Lewiston man gets 7½ years in prison

A Lewiston man was sentenced to 7½ years in prison by 2nd District Court Judge Jay Gaskill for suffocating his Alzheimer’s-afflicted, 94-year-old father with a pillow at their Prospect Avenue home in Lewiston last year.

Mark L. Hopson, 60, appeared Friday at the Nez Perce County Courthouse with shackles at his wrists, ankles and waist. He pled guilty in June to voluntary manslaughter and failure to report a death, both felonies.

The maximum sentence for voluntary manslaughter is 15 years in prison and a $15,000 fine. Failing to report a death carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

Hopson will serve 7½ to 15 years for the first count, and zero to 10 years for the second count, running consecutively. He’s ordered to pay court costs and a $500 fee.

Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor April Smith argued for a fixed 15-year sentence from Gaskill, plus an indeterminate term of 10 years in prison on the charge of failure to report a death. The defense argued for a five- to 15-year term in prison that would be suspended in lieu of probation.

Hopson has been in custody at the Nez Perce County Jail since he killed his father, Billy R. Hopson, in June 2020.

“Billy did not want to die,” Smith said. “And (Hopson) showed no remorse for what he had done at the scene.”

His sister, Debra Taylor, delivered an impact statement during the sentencing. Taylor was at the Hopson home on the night of the killing.

“It’s had a tremendous impact on our family,” Taylor said. “We don’t condone what happened that night, but we support Mark totally. He should have a life left to live after this.”

Hopson’s attorney argued it was not a crime of hate, but rather a “compassionate homicide.” He also noted Hopson was in recovery for substance abuse at the time a caregiving relationship with his father was established.

Still, Gaskill said it wasn’t an excuse for voluntarily deciding to end someone else’s life.

“Your father may have been old, he may have had dementia and he may have been like an annoying child,” Gaskill said. “But you had no legal right.”

Palermo may be contacted at apalermo@lmtribune.com. Follow her on Twitter @apalermotweets.