Insets, left to right: James Hopper, Catherine Graff (Tribute Archive/Legacy.com/Buchanan Chapel of Botetourt Funeral Home/Roanoke Times). Background: Alleged hitman Steven Fowler (Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office).
A Virginia man hired someone to kill his 97-year-old grandmother, with the alleged hitman being indicted this week, before later taking his own life as cops investigated her death, according to police.
James Hopper, 53, of Fincastle, allegedly conspired with the alleged hitman Steven Fowler, 30, of Salem, to murder his grandmother Catherine Graff in April, according to the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office. Fowler got hit with an indictment on Tuesday for aggravated murder for hire and is currently being held without bond after being taken into custody earlier this year.
According to his obituary, Hopper “passed away” on May 2, with cops saying he committed suicide.
“During the course of the investigation, the suspected orchestrator, James W. Hopper, took his own life,” the sheriff’s office reported in a Dec. 3 press release.
Graff was found on April 25 at a residence in Botetourt County. Her death was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner and authorities launched an investigation. As it unfolded, detectives worked to “uncover evidence pointing to a family member as the mastermind behind a murder-for-hire scheme targeting [Graff].”
Police said Tuesday that Fowler was “hired to carry out the murder” by Hopper and allegedly did so on April 25. It is unclear how Graff died.
“Thanks to our detectives’ diligent work, we identified the people responsible for this cowardly and evil act,” Sheriff Matthew Ward said in a statement.
In his obituary, Hopper was described as being preceded in death by his wife, Ashley Nicely Hopper, and grandparents Catherine and William Graff.
“He is survived by his daughter, Allyson Hopper; parents, James and Susan Hopper; sister, Carol Hensler; and nephews, Jake and Brendan Hensler,” the obituary says.
Attempts to reach the family by Law&Crime have been unsuccessful.
According to local reports, Fowler’s indictment marks the second murder-for-hire plot that’s been uncovered in the area over the past week, with one popping up in nearby Henry County.
In that case, a 44-year-old woman is facing charges of criminal solicitation of murder and conspiracy to commit a felony after she was caught on audio and video allegedly discussing plans to hire a hitman to carry out a robbery and murder, according to local NBC affiliate WSLS.
Virginia criminologist Dr. Tod Burke told WSLS that murder-for-hire orchestrators like these often have to be caught in the act of planning a hit, so Hopper’s suicide likely caused some trouble for authorities in bringing forth an indictment.
“There are a lot of motives for murder for hire, and oftentimes it takes a really good investigation to uncover what actually has happened,” Burke said. “It’s even more complicated if the person who did the hiring dies.”
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