Christmas Card from A Wyoming Executed Killer

Investigating my family history led me to an old trunk, which was filled with loose papers and articles from over the years.  My father collected everything, including clippings from various newspapers.  In the bottom of the truck, we found a series of folders containing the writings and letters, and a Christmas Card from Wyoming convicted and executed killer, Mark Hopkinson.  My father told me of the story, he had been communicating with Hopkinson.  The papers are authentic, and have a bit of tarnish to the paper.  Much of print has been preserved, since it was on the bottom of the trunk. 
January 1992, Wyoming death row inmate Mark Hopkins was executed by lethal injection; which was the only in Wyoming since 1965. Hopkins was given three life sentences for the 1977 home bombing deaths of Evanston Attorney, Vincent Vehar and his family, and was given the death sentence for the 1979 murder of Jeffrey Green. Green was murdered two days before he was to testify against Hopkinson.
For several years, Mark Hopkinson and Al Hamburg exchanged letters about his case and Hamburg always believed there was something fishy about the testimony of the only eye witness against Hopkinson. Mike Hickey, who claimed Hopkinson black mailed him to bomb the Vehar home because Hopkinson knew that 22 year old Hickey and another unidentified male from Evanston, raped and killed a 15 year old girl, Kellie Wychase, then skinned the girl like she was a game animal.
Attorney Gerry Spence was appointed as special prosecutor to give Hopkinson the death sentence. Mike Hickey was granted immunity for the Vehar home bombing and plead guilty to the killing of the 15 year old girl, which he received 20 years in prison to be served in another state under a different name.
Today, Hickey, resides on his inherited family farm near Lonetree, Wyoming.
The other young man that took part in the rape and murder of Wychase was never revealed or charged with these crimes. Letters indicate that the unnamed individual was family to the local investigator.
Al Hamburg wrote letters to the Evanston newspaper, calling for justice for Kellie Wychase; hence, after the letters were published, a woman called Hamburg three times, threatening him.
At the time of the Jeff Green murder, Mark Hopkinson was in a Federal Prison in California.

The State of Wyoming claimed: Hopkinson's friend, Hap Russell, sent two men after Green and kill him.
1990, an Evanston jury convicted Hap Russell; which he was given life in prison; however the Wyoming State Supreme Court overturned the conviction; he was tried again and given life in a second trial. He died of a heart attack before beginning his sentence.
In one of Hopkinson's last court motions, for denial of due process and equal protection of the law; which stated.
"In Sept, 1979 complaint was convicted of ordering unknown killers to kill Jeff Green. The prosecution scenario used in obtaining the conviction was that complaint had hired Hap Russell to hire John Sueasta to hire unknown killers.
Unita County Sheriff, Leonard Hysell, was involved in the investigation, loading up to complainant's trial and conviction in 1979.  After the trial in '79, Sheriff Hysell was in charge of the investigation of the unknown killers. In 1982, he identified the killers as Al Harrison and Joe Vilipondo.  Under oath, he testified he knew who killed the Jeff Green.  In which they were to be arrested and charged., the sworn testimony about the arrest of the killers was at my retrial on the death sentence in Teton County.

In 1983, Leonard Munker, the Wyoming Public Defender was allowed to look at the D.C.I. reports, which showed law enforcement could not connect Hopkinson to Jeff Green's murder or to the known killers of Jeff Green.
In 1983, Val Brinkerhoff, an investigator for the Public Defender's office, obtained evidence that Al Harrison and Joe Vilipondo were the individuals who picked up Green on the day he disappeared and was murdered.
Hysell's position as sheriff and as an individual in charge of the investigation of Jeff Green's murder required him to come forth and admit and correct his perjured testimony. Hysell, by his perjured testimony which covered for Green's killers and allowed the perpetuation of a false conviction has and is denying Mark Hopkinson due process and equal protection of the law." Wrote Hopkinson. 
This was Mark Hopkinson's last motion to save his life and it failed and 20 years after his execution, the killers of Jeff Green have never been arrested.
The motions and letters from Mark Hopkinson to Al Hamburg are available for purchase.  In recent years collectors of gore, ghouls, and grizzly deeds have been marketed.  Here is a tidbit. If interested email me.

An American Ghost Town: Hawk Springs, Wyoming

On Highway 85 heading North from Cheyenne, just past Bear Mountain, a sign reads, Hawk Springs, Population 50. The sign proves to be out dated and a string of small buildings are located along the corridor. Some of the houses lay in shambles, but a few have trimmed yards with some residents living in them. It is just one of the many small towns in Goshen County that have vanished. Much of the history on these communities have died along with its population. Stories and photos have neither been passed down or have been disregarded with the passing of time. Photos from Hawk Springs past could be out there, with the descendants of those who lived there. Many of whom, probably have no clue to where they came from.

Thinking back through the years, I remember walking the streets of Hawk Springs, Wyoming and dreaming of a time that once was. I could imagine the streets filled with people on horses, carriages, and on foot, making their way to the local stores, train depot, schools, or to the neighbors. Those days, however, had come and gone even before my time. I grew up in Hawk Springs, even then, there was the Longbranch Saloon, a gas station, and even a garage. Even now those things have gone. Now the town sits with a few residents, but the businesses have all closed.

Most of my days I spent wandering the old town, playing in the park, or visiting with some of the elderly residents. I would chat with the Whites, Koneshs, Gregorys, Minnie Hill, or the Marlatts. These folks lived in Hawk Springs since they were kids. Walt Gregory had a plaque on his wall which stated he graduated from the Hawk Springs Kindergarten class. I too had the same plaque. I guess I was the last class of kindergarten. Walt was probably about 70 years old when I talked to him. He ran the gas station on the highway, it was called Walt's station, but the old sign said Standard Oil.

Right next to Walt's station was Mr. Baker's Garage, the old faded sign read, DeSoto. The building was the old DeSoto sales and garage. Inside the garage smelled of gar and oil, but the interior looked as a museum. On the walls were photos of the old Desoto building, old Desoto photos and a pin up calender from 1945. The Calender had a portrait of a young lady with a car behind her.

Across from Mr. Baker's Garage was a park. I remember back in 77 there was the train depot, but it was moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming and turned into a house. Right by the park was the main street, and on the other side was an old restaurant/hotel, fire department, post office, a vacant structure, old grocery, and a couple of vacant lots. Up a couple of streets was the old lumber yard, about another block or so was the old church the community building which was the old elementary school, caticornered was the old high school and about another block was the old truck stop/Sally's Cafe/Longbranch. Heading back down to the main street was another old gas station. Not much really to speak about, maybe except for the memories of the old timers which lived there.

Mrs. Konesh would always be in the yard with his husband, planting flowers, tilling the soil or burning old branches from the enormous trees which engulfed the yard. They would offer lemonade as I would make my way down the street. I'd sit with the couple and they would tell me about the days when Hawk Springs was a busy little town. The couple owned the pool hall/bar which was located in one of the empty lots on main street. Many of the men would come play pool and drink in the 40's and was a gathering place for the residents. The old Hawk Springs Bank was located next door to the hall. These two buildings had burned down in 1954. I was enthralled with the idea this was once a vibrant town. I could only wish the school was still there so I didn't have to ride the bus for two hours to get to the school I went to school over in Yoder or maybe have a friend to associate with. Mrs. Konesh also remembered as a child that this was not the original site for the town. She remembered the people packing up their stuff and rebuilding the town. The waters of the Hawk Springs Reservoir have since covered the town. A dam had been built to create the water district for the farmers. They had used the original site for the lake and the cool waters enveloped the town. Under the water lay the old cemetery and all the headstones still lie beneath. Many of the original structures had been moved to the new Hawk Springs site. She remembered the men dragging the old church to it's new site. The residents all rejoiced when they finally opened the church again.

During the 40's and 50's, the Hawk Springs school always was a rival for the LaGrange School. The people would support the schools and come out to watch every game. When the Hawk Springs Hawks would play the LaGrange Longhorns they would have a full stadium. Next to the old high school was a baseball stadium with it bleachers and diamond mound. The structure is no longer there, however, the ghosts of yesteryear can be heard in the Wyoming wind as it blows across the area. The team was comprised of the Marlatt brothers, Walt Gregory, and the star pitcher was Doug Yates. Mrs. Konesh could remember watching every game played. She had even wished she could go out with the boys and play on the field.

Marlatt once opened the building next to the post office. It contained some of the memorabilia from the school. The pennants of the Hawk Springs Hawks was stored on a shelf, the yearbooks were stacked and a large assortment of stuff from the school were collecting dust.

About a half a block from behind the post office is a pit. The old pit I remember was used for burning rubbish. The smoke would fill the area. I would sit at the edge of the pit. The residents used to tell the pit was the basement for the old movie house. The old building had been burned down several years before the bank. However, they could remember seeing some great classics. When the old Chapman grocery store caught fire in the early 80's, the contents of the store was dumped into the old pit. I remember rummaging through and finding old wrapped candy. A case of pop rocks was still in it's package. The Valentine brothers lived in Hawk Springs at the time and we split the case.

The Valentines moved to Hawk Springs with their mother to be close to her parents, the Lemasters. The Lemasters were Cal and Virginia who owned the Longbranch. The Longbranch was located at the old truck stop along the Highway 85. The longbranch was built on the old site of Sally's Cafe at the truck stop. The old cafe was an old trailer. I remember the booths were red leather and at every table was a red phone.

Cindy Bath, was a waitress at the stop. I remember going in and ordering pancakes. I also remember the cafe burning down. It seems the town has had a lot of fires to it's local businesses. I guess the sign of times means fires occur frequently. The Longbranch was built and a bar was added to the site. The cafe was in the front and the back housed the steak house for the evening customers. The other side of the cafe was the old motel which had been there before Sally's Cafe. I remember reading an article from the Torrington Telegram, the Longbranch burned down, again, in about 2004.

The 1970's the town was a place for travelers to stop and fuel up and head north or south, which ever one might be headed. Some on the way to Cheyenne or up to South Dakota. Interstate 25 was not the way people took. Highway 85 was the main road either direction. August was a especially busy for the area. Bikers from all over would stop at Hawk Springs and camp out on the way to Sturgis. They would make camp in the park and drink the night away at the Longbranch. Teen girls of the area would come to town, if they wanted a bit of excitement; even some of the house wives would partake in the biker festivities.


As a child I remember we had a visitor, a middle aged man came to our door. He asked if he could come in a chat for a bit. He told he had grown up in the house we were living. He had said the house had not change much. His father had built the front part of the house and the row of trees in the back were planted by his grandfather. He could remember his grandmother telling him the house was once the Hawk Springs dance hall. The floors were carpeted in red, but we tore up the carpet and found the old woodblock.

The Girl With Bloody Hands

In the Winter of 1978, my family lived in Hawk Springs, Wyoming.  A small town between Torrington and Cheyenne.  This town had not much to offer small children, it had it's bar, post office and an old abandoned school.  I had to be bussed an hour or so to the next town over to attend classes.  Every once in a while a family would move into town with kids, but most of the time it was just my brothers and I.  The residence of Hawk Springs were aged folks who had spent most of their lives in the community.  There once was a restaurant, a DeSoto dealer, a couple of gas stations and a movie house; but all had dried up long ago.

That year was quite chaotic.  My sister had broken up with her boyfriend and had moved to Wheatland with a man we called baggy pants.  There was a cartoon back then which was called Baggy Pants and the Nitwit, and we always referred to them as so.  Mom would laugh when they would come to the door, for the song would always get stuck in her mind.  It wasn't too good for her, we had to go to Wheatland and rescue her from Baggy Pants.  She had come home one evening from working at the Brown Derby, a local restaurant, and found him passed out in the chair.  He had a shotgun and was waiting for her to return.  She then called mom and we quickly drove to Wheatland, on the back roads through Chugwater and over to Wheatland.  When we arrived, we found that he had also removed her tires off the car. That day she left and never returned.  From then on he was referred to as Drip.

Most nights were spent doing homework and watching television.  I never missed any of the shows on CBS.  We only could get two stations and sometimes when the sky was cloudy we could get a third.  As most of the winter was cloudy we could get good reception all winter long; even with the rabbit ears.  Mom always said that when we get some money we could get an antenna for the house so we could finally see what was on the the third channel.

I was a latchkey kid, my family had split up when I was very young and mom never remarried.  She hated dealing with the stuff that goes on with a violent family life.  After school, I'd return home with my brothers and we'd sit and watch TV until my mom or older brother came home.  It was quite good watching Star Trek or some of the shows that came on after school. 

On a very cold evening, we were all home.  Doing the usual, watching whatever came on CBS.  It could have been Dallas, or some sitcom, Alice or the Jeffersons; when we got a knock on the door.  It was a strange teenage girl.  She stood in the doorway.  I recognized her from the park earlier in the day.  She and her family had been hanging out in the Hawk Springs Park, right across from the post office. I yelled for mom.  Mom sent my older brother to talk to her.  She asked if we wanted to get rid of  one of the puppies that our dog recently had .  It sounded crazy, but when my brother was talking to her, she implied that she didn't want the puppies; but the mother dog.  I remember crying and saying that they couldn't have my dog.  Mom then sent us downstairs so they could talk with out the noise from the little kids.  I could hear them trying to take Misty from her area by the porch.  I could hear her growl and fight with whoever was trying to lead her away.  Misty would not go.

Once the car drove off, I and my smaller brother ventured back upstairs.  We were upset that they were going to give away our dog.  It all turned out that she would not go, so instead took one of the puppies. Mom was upset from the whole situation as well, she didn't trust anyone and tried to be calm about the whole matter.  My brother then told us the girl had blood on her hands and they feared what might happen.  They were trying to get whatever the girl and the people wanted and get them away from the house.  Ben, had went outside to talk to the people in the car when the mother dog would not go.

Every weekend, my brothers and I would go to Torrington to visit with my father.  We'd always get into the white International truck and head on down the road.  The truck had no radio, so my sister had sent one to my brother as a birthday gift.  The little black radio we'd listen to on the way.  We'd always hear the latest news.  On one such occasion the news anchor reported that a headless naked body was found in Wheatland.  That news had hit the playground like a storm that following Monday.

2008, I had gone to my 20 year reunion.  We had dinner at the Little Moon Lake Supper Club and spent a little time with my old classmates.  I liked seeing everyone; they  had grown and most had families that seemed to be ready to graduate from school. I stayed with my brother that weekend in Torrington.  The following morning, as I prepared to leave, my brother asked me if I remembered the incident with the girl who wanted our family dog.  I replied, Yes.  He stated that he went out to the car and remembered the men in the vehicles.  He told me to Google, Henry Lee Lucas.  He said he would never forget that face of that man in the car.