Perry gets prison sentence in Hopson homicide

Mar. 8—MERCER — A New Castle man pleaded guilty Friday to robbery in connection to the 2019 shooting death of Sharon resident Khalil "Champ" Hopson.

Seon Dontae Davon Perry, 33, was charged with criminal homicide, robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, burglary, and aggravated cruelty to animals in the case of the May 23, 2019 shooting death of 24-year-old Hopson.

Perry on Friday pleaded guilty to a felony count of robbery and a Mercer County Common Pleas judge sentenced him to 5 to 10 years in a state prison.

"That way (a witness) won't have to testify and we won't have to drag that through the mud," Mercer County District Attorney Peter C. Acker said. "Part of it was to get finality and help the family get past it."

After Perry serves his sentence in Mercer County, Acker said he will go to Lawrence County on two pending cases of drug delivery resulting in death. After that, he faces a federal case in North Dakota.

"If he gets convicted (in federal court) he'll become a classified career criminal and he'll get around 40 years," Acker said.

Two other people were previously convicted in Hopson's murder.

Eddie James Robinson Jr., 30, Youngstown, Ohio, and Alexis Evonna Holmes, 25, New Castle, were arrested in 2019.

Robinson pleaded guilty in June 2021 of third-degree murder, cruelty to animals and perjury for his role in the homicide. He was sentenced to 15 to 45 years in state prison.

Holmes pleaded guilty in June 2021 to robbery and burglary and was sentenced to 18 to 40 years in prison.

Holmes and Perry are accused of assisting Robinson in the robbery and murder of Hopson. Robinson admitted to being the shooter.

In a prosecution delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sharon police said Holmes, Robinson and Perry conspired to rob Hopson of several thousand dollars they believed he had in his Cedar Avenue home.

On May 23, 2019, Sharon police were dispatched to 1239 Cedar Avenue for a call that someone had been shot. Upon arrival, officers located Hopson on the kitchen floor of the home. Officers also noted that Blue, one of Hopson's pit bulls was lying on the kitchen floor bleeding from a gunshot wound.

Police said Hopson's father was in the house when the shooting happened. He told police that he had been sleeping when he was awakened by two gunshots. He said his son yelled that he had been shot and Holmes had "let them in."

Holmes told police that she was outside on the side porch for less than 30 seconds when three men, all holding guns, rushed the porch. The men ordered them to get on the ground. Hopson retreated into the house; Holmes heard a gunshot and ran away.

Hopson, a 1,000-point scorer for the Sharon High School basketball team who later played at Penn State DuBois, died later that day in a Youngstown hospital. Blue died a few days later from his injuries.

Follow Melissa Klaric on twitter @HeraldKlaric or email her at mklaric@sharonherald.com