Overview
Alveta “Penny” Hopkins was identified in contemporary reporting as a person who had cooperated with federal investigators in the case against Alberto “Alpo” Martinez. Her murder became one of the killings charged in the federal prosecution of Wayne “Silk” Perry.
Cooperation with Investigators
Contemporary reporting on the 1994 prosecution states that Hopkins had cooperated with federal investigators in the Martinez case. That role makes her important to the investigation history as well as to the homicide record.
Murder and Retaliation
The federal death-penalty notice against Perry identified Count Thirteen as the murder of Alveta Hopkins. Prosecutors alleged aggravating circumstances associated with witness retaliation and the broader continuing criminal enterprise. Tyrone LaSalle Price also pleaded guilty to murdering Hopkins and to retaliating against a federal witness.
Network Connections
- Alberto “Alpo” Martinez — subject of the federal investigation with which Hopkins cooperated.
- Wayne “Silk” Perry — federal case included Hopkins’s murder.
- Tyrone LaSalle Price — pleaded guilty to Hopkins’s murder and witness retaliation.
- Garrett “Gary” Terrell — another victim in the same prosecution.
Historical Significance
Hopkins’s case illustrates the role of witness intimidation and retaliation in violent drug prosecutions. Her entry should therefore cross-link both the homicide event and the investigation/case pages rather than treating her solely as an associate of criminal defendants.
Evidence Status
A/B. Her cooperation and the murder prosecution are supported by federal filings and contemporary reporting.