Petaluma Man, 19, Suspected Of Killing His Father, 49

PETALUMA, CA — The Sonoma County Sheriff-Coroner's Office identified a man fatally stabbed Sunday in Petaluma as James Hopkins Jr., 49, of Petaluma.

His son, Christopher Hopkins, 19, remained behind bars Monday in connection with the slaying, records showed.

Christopher was being held without bail and was scheduled to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday to answer to one count of homicide, according to Sonoma County jail records.

Shortly after 9:30 a.m. Sunday, officers with the Petaluma Police Department were dispatched to a home in the 400 block of Acadia Drive — near Sonoma Mountain Parkway and Rainer Avenue — to check the welfare of an area resident, police said.

"Petaluma Police Department received a call from Christopher Hopkins’ friend regarding concerns for Hopkins’ safety as he had made some recent statements referencing self-harm," Petaluma police Lt. Jeremy Walsh wrote in an email to Patch. "The friend was on scene outside the residence and asked for PPD to check on his welfare."

Officers arrived and contacted Hopkins who was already outside the residence.

"During the contact, Hopkins was coherent and able to talk with officers," Walsh said. "There were no obvious physical signs — bloody clothing, injuries — on Hopkins to indicate he had been involved in a fight," Walsh said.

"However, during the contact, Hopkins made statements to the on-scene officers which caused them to become concerned for the safety of the victim who was believed to be inside the residence," Walsh said. "Those statements included Christopher admitting to stabbing the victim and the victim still being inside the residence. Officers immediately made entry into the home and located the victim who was obviously deceased."

The elder Hopkins suffered from numerous stab wounds, according to police.

Due to the nature of the assault, the Petaluma Police Department said it requested Field & Evidence technicians from the Santa Rosa Police Department to respond for additional assistance.

Christopher was arrested at the scene and booked into Sonoma County jail at 5:39 p.m. Sunday, records showed.

According to Walsh, James and Christopher lived together as the only two residents at the home on Acadia Drive.

"We do not have a motive or reason for why Christopher stabbed his father," Walsh said. "We are actively investigating that to try to understand what exactly happened and what led up to this fatal incident."

Police said there were no outstanding suspects or safety concerns for the neighborhood where the stabbing took place.

Police asked anyone with further information relevant to the investigation to contact Detective Ronald Flores at rflores@cityofpetaluma.org or 707-778-4450.