Press Release – Ryan Christopher Hopkins
Throat-slashing murderer found guilty in love triangle plot February 20, 2026 (Jackson, MS) Hinds County District Attorney Jody E. Owens II announced that a Hinds County jury has returned a guilty verdict against Ryan Christopher Hopkins for the murder of Celeste McDonald. Hopkins was convicted on charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder following a case that revealed a calculated and deeply disturbing chain of events. Just nine days before the murder, Celeste McDonald had accused Hopkins of rape, providing motive for the violence. On March 31, 2019, Hopkins and his girlfriend, Yolanda Torns, drove to Forest, Mississippi,…