scrapings and fingerprints from me. She
asked if I had anything to hide and if I had done anything. I told
her no and she said I don't see any reason not to. At that particular
time I did not know that they were going to try and frame me for a crime
I did not commit ! After
Chief Doug Allen looked at my boots he gave them back to me and I put them
on my feet. Since it was about 4:00 am in the morning they had to
call a nurse to come and draw blood and to take the fingernail scrapings.
While we were waiting for the nurse, (Texas Ranger) George Turner came
into the room and told me to take my boots back off because he saw blood
on them, that was just part of his scheme to keep them. So
after consulting with my mother on the matter of them demanding for me
to give them blood, fingernail scrapings, and fingerprints; I willingly
and voluntarily cooperated with them because at that time I was not under
arrest. The
nurse finally came and took the samples of blood they were requesting,
which was four vials full. When we got to court only two of the vials
of blood was spoken for, she also took fingernail scrapings from under
my fingernails in which they were not used at my trial because of the fact
that one of the women had pieces of skin under her nails and that skin
that was under her nails did not belong to me. I had to be taken
up front for the fingerprints. When
my attorney asked Chief Doug Allen of the Grandview Police Department what
happened to the other two vials of blood that was taken from my body, he
said that was all that was taken from me; the paperwork shows different. Its
now about 5:30 am, and the sun is about to come up. Before we leave
the Sherriff's Dept. headed for Grandview which is about twelve miles away.
If they really thought that I killed two people, first of all they
would not be letting me go and taking me home too, second
they would have searched and handcuffed me back when I flagged them down
earlier that night, third after about nine hours of interrogation
without a lawyer and me being vulnerable to any and all their questions,
they would not have let me go if it were true that I had blood on the boots
that they took and kept from me.
Fourth, Chief Allen would not
have drove me home by himself if he thought I killed someone. Me
and Chief Allen are on our way to my Mother's house, in his possession
he has!
1) My boots...
2) The four vials of blood that was drawn from me...
3) The fingernail scrapings that was taken... Once
we got to my Mothers house I told her that they wanted to search
my room so she agreed. Chief Allen and Sergeant Joe McCready looked
in and at the clothes in my closet, under the bed, in the dresser drawers,
at the window and the window seals, just a thorough search. When
they were finished I asked him what was he expecting to find and he said
something with some blood on it and possibly a weapon. He also asked
me who else does my laundry, I told him that I take my jeans and shirts
to the cleaners down the road and that I had just taken three pair of jeans
there yesterday. Later
on in my trial I found out that Chief Allen had gone to the cleaners and
retrieved the three pair of jeans I had taken there. They
found nothing in my room so they asked me a few other questions and left,
he did not say don't leave town because you are under investigation for
capital murder, he just left. Just
as I thought things were getting back to normal and that I was only being
harrassed, on August 4th 1993 Chief Allen and Joe McCready were at my front
door with a warrant for my arrest; for motion to revoke probabtion.
I told them that they couldn't have a warrant for me because I had been
reporting. So
anyway on August the 4th, 1993 I was arrested for Motion to Revoke
Probation. I stayed in the county jail for three months with my rights
violated before they charged me with the crime. They never took me
before the probation board to have a hearing even to have my probation
revoked. For three months they kept me locked in solitary until October
31st of 1993, that is when they charged me with capital murder; to the
best of my knowledge. Two of those months I did not have an attorney
to advise me, that gave them all the free time they wanted; to gruel me
with their tongue twisting questions, most of them I had heard and answered
time and time again.... This
time they added that there was blood on my boots, my blood. But they
said the blood had been wiped off, also that they had found blood that
belonged to me in several spots in the women's apartment. They were
telling me how they think I did it and why, they were also saying that
the jeans that they picked up from the cleaners had blood on them.
The jeans I'm telling you about never was introduced as evidence, because
there was not blood on them. If there had been they would have been
used against me at my trial. Also they said that there was a bootprint
of blood that matched and was the same size as mine. It
was also testified to that there was a bloody palmprint found at the top
of the staircase where one of the women were found, but this was never
brought into evidence. When my attorney asked if it matched mine,
law enforcement agents said no! When
my attorney asked why wasn't the jeans that was taken from the cleaners
presented as evidence, and both pathologists from Dallas Gene Screen and
the Fort Worth Crime Lab said that all tests were inconclusive. My
arrest and being charged with capital murder was based upon what they said,
my boots having blood on them, the jeans that was taken from the cleaners
having blood on them, and a bloody bootprint that supposedly matched mine
, which that same boot print is manufactured and sold in mass qauntities
all over this world. About
the blood that supposedly matched mine that was taken from the crime scene,
it was testified to that it was inconsistent with mine. When my attorney
asked , "just what do you mean when you use the word inconsistent?" both
scientists said that they really couldn't tell you if it was my blood,
your blood, or anybody's blood, just inconsistent... Thank
you for your time and cooperation..
Any assistance, financial, legal, or otherwise, would be appreciated.
Bobby Ray Hopkins
