Alabama Evangelist Anthony Hopkins Gets Life For Dead Wife In Freezer

MOBILE, Ala. — An Alabama evangelist who authorities say terrorized his family while preaching at revivals has been sentenced to life plus 51 years in prison after being convicted of killing his wife and storing her body in a home freezer.

Circuit Judge John Lockett imposed the sentence Thursday on Anthony Hopkins, 39, who showed no remorse during the proceeding. He got the maximum sentence of life for murder and additional time for convictions including sodomy and sexual abuse.

Assistant District Attorney Ashley Rich called Hopkins "evil of the worst kind."

She said he taught the eight children in his home things about the Bible that were not true and that helped him get away with his crimes for years.

During Hopkins' trial in April, prosecutors said he killed his 36-year-old wife, Arletha Hopkins, in 2004 after she caught him molesting a girl, then stuffed her body in a freezer at their home in north Mobile. Investigators discovered the body in 2008 after a young woman abused by Hopkins told child advocates about it, authorities said. Police arrested Hopkins while he was preaching at a revival in the south Alabama town of Jackson.

Defense attorney Jeff Deen said his client admits putting his wife's body in the freezer, but he doesn't know how she died.

"There's evidence in the trial that it could've been by natural causes, and it needs to be explored on appeal," Deen said.

The two oldest children in the Hopkins home are now grown. The six youngest are living with relatives in Georgia.

Comments

[Havana Thinks]

12:11 AM on 06/01/2010

Please do not believe in false teachers. This man was no Christian. He was the antithesis of Christian. What he did was manipulate and use the name in order to appease and overwhelm by pulling the wool over the eyes of followers. He was a pretender, not a Christian. Jesus will have the last answer during his judgment but I am so happy he is no longer lying, murdering, abusing, molesting and violating children and adults. ThankU 2 the judge who gave him a harsh sentence. I would have even been in favor of the death penalty, perhaps.
I hope the children can overcome the blasphemy he taught and lived. I hope they don't blame Jesus because he did not represent nor approve of Anthony Hopkins lies and manipulations. Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord.

[Velvet Staccato]

10:12 PM on 05/30/2010

"Anthony Hopkins"? Perhaps he took his name-sake's on-screen actions a tad too seriously. What a freak!

[Nancy Salamone]

09:14 AM on 05/30/2010

Domestic Violence is like a cancer. It affects all regardless of religion, race or socio-economic background. The conviction of this evangelist proves the abuser can be anyone! The level of someone’s education does not mean they will not abuse their family.
Unfortunately they will be better at covering up their heinous behavior because of their standing in the community.
Domestic Violence hurts us all and in this case it killed Arletha Hopkins.
Nancy Salamone
www.thebusinessofme.com
www.nancysstory.com

[wolfdogNM]

01:57 AM on 05/29/2010

This reminds me of that dear meat urban legond.

[BrickSykes]

10:32 AM on 05/27/2010

A couple of things: Either there is a HuffPo moderator laughing his (her) ass off under his (her) breath, or this is April Fool's Day, Fourth of July, Christmas, or something else BIG!

This black evangelist is named "Anthony Hopkins" and how did he know that the entire grisly story of his crime would appear on HuffPo directly over a "Bing" entry on the ACTOR Anthony Hopkins?? Has another commenter already reported on that?

Weird, or funny, or I don't know what!

Brick

[wolfdogNM]

02:12 AM on 05/29/2010

A multitude of news papers and sites reported on this story too. His name is just a coinsidental irony.

[alltriple1]

01:12 PM on 05/26/2010

This is why I don't trust religion. People exploit it for their own personal gains.

[ThruSpaceAndTime]

06:21 AM on 05/26/2010

Heavily conflicted, deeply sick, a real poor excuse for a human being. This person is a monster. I wonder how he went so wrong if he truly believes in a loving God, and yes I know history provides many examples of wackos victimizing under a religious shield, but how can you preach of love and live murder pedophilia and rape, it defies reason and logic This person is no indication of anything except the wrong path. He is obviously demented and I do not blame his religion for that. A mad world, that is what it appears to be on so many levels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N3N1MlvVc4

[terry63]

01:50 AM on 05/26/2010

The thing about Christians is this, If you have to ask someone if he is a Christian then he probably isnt. The Bible talks about many that will come to God and say , MY lord in youre name we have done great things, and God will say , Depart from me you workers of inequity I never knew you.

[Steve Scott]

08:59 PM on 05/25/2010

The guy was a classic sociopath. Murder and child molestation might even take him into the realm of psychopathy. Regardless, scamming and stealing are what sociopaths do. He scammed people with his ministry.

[bobby99]

03:29 PM on 05/25/2010

Believers and nonbelievers can do bad things, but to do something truly evil requires religion.

[FatherWolf]

12:00 AM on 05/25/2010

And what was his REAL crime in the state of Alabama?

"Assistant District Attorney Ashley Rich called Hopkins "evil of the worst kind."

She said he taught the eight children in his home things about the Bible that were not true "

[Athena123]

11:45 PM on 05/24/2010

This comment is related to the article - honest!

My parents have spent 60+ years missionizing and helping the christians in their community. Now, my mom is critically ill and dad needs supports - rides to and from the hospital, someone to talk to (his kids live too far away to go there frequently, but we call), and there is NOBODY AROUND. They are all too busy spreading the good news of the gospel and saying cheezy things like "lord willing" and "the lord has blessed me" etc. to actually show some character and be loyal friends. They hardly even call because they are so damn busy with their mission work. It is my dad's atheist children who are there for him.

That's the background. Today was a bad day, and I had a conniption (sp?) against the poor character of christians, in front of a friend who is a moderate christian. I was P*SSED!!! Then I logged on to Huffpo and came to this article. I said - "Evangelical preacher murders wife and puts her in freezer. TYPICAL!" My friend doubled over laughing at that. He said, "I guess the charismatic protestants are more into using a gun or an ax?" (I love christians who have a sense of humor....)

[kwinter]

12:58 AM on 05/25/2010

Athena, loved the punchline ... but, sorry to hear the lead in.

Noticed you said "atheist children" (plural), how did more than one of you find your way to reason being raised by two "missionizing" christians?

[JohnFromCensornati]

02:32 AM on 05/25/2010

mail

[Athena123]

11:03 AM on 05/25/2010

Hi kwinter - thanks for the comment!

Yes, three daughters of fundamentalist evangelical preacher...most of our uncles are also preachers or missionaries, and the majority of our cousins have conformed to the same thinking. My two sisters and I all took very different roads to come to a similar place. They are quite a bit older than me. One sister was a passionate christian for about 20 years. Typical suburban family, hubby was sunday school superintendant, she was deaconess and sunday school teacher. She decided to continue her university education part-time. She took history & theology, and as she earned her bachelor, masters and (almost) her doctorate of divinity, she moved further and further from christianity. She also divorced her husband, who was squeezing the life out of her. She faced almost total rejection from her baptist church friends of 20+ years because her beliefs changed. But she has come through it and is doing absolutely great.

[terry63]

01:46 AM on 05/26/2010

I had a freind that broke his legs in a car accident,Two Catholic nuns came over and gave him a hospital bed and wheelchair, They didnt have to do that.

[Grada3784]

09:03 PM on 05/24/2010

This guy gives a new and very gruesome spin on a wife being frigid.

Punishment to fit the crime might just be to lower him very slowly into a vat of very hot oil. Or the thing with the frog, raising the temperature of his bath 1 degree at a time until the water boils.

[Athena123]

12:31 PM on 05/25/2010

I like the water boiling idea - sort of balances out the freezing, don't you think?

[NietzscheND]

12:01 AM on 05/26/2010

Will justice be served then? Still, Arletha Hopkins was murdered and remains dead. Violent revenge is not retribution for the suffering this man inflicted on his family and his wife. Your proposals, merely primitive impulses.

[Grada3784]

09:01 AM on 05/26/2010

Yeah, sometimes it really stinks to be human. And however noble we might ever become, we all will still carry those primitive impulses. That is if we can survive each other.

[truth67]

02:00 PM on 05/24/2010

what a name

[FatherWolf]

11:43 PM on 05/24/2010

Exactly why did he store his wife's body in a freezer? Was it intact when it was found?

[riff4u]

08:34 AM on 05/24/2010

Now he can do what everybody else does in prison.......find religion. Once they get out they forget all about it, but he's not getting out.

[progressivegreg]

10:18 AM on 05/24/2010

Until 39 years AFTER he dies. Boy, the really punish in Alabama!

[thinkingwomanmillstone]

10:21 AM on 05/24/2010

Well I guess when he dies they'll put him in a freezer to finish his sentence.

[FatherWolf]

11:58 PM on 05/24/2010

He's already got religion -- he's a professional evangelist. Odds are that he'll be preaching in jail and have the ordinary prisoners eating out of his hand.

[Athena123]

12:33 PM on 05/25/2010

Look at him - you think he will survive well in jail? I think not. He looks like a skinny turtle, and I'm thinking he'll end up being Little Mike's wife.