West Haven Man Sentenced For Murdering Wife: Officials

WEST HAVEN, CT — A West Haven man was sentenced Wednesday for killing his wife in Guilford over five years ago, according to an announcement from New Haven Judicial District State's Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr.

Robert Faison, 49, was sentenced to 55 years in prison by Judge Tracy Lee Dayton.

A three-judge panel presiding in Superior Court in New Haven on June 26 convicted Faison of murder.

Faison elected to be tried before a panel consisting of Dayton, Judge Eugene R. Calistro Jr., and Judge Patrick F. Caruso.

Evidence presented over four days showed Faison murdered Hopkins on or about July 22, 2021, Doyle said. Hopkins was found and pronounced dead on that date inside her Lake Quonnipaug condo, according to police.

Police had been called to do a welfare check by "someone close" to Hopkins, police said.

A spokesperson from the medical examiner's office told Patch at the time that her cause of death was "blunt force trauma to the head and neck."

Authorities located Faison on July 30, 2021, in a homeless shelter in New York City, where he had fled following the murder. He was extradited to Connecticut in August 2021 and charged with murder in October 2021.

Hopkins' daughter spoke during Wednesday's sentencing hearing, saying Faison shows "no remorse and no regret" for the murder.

"I have a child now," the daughter said. "My child will never get to know his grandmother, nor will my mother get to know her grandchild. I want to thank all the authorities who dedicated themselves to obtaining justice for my mother."

In her sentencing, Dayton noted Faison's previous convictions for domestic violence offenses.

The case was investigated by the Guilford Police Department and the Connecticut State Police Eastern District Major Crime Squad.

Connecticut State Police, the New York City Police Department, the New York District Attorney’s Office, the Connecticut State Forensic Laboratory, the New Haven, Waterbury, Bridgeport, Branford, and Madison police departments, the MTA Police Department, the FBI, the New York City Department of Corrections and the New Haven State's Attorney's Office all assisted in this investigation.