Mom seeks justice in Southern Nevada truck stop slaying

Marcia Hopkins still can’t believe her son is gone.

Dennis David Hopkins, 40, was shot to death at a Southern Nevada truck stop in February. Police said Mark A. Doocy, 60, of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, shot Hopkins as he was fixing his wife’s broken-down pickup at the Love’s Travel Stop at 12501 Apex Great Basin Way.

Marcia Hopkins, of Seligman, Arizona, said in a phone interview that the killing of her son has devastated her family, with loved ones wanting to know why it happened.

“He had a big heart, a great sense of humor and a lot of love for his family and kids,” Marcia Hopkins said of her son.

Dennis Hopkins was a handyman. His mother said he tried to help others as much as he could. One of the people he tried to help was Doocy, Marcia Hopkins said, giving him a place to live and odd jobs in Southern Nevada when they were available.

“Dennis put him to work, odd jobs, painting, cleaning up construction sites,” Marcia Hopkins said, adding that her son told her he allowed Doocy to stay in a small camper that Dennis had gotten through work.

Money for camper possibly a factor

Later, there was a discussion about Doocy’s plan to sell the camper around Feb. 23. Marcia Hopkins said her son told Doocy he should be paid for the trailer.

“If you sell it you owe me for it because I worked hard for it,” Marcia Hopkins said her son’s mindset at the time.

The camper was eventually moved. Still, Marcia Hopkins doesn’t know if the disagreement over the camper prompted her son’s slaying.

Las Vegas police have not said yet whether a motive in the case has been discerned by investigators. What is known, according to a Las Vegas police arrest report, is that Doocy’s pickup was tied to the scene through photo evidence and witnesses. Hopkins’ wife said they were working on the pickup when she “observed a person she has known for the past several months as Mark Doocy” pull up next to Dennis Hopkins’ vehicle.

“Doocy and Dennis Hopkins got into a verbal altercation when Dennis told her to call 911,” the arrest report states.

Police did not specify what the argument was about, but a witness said they heard Doocy telling Hopkins he was going to retrieve a gun from his vehicle, a black GMC Envoy with Minnesota tags.

“Dennis Hopkins said, ‘Go ahead,’ ” the arrest report states.

Hopkins then jumped into his Ford Excursion as Doocy approached with a weapon, police said.

“Doocy began shooting into vehicle through the front windshield,” the report states. Hopkins suffered a gunshot wound to the right side of his chest.

Hopkins got out of the vehicle and ran northbound on Apex Great Basin Way before collapsing in a desert area, with Doocy following and shooting at him, police said.

“Doocy got back into his GMC Envoy and drove to the area where Hopkins was lying in the desert,” police said

Witness got picture

A witness snapped a photo of Doocy’s vehicle pulled up next to Hopkins’ body, the arrest report states. Las Vegas police said Doocy fled the scene and was later arrested at a Rice County, Minnesota, truck stop. He has since been extradited back to Southern Nevada to face a charge of murder. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Monday.

Marcia Hopkins said that before the shooting there was a text message from her son referencing the dispute over the camper and that “this guy threatened me and I ran him off.” She said she will not rest until she sees justice on behalf of her son.

“Dennis and I were very close,” she said. “He was the youngest child. Its been horrible. I can’t believe it. Sometimes I still can’t, and now that I can’t talk to his sons and I have none of his ashes, it has broken my heart.

Marcia Hopkins said she wants her son’s killer to “know he took the life of a father, a son and a brother for stupid reasons.”

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.