The California Board of Parole Hearings has denied parole for Scott Andrew Hopkins, a Placer County man convicted in a drunk-driving crash that killed another motorist on Dec. 22, 2021. Hopkins is serving an indeterminate 25-years-to-life term after a judge found two prior serious and violent felony convictions true.
In a May 7 post from the Placer County District Attorney’s Office on Facebook, prosecutors confirmed the parole application was rejected and noted that Hopkins was convicted on Jan. 4, 2024 of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. The office described the case as a third-strike matter and said toxicology tests showed methamphetamine and marijuana in Hopkins’ system at the time of the crash.
Parole Hearing Details
The California Board of Parole Hearings' April docket shows Hopkins had an initial suitability hearing on April 30 at Pelican Bay State Prison. The board listed him as CDC #BX0168 and reviewed the crash circumstances, Hopkins’ institutional record and victim statements as part of its suitability analysis, according to the California Board of Parole Hearings schedule.
DA Response And Survivor Advocacy
Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire cast the denial as a matter of accountability, stating in the office’s post that "a life sentence should carry meaning, and families should not be forced back into the system before they have even had the opportunity to begin healing." The office also urged community members and survivors to take part in Survivor Advocacy Day on May 14 at the State Capitol.
Legal Context
The case was prosecuted as a third-strike matter, which under California law can result in an indeterminate 25-years-to-life term when two prior serious or violent felonies are found true. The Judicial Branch of California explains that those prior-strike findings affect minimum terms and parole eligibility in such cases, and the parole board considers the offender’s conduct in custody, the nature of the underlying crime and victim impacts when it decides suitability.
What’s Next
Victims and survivors who want help submitting comments or letters to the parole board can contact the Placer County District Attorney’s Victim Services Unit for support. Placer County’s resource pages, including the Justice for Justine materials on Placer County, outline how community members can stay involved and where to send letters and forms.
