A Grenada woman became emotional after she learned her fate, and the family of a Grenada County man can finally start a long-awaited healing process as three people have been sentenced in the death of Willie Hooper, Jr.
Hooper died in November 2018 and his body was found disposed of down a well off of Highway 404 in Duck Hill. Earlier reports state the land where Hopper’s body was found is the property of Monique Lott’s. Lott was sentenced to 40 years for second-degree murder in connection with Hooper’s death.
Lott’s sentence comes after a recent three-day trial was held in Grenada on March 25. Assistant District Attorney Adam Hopper said it was the “most heinous crime that I’ve seen in a while…” Hopper said that Lott knew what she was doing and admitted herself that she along with her brother, Mack Lott and Marquize Tillmon rode around looking for Hooper, Jr.
“They knew where he would be at, they hid their vehicle and they waited for him,” Hopper said. It was the state’s argument that Lott was the trigger woman and had intent after she had an altercation with Hooper, Jr.
Lott’s attorney Brad Daginault argued that while he didn’t condone his client’s actions or the decisions she made, it spiraled out of control. According to reports from 2018, Lott was dating a woman that was Hooper’s ex-girlfriend. Daginault said Lott and Hooper had an altercation.
“She did go looking for him, but she just wanted to rough him up,” Daginault argued. He said there was undisputed evidence that Lott was not the shooter, but Tillmon was the shooter. He said it was Tillmon that told Lott that she’d better help to dispose of Hooper’s body or she would be the next body that Tillmon would have to dispose.
He said that state had nothing to connect Lott to being the trigger woman and that it was uncontradicted.
The state argued that even if Tillmon did tell her that, Lott was the one that disposed of the gun. Assistant DA Adam Hopper said it was by Lott’s own confession that she stated she threw the gun into a river. The state also argued that it was Lott that enlisted the assistance of Tillmon to help her.
Adam Hopper also argued that Hooper would still be alive if Lott had not made the decisions that she did.
He also said after the trial when everyone was leaving the courtroom, Lott threatened a witness, Sheena Williams. “Mrs. Lott said that she would 'get her back' for testifying against her,” Hopper said. He said that Lott went to her home and retrieved a .380 gun, the same gun that was used to kill Willie Hooper, Jr.
The state also argued that it was not Lott’s first time choosing to exact violence on someone. They stated that she was convicted of aggravated assault for shooting Latasha Hardiman in the leg with the same kind of gun, a .380 pistol.
Mitchell said that before sentencing he received Lott’s criminal information and saw that she had “numerous involvements” with the police.
“Mrs. Lott, I take no pleasure in doing what I’m about to do,” Judge George Mitchell said. “But, I sentence you to 40 under the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.”
As Lott exited with Grenada County transporters she began to become emotional and cry as she exited the courtroom.
Lott’s co-defendant Tillmon received a lesser sentence and took a plea for 20 years on a charge of manslaughter. Tillmon represented by Tarik Johnson, was also sentenced to five years for possession of a controlled substance inside of a correctional facility. Tillmon was found to be in possession of methamphetamine while in the Grenada County Jail.
Lott’s brother Mack Lott was sentenced Thursday in the Montgomery County Circuit Court. Lott pleaded guilty to accessory to after the fact of murder. He was sentenced to five years of probation.
