Sandra Jean Hopson was 25 and living in Decatur, Illinois, when she was murdered on April 2, 1985. Her body was found inside her apartment by her five‑year‑old son; investigators determined she had been sexually assaulted, stabbed multiple times, and suffocated.

Two relatives were initially arrested in the case: 25‑year‑old Bruce A. Casey and 43‑year‑old Erma T. Britton. Britton was released without charges. Casey was ordered to stand trial after the child identified him as the assailant, but his defense challenged the reliability of testimony from a child so young. The court delayed proceedings to decide whether the son could testify, and Casey was ultimately acquitted; the case then went cold.

Later forensic testing linked Melvin Johnson, a convicted sex offender who died in 2003, to Hopson’s murder. Authorities said Johnson had a history of violent sexual crimes and was linked to other killings. The identification of Johnson brought some answers to Hopson’s family, though no criminal conviction for this murder occurred while he was alive.

If anyone knew Sandra, her movements in early April 1985, or has information about contacts between her and Melvin Johnson, please come forward.