Bio

Vincent Christian Stopher was born on July 11, 1972. He grew up in Jefferson County, Kentucky.

By the time he became an adult, Vincent's life took a troubling turn. He would later become known for serious criminal activities, but there is little information about his life before these events.

Murder Story

On March 10, 1997, a Jefferson County deputy sheriff named Gregory Hans was called to a disturbance at the home of Vincent Stopher. When Deputy Hans arrived, Stopher became aggressive and started yelling obscenities. He quickly attacked the deputy, managing to take Hans's 9mm pistol from him.

During the struggle, Stopher shot Deputy Hans in the face. The deputy sustained severe injuries and died shortly after the attack. A witness nearby saw the event unfold and was threatened by Stopher, who attempted to fire the weapon at this person, but it jammed.

As more officers arrived at the scene, Stopher fought with them as they tried to arrest him. He struggled vigorously and even grabbed another officer's gun in his effort to resist. However, he was unable to fire this weapon as well. During the confrontation, officers had to hit Stopher on the head to get him to release the gun he had taken from Deputy Hans.

While being transported to the hospital, Stopher told an officer, "I hope that cop dies."

A jury later found him guilty of killing Deputy Hans and recommended the death penalty, which was imposed on March 23, 1998. In court, Stopher apologized to the family of the slain deputy and expressed regret for the pain he had caused. He was also convicted of four counts of assault and one count of wanton endangerment.