Co-defendant in Trooper Nick Hopkins’ death case pleads guilty to federal gun charge
A co-defendant in the fatal shooting of Illinois State Police Trooper Nick Hopkins last year has pleaded guilty to a federal gun charge.
Al Stewart Jr., 20, entered his plea in the U.S. District Court in East St. Louis via video teleconferencing on Monday in front of Chief Judge Nancy Rosenstengel. Stewart had been indicted on one count of unlawfully using a controlled substance while in possession of a gun.
Stewart faces 41 to 51 months in prison, and was ordered by Rosenstengel to remain in jail until his sentencing in September. He was represented by attorney Eugene Howard. The case was prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Ali Summers.
According to the indictment, Stewart was living next to Christopher Grant in a duplex at 1426 North 42nd Street in East St. Louis on Aug. 23, 2019, when Grant allegedly shot and killed Hopkins from inside the home while state police served a “no-knock” warrant at the residence in the early hours of the morning. The warrant indicated that there were illegal drugs and weapons inside the home.
In all, police recovered nine firearms and multiple magazines of ammunition in a kitchen cabinet on Stewart’s side of the residence.
Grant’s family previously told the Belleville News-Democrat that Grant believed he was firing at an intruder in his home when he heard the noise police made.
In the indictment, police state that Stewart told them he grabbed a Glock .40-caliber gun from inside a vent when he heard gunshots coming from the other side of the residence, but “put it back up” when he heard officers announce that they were the Illinois State Police.
Stewart told police that a while later, Grant came to his side of the home as police surrounded it and they walked out of the house together, where police arrested them outside.
In a previous interview with the Belleville News-Democrat, U.S. Attorney Steven Weinhoeft said that Stewart had 19 grams of marijuana and $500 cash stored in a pair of pants in the home when he was taken into custody. Police also found LED grow lights in the basement on the side of the residence where Stewart was living.
At the time of his arrest, Stewart was on juvenile probation for a case in which he was charged with unlawful possession of a .38-caliber revolver and a small amount of cannabis, for which he had outstanding warrants.
According to the indictment, the Glock .40-caliber gun that Stewart kept hidden in the vent has been connected to three separate shootings in East St. Louis and Washington Park.
In St. Clair County, Stewart faces one count of armed violence, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of unlawful delivery of cannabis.
Grant, Stewart’s co-defendant, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges in St. Clair County Court in connection with Hopkins’ death. Grant also faces federal charges connected to the case, including use of a firearm to commit murder in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 8:38 PM.
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