A mental health nurse is facing trial for the first time in connection with the alleged murder of her husband, as new, horrifying details of the crime scene emerge.
Caroll Hopkinson, 58, has been charged over the death of Simon ‘Hoppo’ Hopkinson, 60, after his body was found at the couple’s Taperoo home in Adelaide’s north-west on Sunday morning.
Mrs Hopkinson, a psychiatric nurse with more than 20 years of experience, is believed to have been the one who called police to the home on Sunday.
Shocked neighbours claimed they saw Mrs Hopkinson sitting outside the house looking ‘nonchalant’ before she… was arrested and removed from the crime scene by police.
Ms Hopkinson appeared in Port Adelaide District Court on Monday still dressed in the pyjamas and pink dressing gown she was arrested in, with bandages on her hands.
She remained silent in the dock as her lawyer told the court that no application for bail would be made.
Police prosecutors told the court they need at least 20 weeks to examine the evidence, including analysis of the alleged crime scene, the Adelaide Advertiser reported.
“We need about four months and four weeks just to get an analysis of the blood spatter,” the prosecutor said.
Caroll Hopkinson, 58 (right) has appeared in court charged with the alleged murder of her husband Simon Hopkinson, 60 (left)
Caroll Hopkinson, 58, is pictured being led away by police after her husband’s body was found at the couple’s home on Sunday morning
Mr Hopkinson’s cause of death has not been released.
Ms Hopkinson has been remanded in custody and will appear in court again in November unless a bail hearing is held before then.
Apparently the two were both psychiatric nurses.
Ms Hopkinson’s LinkedIn profile shows that in addition to being a registered mental health nurse, she also ran a small animal shelter called Cat Catraz, “the ultimate small animal shelter.”
Ms Hopkinson’s lawyer declined to comment on the case outside the courtroom.
The couple’s home was still a crime scene on Monday.
Shocked neighbors were shocked to hear about the alleged incident on what is normally a quiet suburban street.
Caroll Hopkinson (pictured) has been remanded in custody and will appear in court again in November
One woman said that while she didn’t know the couple well, they looked “lovely.”
Other neighbors described them as “a happy couple” and “beautiful people.”
Kyla Vermeulen, who has lived on the street for 14 years, was ‘quite shocked’ when she heard of the death and said it was ‘very sad’.
She added that it was “mainly older people and families” living in the area.
Another local resident, Matt Carr, told the ABC that he heard sirens when he woke up and that there was ‘a little bit of activity out front’.
“You don’t expect to find something like this in your front yard on a Sunday morning,” he said.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.