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Foreign hey, everyone, it's Katie. If you're loving Crime House Daily, you need to check out Crimes of, the newest show from Crime House. Crimes of is a weekly series that explores a new theme each season from Crimes of the paranormal, unsolved murders, mysterious disappearances, and more. Their first season is Crimes of Infamy, the true stories behind Hollywood's most iconic horror villains. Crimes of is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or find them on YouTube at Crime House Studios. New episodes out every Tuesday. This is Crime House. A Georgetown law professor with a storied past has been found guilty of assaulting his wife and obstructing justice. His name is Sean Hopwood. Hopwood spent nearly 11 years in federal prison for robbing banks, but went on to become a successful D.C. attorney who worked in criminal justice reform and taught at Georgetown. And yes, Sean Hopwood is a second felony offender. He is an individual who is parading around as a prison Reform act activist. This was a redemption story so inspiring it could have been a Hollywood movie. A bank robber goes to jail, starts spending time in the prison's law library, decides to help other inmates with their cases, is granted a scholarship to attend law school, and becomes a Georgetown law professor. But a recent turn of events might make it all come crashing down. Hi, I'm Katie Ring, a true crime analyst, self defense instructor, and fierce advocate for victims. And this is Crime House Daily, your essential true crime companion every weekday, morning and night powered by Pave Studios. Here at Crime House Daily, we will be taking an investigative approach to true crime. We will be staying on the cases and trials making headlines now where justice is still in motion, arrests are still being made, and where new evidence is still coming to light. This is a Night Watch episode, our evening show, that takes you even deeper into today's biggest crimes. And if you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel at the end. Crime House Daily this episode discusses active criminal cases and breaking news. The information we share is based on what's publicly available at the time of recording and may change as new evidence comes to light. We aim to inform, not to decide, guilt or innocence. So everyone mentioned is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Tonight we're covering the case of Sean Hopwood, a man once celebrated for his dramatic transformation from from outlaw to legal scholar. But instead of teaching inside a Georgetown classroom, he's back in court and at the center of a shocking case. Begging the question, was his redemption story ever really what it Seemed buying a car in Carvana was so easy, I was able to finance it through them. I just. Whoa, wait, you mean finance? Yeah, finance. Got pregnant. Re qualified for a Carvana auto loan. Entered my terms and shot from thousands of great car options, all within my budget. That's cool. But financing through Carvana was so easy. Financed, done, and I get to pick up my car from their Carvana vending machine tomorrow. Financed, right? That's what they said. You can spend time trying to pronounce financing, or you can actually finance and buy your car. Today on Carvana financing, subject to credit approval, additional terms and conditions may apply. Tonight, we will be talking about Sean Hopwood, the man who became famous for his rise from convicted criminal to Georgetown law professor. Shawn's inspiring personal journey and his tireless fight for criminal reform inspired countless people and even landed him a gig advising the White House. It was an underdog story that inspired the nation. Until it wasn't. Because in September 2023, Sean was arrested for allegedly assaulting his wife and was sentenced for his crimes just last week. So let's start from the very beginning. Shawn Hopwood was born in 1975 and grew up in the small town of David City, Nebraska, which at the time had a population of about 2,500 people. As the oldest of five siblings, Sean set a good example for his brothers and sisters. He was a star basketball player and practiced for hours in his driveway. He dominated in high school and earned a scholarship to Midland University in nearby Fremont, Nebraska. However, like so many hotshot high schoolers, college gave Sean a huge reality check. His skills on the court didn't translate to the next level, and he didn't take it well. Sean lost all of his motivation. He stopped going to classes and dropped out after his first semester. Looking for direction, he decided to join the Navy. He was stationed in the Persian Gulf, where he guarded warships. But the military didn't give him the boost he needed. Shawn started drinking heavily while he was off duty, and when he was 21, he ended up in the hospital for acute pancreatitis. He managed to pull through, and after two years in the Navy, he moved back in with his parents in David City. Sean is feeling more lost than ever. He's working a dead end job at a cattle feedlot and drinking the nights away. Not exactly what you'd call an inspiring life. So when Shawn's friend calls him with an idea for how they can make some money, he's all ears. He heads down to the bar, and after a few drinks, they decide they're going to rob a bank. In their heads, it seems like the perfect plan. Small towns like theirs don't have much of a police presence. So they figure they can just get in, grab some money and get out before the cops show up or anyone gets hurt. They managed to pull off five heists over the next 10 months, sealing about $150,000 in total. But they didn't get away totally clean. The FBI is able to put composite sketches together. And in July 1998, 23 year old Shawn Hopwood is arrested. That October, he pleaded guilty. And on April 14, 1999, a federal judge in Nebraska, Richard G. Kopp, sentenced him to 12 years and three months in prison for five counts of bank robbery and one count of using a firearm during one of those crimes. Then in May 1999, Sean began his incarceration at a federal prison in Pekin, Illinois. It would have been easy for him to give up hope again and to get lost in the system. But Shawn didn't let his story end there. While he was behind bars, Shawn gets a job at the prison's law library. Something about the law fascinates him. He loves reading summaries of old cases, going through entire books of them at a time. All that knowledge rubs off on him. And soon enough, Shawn is giving his fellow inmates advice on their cases. And in 2002, three years into his sentence, he takes on a big one. A man named John Fellers is trying to get the U.S. supreme Court to hear an appeal on his drug related conviction. Shawn agrees to help him write the petition. That year, the Supreme Court received 7,209 petitions from prisoners and those who couldn't afford the filing fee. They agreed to hear just eight cases, and John Feller's case is one of them. In January 2004, they announced their ruling in a 9 to 0 decision. The Supreme Court sides with John. The case was sent back to the lower courts and thanks in large part to Sean Hopwood. And John's sentence is reduced by four years. And Sean is just getting started. During the rest of his time in prison, he wins another case in the U.S. supreme Court, one with the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, and helps prisoners all over the country win resentencing motions. Not only that, but he finds time to build a meaningful relationship. Sean is getting a lot of attention, including from his high school crush, a woman named Ann Marie Metzner. She starts writing him letters and visiting him in prison. Shawn is determined to build a future with her. So when he's released from federal prison in the fall of 2008, the 33 year old has a new mission to become a licensed practicing lawyer. It's not going to be easy though, because despite his amazing things he's accomplished behind bars, his criminal record will make it hard to get into law school. But Shawn decides to go for it anyway. He spends the next few years getting his undergraduate degree and working for a company that helps lawyers prepare briefs for the Supreme Court. Along the way, he gets married to Ann Marie, and in 2011, he's accepted to the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle. Not only that, he's one of five people to receive a full scholarship from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. His incredible journey only continues from there. Sean goes on to clerk for a federal judge, becomes a fellow at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and then in 2018, he joins the faculty as a law professor. He becomes a respected criminal justice advocate and even consults for the first Trump administration to advise on criminal justice reform. Right about now, Sean's story is sounding a lot like a modern day fairy tale. But here's the thing about fairy tales, they often have a darker side. And in this story that means a plot twist nobody saw coming. Because in September 2023, Sean Hopwood was arrested again. And all of the sudden his fairytale life became a nightmare. At Designer Shoe Warehouse we believe that shoes are an important part of, well, everything from first steps to first dates, from all nighters to to all time personal bests. From building pillow forts to building a life for all the big and small moments that make up your whole world. DSW is there and we've got just the shoes. Find a shoe for every you from brands you love at brag worthy prices at your DSW store or dsw.com this episode is brought to you by cars.com on cars.com you can shop over 2 million cars. That means over 2 million new car possibilities. Like making space for your growing family. Becoming the type of person who takes spontaneous weekend camping trips or upgrading your commute wherever life takes you next. Or whoever you're looking to be. There's a car for that on cars.com visit cars.com to discover your next possibility. On September 24, 2023, 48 year old Shawn Hopwood is arrested. This time for domestic assault. Three nights earlier he and his wife Anne Marie got into a fight in front of their kids. And then the argument escalated from verbal to physical. According to Ann Marie, she went into their bedroom and took her phone and purse with her. Shawn allegedly grabbed her and shoved her into the kitchen, where she hit the counter, breaking her front tooth and one of her fingers. And then she claims he locked her in the basement for the next three days. Finally, on September 24, someone, it's not clear who, calls 911 and told the police Ann Marie was down there. When they show up, Sean tries to tell the officers that she was at a bluegrass music festival, and they're not buying it. When they figure out that Ann Marie is really in the house, Sean runs for. Doesn't seem like he gets far, and the officers take him into custody. Ann Marie is so shaken up, it seems like she's still afraid of him. As she's being led out of the house, she says, quote, oh, I'm in so much trouble. Sean is charged with misdemeanor assault for that incident, along with another one from April 2023 that came to light as part of the investigation. He pleads not guilty, and a trial date is set for June 3, 2024. But when the day comes, Ann Marie and their daughter don't show up to court. Even though the government had subpoenaed them. The authorities can sense that something is fishy. They do some digging and find out that Shawn has been in contact with Ann Marie in violation of a stay away order. They put out word to be on the lookout for Ann Marie and their kids. And on June 8, a Tennessee highway patrol officer pulls them over. It turns out Shawn had allegedly arranged for them to stay off the grid with one of his old prison buddies in Kentucky. According to the government, he's been pressuring Anne Marie to not cooperate with them as a way to get the case dismissed. But Sean just makes things worse for himself when the government discovers what he allegedly did. He's charged with five counts of contempt, along with two counts of obstruction of justice. The trial is rescheduled to begin on June 10, 2025, and it actually starts as planned. And this time, the government is determined to make him face justice. So good. So good. So good. New fall arrivals are at Nordstrom Rack stores. Now. Get ready to save big with up to 60% off. 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It is. It's certified fresh and verified hot. Helio's bringing the whole family together on Disney 122 and a half 3 Disney and Pixar's Elio now streaming on Disney During Sean Hopwood's trial, the prosecution paints a picture of a man who was a serial abuser who was hiding his true nature behind his incredible redemption story. They bring up the earlier incident from April 2023, where Shawn also allegedly had beaten his wife. Reportedly it was due to a disagreement over their taxes and apparently these were not isolated incidents. According to Ann Marie, Sean's abuse had been going on for years. She testifies over the course of two days and goes into the horrible things Sean allegedly did to her. He'd beaten her on multiple occasions and frequently left her behind on family trips. Anne Marie said that at the height of the COVID pandemic, he'd abandoned her in Florida, Kentucky, Arizona and New Jersey. They also go over the main incident in question, when Shawn allegedly beat anne Marie in September 2023, then locked her in their basement for three days. The officers who went to the house that night tell the court that they found her bruised and beaten and hiding from her husband in what U.S. attorney Janine Ferris Pirro described as an almost catatonic state. It was so bad, officer JP McArdle who was on the scene said, quote, I am more than sure if I did not see stay and find Anne Marie, she would not be with us today after that. The defense attempts to portray this whole incident as a non event. They remind the jury that Shawn was a professor who had advised the White House on criminal justice reform and the man who had inspired millions with his redemption story. But the evidence is stacked against him. This is much more then a he said, she said. The jury starts deliberating on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, and on July 18, the government announces that there's been a verdict. He's found guilty on 10 of 11 charges, three counts of simple assault, five counts of contempt and two counts of obstructing justice. It's a massive fall from grace, and the government isn't pulling any punches. During the government's press conference to announce the verdict, Jeanine Pirro calls him, quote, an individual who is parading around as a prison reform activist, a batterer who left his handprints on his wife's face and the mother of his children. And that's just the start of it. So we'll be sure to keep you updated with any developments. And be sure to follow us rimehouse247 for breaking news. Next time, we're covering the story of Laurie Daybell. Her doomsday prophecies led to the murder of her own two children and a life sentence with no parole. But now in a new update, she's filed an appeal for the charges. Before we break all of that down, what did you think of today's case? Drop your theories in the comments. Follow us rimehouse24.7 on TikTok and Instagram and subscribe on YouTube Crime House Daily for ad free listening. Join Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. You stay curious and I'll stay on the case. See you next time.