A man has been handed a 40-year prison sentence for the brutal shooting of his former girlfriend, whom he shot six times in a Tennessee park.

Jackson Hopper admitted to second-degree murder in a plea agreement, allowing him to sidestep a first-degree murder charge. This information was shared with Oxygen by Chief Prosecutor Monica Timmerman.

The incident occurred in October 2024 when Hopper targeted Ellie Young, aged 22, in the parking lot of Shelby Farms Visitor Center in Memphis. The attack took place during a breast cancer fundraiser, as detailed in a press release from the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office.

Young had ended her relationship with Hopper shortly before the incident, reportedly due to his physical abuse.

Witnesses and surveillance footage revealed that Young’s Jeep was stationary when Hopper’s Honda blocked it. According to the statement, Hopper approached Young and shot her five times, then returned to his vehicle.

However, he reportedly “turned around, went back, and shot her a sixth time,” according to the statement. The medical examiner confirmed that all six shots were to her head.

Hopper then fled, triggering a multi-county police chase. 

During the pursuit, Hopper called 911, acknowledged what he had done and asked for confirmation that Young was dead, per the statement. He then asked that police “back off” as he headed toward his father’s gravesite to surrender.  

Hopper was apprehended after crashing his car, according to an affidavit obtained by Oxygen. In his car, police found a gun, two boxes of ammunition, a ski mask, black gloves, sunglasses, his phone, and pillows and blankets, according to the statement. 

Hopper had initially rejected a plea deal, but one hour later, changed his mind, according to Action News 5. 

“I only accept it so that now, you can begin to heal,” Judge Carlyn L. Addison told Young’s family in a video published by Action 5 News. “So that you can leave this building, never to return, so that maybe you get some rest and maybe you can continue to honor your loved one.” 

Defense attorney Leslie Ballin did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Oxygen. 

“After 49 years of practicing law, it never gets easy,” Ballin said after court proceedings, according to Action News 5. “Cases like this, it’s tragic, tragic, and if we could turn back the hands of time, this would be a case that you would want to turn back the hands of time on.”  

Hopper is not eligible for parole, according to the statement, and still faces charges associated with the police chase.