Man Sentenced to Prison After Beating 24-Year-Old Mom Found Dead in Bathtub and Injuring Her Daughter, 4

Liam Quinn
·2 min read
4

Jose Escalante-Corchado pleaded guilty to murdering Mackenzie Hopkins

<p>Mackenzie Hopkins/Facebook</p> Mackenzie Hopkins

Mackenzie Hopkins/Facebook

Mackenzie Hopkins

  • Mackenzie Hopkins was found dead in a bathtub in Kansas City, Mo.

  • Hopkins' 4-year-old daughter survived but suffered severe head trauma

  • Jose Escalante-Corchado was sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to the murder

A Kansas man who pleaded guilty to murdering a Missouri mother who was found slain in a bathtub was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

The woman, identified by her family as Mackenzie Hopkins, 24, was found dead in the bathtub of her Kansas City, Mo., home on Jan. 15, 2022, the Jackson County Prosecutor said, describing the incident as a fatal beating. Hopkins' 4-year-old daughter was also found with severe head trauma.

Authorities said blood was found on the floor of the residence and that a 911 call had come from the victim’s phone number earlier that day. A boot print matching that of the suspect, later identified as Jose Escalante-Corchado, was found at the scene. His truck was also found in the area, prosecutors said.

Escalante-Corchado, who was later seen on surveillance running from Hopkins’ residence, getting into a truck and driving to a gas station, told detectives that he knew Hopkins and her daughter.

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On Tuesday, Escalante-Corchado pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and assault, court records indicate. He was sentenced to 30 years for each charge and the sentences will run concurrently.

A GoFundMe started by Hopkins’ family called her a “ray of sunshine who couldn’t help but brighten every life she touched.”

In a subsequent update a month after the attack, the organizer wrote that Hopkins’ daughter had returned home and required less rehabilitation than expected.

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