According to court documents reviewed by PEOPLE, Justin Hopper, who is 33 years old, was convicted on Thursday of intentionally causing bodily injury to his twin daughters, resulting in the death of 6-year-old Arianna Battelle.
The court sentenced Hopper to life imprisonment but granted him the possibility of parole. Additionally, he was fined $10,000 as part of his punishment.
According to KBTX, the jury deliberated for a mere 15 minutes before reaching a verdict on the case.
In 2023, Jessica Bundren, the stepmother of the twins, received a life sentence in prison after being convicted of intentionally causing major bodily injury that resulted in the death of the child.
According to previous reports, Arianna was discovered deceased in her family’s residence on October 27, 2020. As per KBTX’s statement, the Bryan police were summoned to respond to a 911 call regarding an unresponsive child.
According to KHOU, Bundren initially informed the police that Arianna had taken a fall down the stairs and was having trouble breathing when she later went to check on her in bed.
According to KTBX, a forensic nurse with extensive experience working with children revealed that this specific instance of abuse was the most severe she had ever encountered.
Kimberly Elias, the mother of Stephanie Hopper, expressed her satisfaction with the verdict.
In an interview with KBTX, she stated, “I believe that the maximum sentence was necessary to ensure that justice was served, and anything less would have undermined the severity of the crime.”
Hopper will have the ability to request freedom in the year 2054.
Source: PEOPLE
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