Tennessee Man Accused of Violently Attacking and Slitting His Wife’s Throat Before Police Found Her Dead on Side of Road

Authorities in Tennessee say a man has been charged with the murder of his wife, who was found with her throat cut next to the couple’s vehicle along a rural road.

On April 2, witnesses told authorities they saw 36-year-old Benjamina Wayne Hopson leaving the scene “naked, wet and having blood on his hand and body,” according to an arrest warrant obtained by WATE.

Police found him a short distance away from the body of his wife, 49-year-old Lori Ann Hopson, who worked as a corrections officer in charge of the kitchen at the Claiborne County Jail.

Officials said Hopson “violently attacked” and “used a knife to unlawfully kill his wife” inside the couple’s vehicle as they traveled along Barren Creek Road in New Tazewell.

According to the warrant, the vehicle went down an embankment, which is when Hopson cut his wife’s throat and left her body lying on the ground next to the vehicle.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced they have charged Hopson with criminal homicide in connection with his wife’s death.

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On April 9, he was arraigned and ordered to remain in jail until after his wife’s funeral. If he then posts the $1 million bond, he is ordered to have no contact with the victim’s family, authorities said.

According to the TBI, Hopson was already in jail on “other charges” when he was arrested for his wife’s murder. However, it’s not clear what those other charges were.