COLUMBUS – A Kansas man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murders of two individuals in 2020, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.
Mark Hopkins II, 30, of Columbus was sentenced by Senior Judge Robert Fleming in Cherokee County District Court. Hopkins was sentenced to life in a Kansas Department of Corrections facility without the possibility of parole for 50 years. Hopkins last month pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree premeditated murder.
The crime occurred in June 2020, resulting in the deaths of Blaze Swank and Kylan Shook in Cherokee County. The case was investigated by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
Related charges against another defendant remain pending. Charges are merely accusations; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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CHEROKEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are searching for two suspects who escaped from the Cherokee County Jail and are now offering a $5000 reward for information leading to their capture, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff.
Just after 11p.m. Monday 30-year-old double murder suspect Mark Gerald Hopkins II and 34-year-old drug suspect Michael Wayne Martsolf escaped from the Cherokee County Jail in Columbus, Kansas, according to Sheriff David Grove.
The suspects may be driving a 2008 White Honda Accord with a Missouri tag LG2XOF. Both suspects have extensive tattoos throughout their bodies. Both should be considered armed and dangerous. If you see them, call 911.