Brittany Shante Robinson was only 14 years old when she vanished on June 14th, 2012. She was last seen in Mobile, Alabama, after her aunt dropped her off at the home of her father, Demetric Hooper. Brittany was only supposed to be with her father for a two-day visit, but she never returned home and has never been seen or heard from again. Demetric fled Mobile immediately following Brittany’s disappearance. A warrant for his arrest was issued six weeks later.
Investigators were finally able to track Demetric down in September 2012, at a mental health facility in Arkansas. He suffered from both schizophrenia and drug addiction and had previously been in-and-out of treatment centers in Alabama for years. During September 2012, Demetric reportedly was seeking treatment for his schizophrenia. Once police tracked him down, they confirmed that Brittany was not with Demetric in Arkansas. He was then arrested and charged with felony custodial interference.
After Demetric’s arrest, investigators determined that he had been in Arkansas since July. However, in the weeks following Brittany’s disappearance, he traveled to multiple different locations throughout the southeastern United States. On July 7th, 2012, Demetric took a bus from Memphis, Tennessee to Arkansas, and it was determined that Brittany was not with him during said trip.
When police finally tracked him down, they found Brittany’s iPod, knives, and a rope in his possession. However, Brittany herself still remained missing.
-
The custodial interference charges.
The custodial interference charges.
Demetric continuously denied harming his daughter. A search of his home provided no evidence of Brittany’s whereabouts. Due to this, police were unable to charge Demetric with anything related to Brittany’s disappearance, but they still pursued the custodial interference charges.
After initially denying those charges as well, Demetric ended up pleading guilty to custodial inference in August 2014. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison but was released in 2016 after serving two years.
A cold case turns to sudden charges.
As the years ticked by without any sign of Brittany, her father Demetric Hooper remained the main person of interest. Still - investigators seemingly did not have enough evidence to prove that he harmed Brittany. Brittany's disappearance quickly faded into a cold case.
Then, in February 2024, it was announced that a grand jury had indicted Demetric Hooper for Brittany's murder. The charges came nearly 12 years after Brittany's disappearance. At the time of the indictment, Demetric was already in custody in Oklahoma on unrelated charges. Prosecutors announced that he would face the murder charges in Alabama.
After Demetric's arrest, it appeared that Brittany's loved ones were one step closer to finding answers and justice. Unfortunately, the answers and justice would never come to fruition.
The trial.
Demetric Hooper's murder trial began in early June 2025. It was noted during trial that no forensic evidence was ever found that linked Demetric to murder. In fact, there was no forensic evidence to prove that Brittany was no longer alive.
Prosecutors noted that, due to Brittany's age at the time of her disappearance, and due to the fact that her father was the last person to see her alive, it is probable that her father killed Brittany and hid her remains. However, investigators had never found Brittany's body, nor did they find any physical evidence that she had been harmed.
It appears that the prosecution was unable to present a case that proved Demetric's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The jury subsequently found him not guilty for Brittany's murder. As of today, Demetric Hooper is no longer facing any criminal charges related to his daughter's disappearance.
An unsolved disappearance.
Brittany remains missing today. Questions about her fate still remain. Though many believe that Demetric Hooper is, in fact, responsible for his daughter's disappearance, he can no longer face murder charges related to her case.
Brittany's disappearance is still considered an open and unsolved case. If you have any information that could lead to her whereabouts, please contact the Mobile Police Department at 251-208-1700.
-
Sources:
Al.com, (2)
Charley Project
No comments:
Post a Comment