An East St. Louis man who was sentenced previously to 34 years in federal prison for the August 2019 shooting death of Illinois State Police Trooper Nick Hopkins of Waterloo entered another guilty plea to the murder in St. Clair County last week. 

Christopher R. Grant, 49, pleaded guilty in St. Clair County Circuit Court last Wednesday and was sentenced to 37 years of incarceration, including time served. Grant will not be eligible for parole until he is 82.

St. Clair County State’s Attorney James Gomric said this latest disposition was reached with the approval of Nick’s widow Whitney Hopkins and command staff for the ISP.

Under Illinois law, Grant isn’t entitled to statutory “good time” credit for first-degree murder, so he will serve his state court sentence after finishing the federal court sentence. 

Court information states Grant was being investigated by the ISP for distribution of marijuana and crack cocaine. It was learned Grant was distributing these drugs from his house on North 42nd Street in East St. Louis. 

On this information, a search warrant was granted by a St. Clair County Circuit Court judge. An ISP SWAT unit initiated execution of the search warrant on the belief Grant maintained a cache of weapons inside the home. 

In the early morning hours of Aug. 23, 2019, Hopkins and two other SWAT members went onto the porch to connect chains to steel bars, securing the front door. Grant opened fire on the troopers with a 9-mm handgun, firing three rounds. 

Hopkins was struck in the head by one of the rounds, which had passed through the home’s main entry door. Troopers returned fire and rushed to Hopkins to provide aid. 

Hopkins was transported to Saint Louis University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead that evening.