Edwin M. Hipp, 85, of Arnold, who shot and killed his 82-year-old wife in 2016, was placed on five years' probation, as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, according to court records.
In December 2018, Hipp pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and on Wednesday (Feb. 20), Jefferson County Div. 5 Circuit Judge Victor Melenbrink sentenced him to 20 years. However, the sentence was suspended, and he was placed on probation, which the plea deal called for, court documents show.
Arnold City Councilman Vern Sullivan, the brother of the victim, said he and his family are disappointed with the sentence.
“The family is extremely upset. We felt more time should have been served,” he said. “It was very traumatic for the family.
Initially, Hipp was charged with one count of second-degree murder, a class A felony punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison, as well as with armed criminal action, an unclassified felony that carries a minimum penalty of three years. However, the armed criminal charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement, court papers indicated.
According to the agreement, Hipp is only allowed to leave his home for doctor appointments, legal matters and probation visits, a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Circuit Court Criminal Department said.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Douglas Scott Pribble handled the case.
Hipp’s attorney, Daris Clinton Almond Jr., did not return a call for comment.
On March 31, 2016, Hipp shot his wife, Irma Hipp, at their home in the 3500 block of St. Martin Drive in Arnold, the probable-cause statement said.
After Arnold Police arrived at the home, Edwin Hipp told officers he and his wife argued, and she got a handgun from the living room, but he took it away and shot her in the abdomen. Hipp said he then placed the gun against his wife’s neck, and she tried to push his arm away, scratching him as he shot her a second time, the report said.
Hipp said he unloaded the two spent rounds from the gun and set them on the kitchen counter, where officers found them. Police also found blood stains on the kitchen counter, the kitchen floor and the living room recliner. Hipp said he may have sat down on the recliner in the living room after the shooting but eventually went downstairs, where officers found him, according to the report.
In the statement, Hipp said he did not call emergency personnel to the scene. However, his brother-in-law, Sullivan, told police that Hipp called him at about 5:10 a.m. and said, “You need to come over today at some time,” the report said.
Hipp admitted to police that he had called Sullivan, according to the report.