ISABELLA HOPF - 3 weeks (2009) - Chandler AZ

A 3-week-old Chandler girl died Monday from injuries she received in a beating, according to police.
Isabella Hopf succumbed to her injuries, which included skull fractures and broken ribs, mid-afternoon.

Brian Hopf

Detective David Ramer, Chandler police spokesman, said charges
against the girl’s father, Brian Hopf, 25, will be amended to homicide.According to court documents, Hopf told investigators he poked the girl in the eye Sept. 7 when she slipped from his grasp.
He also told them she hit her head on a door jamb when he slipped and fell with her in his arms.
Isabella’s death is the third child death Chandler police have investigated since Aug. 26.
On that day a 2-year-old boy who was in the care of his mother’s
boyfriend was found dead. The 20-year-old man and the boy’s mother gave
police conflicting statements. No charges have been filed.
According to court documents, the child died while the mother was in the hospital giving birth.
On Aug. 31, Schala Vera, 3, was beaten to death with a belt. Her
mother, Susan Witbracht, 26, and her mother’s boyfriend, Dautorian
Sanders, 23, have been each charged with first-degree murder.
According to court documents, Sanders told investigators he and Witbracht have beaten the child with a nylon belt since June.
Sanders said he beat her more forcefully than usual the day she died.
She had bruises on her legs, arms, torso and head that were consistent with a belt and belt buckle, police said.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/2009/09/16/20090916childabuse-case-ON.html

I've been following this case since it happened and am hoping the media picks up on the case once the trial begins in Aug/2010.

Tom - it looks like you picked the nicer articles to post. Other reports say that the baby showed signs of sexual abuse? (I've included a another news report link) I can't even begin to tell you how horrified I still am thinking about the abuse this tiny baby went through.

I'm praying that justice will be served!

luckygirl wrote:http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/2009/09/16/20090916childabuse-case-ON.html

I've been following this case since it happened and am hoping the media picks up on the case once the trial begins in Aug/2010.

Tom - it looks like you picked the nicer articles to post. Other reports say that the baby showed signs of sexual abuse? (I've included a another news report link) I can't even begin to tell you how horrified I still am thinking about the abuse this tiny baby went through.

I'm praying that justice will be served!

---Thanks for your input luckygirl! I'll be certain to keep a watchful eye on any developments. My posts come from a compilation of news sources and are, in many cases, combined and edited for clarity. I do not remove details prescient to the case(s) nor do I "look" for articles that "soft-peddle" the facts. In this case, it may have just been that at the time of the posts any further evidentiary details of the medical exam were still being evaluated and thus not confirmed by medical personnel.

Tom, Please don't think I thought you were leaving anything out or "soft-peddling". I do remember at the time some news outlets were putting it all out there and some were not. I'm following this case because of a few reason's. I live less than a mile from where it happened. I've met the so called father (and his parents) of Isabella long before this happened. But first and foremost I'm following it because its a horrific crime against an innocent child.
I will give you updates once the trial starts if the news writes about it. It's considered a high profile case so I would think some reporter will be following.

Thanks luckygirl and please continue to keep us updated with anything that you find.

Police: Dad Pokes Baby In Eye
3-Week-Old Infant Suffers Life-Threatening Injuries

POSTED: 1:31 pm MST September 8, 2009
UPDATED: 3:10 pm MST September 8, 2009

Ariz. -- A Chandler man has been arrested and booked on charges of child abuse after he poked his 3-week-old infant in the eye and dropped the girl, causing life-threatening injuries, police said.

Brian Hopf, 25, is currently being held at the Maricopa County jail on a $500,000 bond.

Police said the incident occurred around midnight on Monday.

The baby's injuries included multiple skull fractures, fractured ribs, brain swelling, irreversible brain damage and retinal hemorrhaging, among other trauma, Chandler police said.

Police said Hopf told investigators that he accidentally poked the baby in the eye while giving her milk about 4 a.m. Monday.

Hopf claims as he was taking the baby to her crib, he tripped, hit the infant's head on a doorjam and dropped her, officers said.

The mother later found the child in the crib and unresponsive and the baby was taken to a hospital, investigators said.

When hospital personnel observed the baby, they saw signs that the child had been abused and notified police.
http://www.kpho.com/news/20797121/detail.html

Chandler man competent to stand trial in baby daughter's death
Posted: Wednesday, April 6, 2011 12:21 pm | Updated: 12:49 pm, Wed Apr 6, 2011.

Chandler man competent to stand trial in baby daughter's death By Mike Sakal, Tribune East Valley Tribune | 0 comments

A 27-year-old Chandler man charged in the 2009 death of his 3-week-old infant daughter has been found competent to stand trial.

Brian Hopf, whose public defender had a psychological evaluation conducted on him, was found competent to stand trial after competency hearings concluded last week in Maricopa County Superior Court, according to court records.

On Sept. 8, 2009, Hopf told police he poked the infant in the eye, hit her head on a doorjamb and fell with her in his arms. The girl, who was hospitalized with skull fractures, brain swelling, broken ribs and injuries consistent with sexual assault, died about a week later.

Hopf, who has been charged with first-degree murder, will next appear in Maricopa County Superior Court for a hearing on Friday. A trial date has not yet been set.

The infant was one of three homicides that involved deaths from severe child abuse in Chandler during 2009. The children ranged in age from 3 weeks to 3 years old.

On Thursday at the Senate lawn of the state Capitol in downtown Phoenix, the infant will be one of 64 children memorialized on a quilt featuring 64 blue squares, representing the 2009 deaths from severe child abuse throughout Arizona that year. The quilt was stitched by Nimbles and Thimbles, a chapter of the Arizona Quilters Guild that meets at the Gilbert Historical Museum.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/chandler/article_a1345a5a-6083-11e0-92b5-001cc4c03286.html

5/26/2011

029 - ME: Status Conference - Party (001)

5/26/2011

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/CriminalCourtCases/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CR2009-007508

Party Name	ARSCode	Description	Crime Date	Disposition Code	Disposition	Date
Brian Mark Hopf	13-3623 (F2)	CHILD/VULNERABLE ADULT ABUSE	9/7/2009	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	Dismissed Due To Grand Jury Indictment	9/16/2009
Brian Mark Hopf	13-1104 (F1)	MURDER 2ND DEGREE	9/7/2009	Pled Guilty As Charged	Pled Guilty As Charged	5/31/2011
Brian Mark Hopf	13-3623 (F2)	CHILD/VULNERABLE ADULT ABUSE	9/7/2009	Pled Guilty As Charged	Pled Guilty As Charged	5/31/2011

7/5/2011

8:00

Sentencing

http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/CriminalCourtCases/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CR2009-007508

A Chandler meth head accused of murdering his 3-week-old daughter has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
In addition to pleading guilty to murder, 27-year-old Brian Hopf pleaded
guilty to child abuse for assaults that include poking the infant girl, Isabella, in the eyes.
Hopf was initially charged with first-degree murder and was deemed competent to stand trial in April.
Hopf was arrested in September 2009 after Isabella was admitted to a Chandler hospital with life-threatening injuries, including multiple skull fractures, fractured ribs, and trauma to her body.
Police told New Times at the time that the baby was unresponsive when she was admitted to the hospital. She died a week later.
Police also found evidence of sexual abuse, including injuries to her inner thighs and genitals.
Hopf, an admitted meth user, told police that he accidentally dropped the
baby and poked her in the eye while feeding her, causing her to cry so
hard she stopped breathing. Hopf claimed he started chest compressions
on the girl, which may have caused some of the bruising. However, when
the baby stopped breathing, he didn't bother to call an ambulance or
to alert any of the other four adults in the home at the time.
The baby wasn't brought to the hospital until her mother noticed a large bruise on her eye.
Hopf has a history of domestic violence with the baby's mother. He also
completed two years' probation for a credit-card-theft conviction.
Hopf's sentencing is scheduled for July 5 in front of Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Robert Gottsfield.

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2011/06/chandler_meth_head_brian_hopf.php

A Chandler meth head who pleaded guilty in June to second-degree murder
in the death of his 3-week-old daughter was sentenced to 22 years in prison this morning.

In addition to the 22 years for second-degree murder, Brian Hopf was hit with 14-95 years for child abuse.
The sentences will run consecutively, courtesy of Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Robert Gottsfield.
Hopf was initially charged with first-degree murder and was deemed competent to stand trial in April.
Hopf was arrested in September 2009 after his daughter, Isabella, was admitted
to a Chandler hospital with life-threatening injuries, including multiple skull fractures,
fractured ribs, and trauma to her body.
Police told New Times at the time that the baby was unresponsive
when she was admitted to the hospital. She died a week later.
Police also found evidence of sexual abuse, including injuries to her inner thighs and genitals.
Hopf, an admitted meth user, told police that he accidentally dropped the
baby and poked her in the eye while feeding her, causing her to cry so
hard she stopped breathing. Hopf claimed he started chest compressions
on the girl, which may have caused some of the bruising. However, when
the baby stopped breathing, he didn't bother to call an ambulance or
to alert any of the other four adults in the home at the time.
The baby wasn't brought to the hospital until her mother noticed a large bruise on her eye.
Hopf has a history of domestic violence with the baby's mother. He also
completed two years' probation for a credit-card-theft conviction.
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2011/09/chandler_meth_head_brian_hopf_1.php

what do these women see in these men? it cant be their looks cuz they all look like idiots to me.