Shon Hopwood, a 50-year-old Georgetown Law Professor from the District of Columbia, has been found guilty by a Superior Court jury on multiple charges including assault, contempt, and obstruction of justice. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Hopwood faced convictions on three counts of simple assault, five counts of contempt, and two counts of obstructing justice. Sentencing is scheduled for September 18, 2025, as per Superior Court Judge Errol Arthur.
“A D.C. jury is demanding accountability from the batterer who not only beat his wife but was on the faculty of Georgetown Law teaching criminal law,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “This D.C. jury wasn’t afraid to demand accountability no matter who the defendant is.”
The case dates back to an incident on September 21, 2023, where Hopwood engaged in a verbal argument with his wife in front of their children and subsequently assaulted her when she tried to retrieve her phone and purse. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) discovered the incident during a welfare check conducted on September 24, 2023. It was revealed that Hopwood had confined his wife to the basement and coached their children to lie about her whereabouts.
Further investigations uncovered a history of emotional and physical abuse towards his wife over several years. He was also found guilty of an earlier assault in April 2023.
A trial initially set for June 3, 2024, was delayed due to the victim's absence despite being subpoenaed. Investigations revealed that Hopwood had violated a pre-trial stay-away order by contacting and pressuring his wife not to cooperate with authorities. This led to additional charges against him after he orchestrated a plan that resulted in his family leaving the jurisdiction before trial.
Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department joined in announcing these developments.
The investigation involved cooperation between MPD, United States Marshal Service, and criminal investigators from the United States Attorney’s Office under Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monisha Rao and Katherine Ballou's prosecution.
