The Misty Hopkins murder case is a Miami Gardens homicide in which a 39-year-old salon owner was ambushed and shot outside her business on March 19, 2021, in what prosecutors described as gang-related revenge. In December 2025, a jury convicted getaway driver James Hardwick of first-degree murder. The man investigators identified as the gunman, Joseph Christophe, is in prison on unrelated charges and has not yet been charged in her death.
The Ambush Outside Hair Free
Hopkins was walking to her waxing and laser hair removal business, Hair Free, on the second floor of the Clear View Business Center on Northwest 27th Avenue near 175th Street. She was on the phone with a friend when a man in a black hoodie approached her at the salon door. The friend heard her say, “Wow, oh, you scared me. What are you here for?” before the shots.1WSVN. South Florida Woman Shot and Killed in Broad Daylight
She was shot multiple times, including in the back of the head, according to her mother, and was pronounced dead in the second-floor hallway. The gunman ran down the stairs and west across Northwest 27th Avenue. Nothing was taken from her.2NBC Miami. Man Found Guilty in Ambush Murder of Miami Gardens Business Owner
Why Prosecutors Say She Was Killed
The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office called the killing an act of gang violence. State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said “Misty Hopkins’ innocent life was too high a price to be paid so that gang members could exact revenge against others for a perceived transgression.”3WSVN. Getaway Driver Convicted in Gang-Related Murder of Miami Gardens Salon Owner Prosecutors have not publicly named the gang or explained what the “perceived transgression” was.
Family and friends have consistently said Hopkins had nothing to do with gang activity. Her sister Melanie Wilsthire said early on that she believed the attack was “intentional” and that the perpetrators “were out to seek revenge.”1WSVN. South Florida Woman Shot and Killed in Broad Daylight
Investigation and Arrests
The case took more than a year to produce an arrest. On April 20, 2022, Miami Gardens police arrested James Hardwick, then 27, on charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, identifying him as one of the co-conspirators.4NBC Miami. Man Arrested in Connection With Murder of Miami Gardens Business Owner Investigators later identified Joseph Christophe as the alleged shooter. By the time Hardwick went to trial, Christophe was already in prison on unrelated charges.3WSVN. Getaway Driver Convicted in Gang-Related Murder of Miami Gardens Salon Owner
Hardwick’s Conviction
On December 16, 2025, a jury found Hardwick guilty of first-degree murder for his role as the getaway driver.2NBC Miami. Man Found Guilty in Ambush Murder of Miami Gardens Business Owner A prosecutor told jurors in closing, “There is not a single shred of reasonable doubt in this case. He got paid for killing Misty Hopkins for his role in a murder.”3WSVN. Getaway Driver Convicted in Gang-Related Murder of Miami Gardens Salon Owner Surveillance footage from outside Hair Free showing Hopkins in the moments before the shooting was part of the evidence.
Hardwick was convicted even though he did not fire the shots. Under Florida Statute 777.011, someone who aids, abets, or procures the commission of a crime can be charged and convicted as a principal in the first degree, regardless of whether they physically carried it out.5The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes Section 777.011 – Principal in First Degree Florida courts have applied that rule to getaway drivers who knew of the plan and acted to help carry it out.
First-degree murder in Florida carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Hardwick’s formal sentencing has not been publicly documented in available reporting.
The Alleged Shooter Has Not Been Charged
Joseph Christophe, identified by investigators as the gunman, remains uncharged in Hopkins’ killing. He is incarcerated on unrelated matters. Reporting from December 2025 indicated he “could face charges connected to this case over the coming months or years.”3WSVN. Getaway Driver Convicted in Gang-Related Murder of Miami Gardens Salon Owner Hopkins’ friend LaToya Carey said after the verdict, “We want the shooter, the one that actually took her life.”
Who Misty Hopkins Was
Hopkins was a mother of eight and the owner of Hair Free.6Local 10 News. Woman Found Shot, Killed on Second Floor of Miami Gardens Office Complex Friends described her as someone who “wouldn’t harm a fly,” and her friend Nicole Scroggins called her a “support system.”1WSVN. South Florida Woman Shot and Killed in Broad Daylight
Her brother Giovanni Young called the Hardwick verdict “bittersweet,” saying, “We don’t have our sister, but yet we have one victory.” Another brother, Jair Smith, said, “Once judgment is cast, whether by God or by the courts, they will pay a price.”3WSVN. Getaway Driver Convicted in Gang-Related Murder of Miami Gardens Salon Owner