Raymont Hopewell

Raymont Hopewell (born June 11, 1971) is an American serial killer and rapist who, from 1999 to 2005, murdered five elderly people during home invasions in Baltimore, Maryland. In a deal with prosecutors, Hopewell pleaded guilty to five counts of murder in order to avoid a death sentence and received four life sentences.

Early life Raymont Hopewell was born in Baltimore on June 11, 1971. Raised in an area near Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park, Hopewell was recounted as a regular kid; he would ride bikes, play hide and seek, and had a big friend group. Little else is known about his upbringing, but in his sophomore year of high school he dropped out. He soon fell into the use of heroin to which he would get addicted. Hopewell was arrested in 2001 after attempting to sell cocaine to an undercover police officer.

In 2004, Hopewell was arrested for violating his probation. On April 10 of that year, he was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison. Under guidelines of a 2002 ruling by the then Baltimore mayor and future Maryland governor Martin O'Malley, he would have been required to submit a sample of his DNA. However, Hopewell was never told to submit a sample of his DNA. From April to July 2004, Hopewell was housed at Baltimore City Detention Center before being transferred to Metropolitan Transition Center. Two downstairs neighbors, Bruce Boulware and D'Twain Holmes-Boulware, heard loud noises coming from Crawford's apartment. The couple notified security of the odd noises. When a female security guard knocked on Crawford's door, Hopewell answered and told the officer that Crawford had simply fallen, but when the officer asked to come in, Hopewell refused. She threatened to call police to which Hopewell dared her to. She then walked away, and Hopewell ran out of the building. The responding officers found Crawford's body on the floor. Introducing himself as "money", he claimed to have known Jerrold as a child but refused to reveal his real identity. On September 2, Hopewell broke into a home in west Baltimore that belonged to a 63-year-old woman. He eventually found her hiding in the basement. At knifepoint he raped her and left the home without killing her. He confronted Amelia in the living room and told her "I am here to kill you and your husband". Amelia pleaded for him not to. Hopewell brandished a butcher knife and attempted to attack her. Amelia was able to grab his knife, only for Hopewell to forcefully pull it back, slicing her hand in the process. On September 14, 2006, Hopewell was given four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. At his sentencing he apologized to the families of his victims. Hopewell is currently serving his sentence at Western Correctional Institution in Allegany County, Maryland.