PHOENIX — The criminal trial for Christopher Hoopes, who is accused of shooting and killing his ballerina wife in 2022, has been delayed again until May.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Monica Edelstein on Tuesday postponed the trial originally expected to begin this month. The new trial date of May 21 allows the prosecution and defense more time to examine evidence and potentially reach a plea agreement.
The prosecution and defense are both using expert witnesses to examine evidence in the high-profile case. Edelstein expressed frustration Tuesday at the lack of court filings, updating her on the status.
“So here we are, on the day of the hearing and I have no information, and I have to wait until the day of the hearing to hear,” she said at the court hearing.
Colleen Hoopes’ death made national headlines in 2022. She was part of Ballet Arizona, a professional dance company in Phoenix.
In a 911 call, Christopher Hoopes tells a dispatcher he shot his wife by accident in the middle of the night at their Tempe home.
“I woke up in the night, and I was startled,” he said.
He pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. His trial has been postponed several times, which is not unusual for murder trials. Legal experts believe court records filed last year suggest a possible defense strategy – one they say is rarely used in murder cases.
“At the time of the incident, Mr. Hoopes was legally prescribed medications. The use of these medications and the effects of these medications are directly relevant to Mr. Hoopes’ defense,” according to a court motion by his attorneys last year.
In the court motion, Hoopes sought permission from the court to hire two expert witnesses: a pharmacologist and a forensic psychiatrist. The pharmacologist is needed to “educate the jury on the medication, uses and side effects of the legally prescribed medications.” The forensic psychiatrist is needed to assist attorneys and “educate the jury on Mr. Hoopes’ mental state, the effects of various medications and how the relevant medications impact intent.”
The judge granted the request to hire the expert witnesses.
Court records don’t name the specific medications Hoopes was prescribed. He told police he took medications for blood pressure and asthma, according to a police report. Police found prescription bottles in his name at the couple’s house. The names of the drugs are redacted in a police report released to the public, however.
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James Charnesky, a Tucson attorney who is not involved in the case, told ABC15 in an interview last year, that Hoopes may be considering a defense called “involuntary intoxication.” This is where a defendant claims their legally prescribed medicine caused unintended, even dangerous, side effects that affected their perception.
“We’re all aware that prescription drugs can affect how you perceive things. It says so on the bottles,” Charnesky said.
Hoopes’ attorneys have not publicly disclosed the names of any expert witnesses they are using. But on Tuesday, attorney Jason Gronski said he shared an expert report with prosecutors this week. He said two more reports should be finished shortly.
He requested the judge schedule a settlement conference for February. This is a court proceeding where the prosecution and defense discuss potentially resolving the case short of trial.
“It is our plan to resolve the case, your honor,” Gronski told the judge.
Prosecutors told the judge they may need “a couple” of settlement conferences.
If the case does not resolve and goes to trial, “I don’t think either of the parties believe we would be ready for trial until late summer or early fall,” said Frankie Grimsman, a deputy county attorney in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
Email ABC15 Investigator Anne Ryman at: anne.ryman@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6345, or connect on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Facebook
