You might think anyone who could kill his own infant child is a monster, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're nuts.
Enter 27-year-old Brian Hopf, accused of murdering his 3-week-old daughter in September 2009 and now officially competent to stand trial for first-degree murder.
A court-ordered competency hearing for Hopf concluded that the alleged kid killer is capable of going to trial for the murder of his daughter, Isabella.
Hopf was arrested after Isabella was admitted to a Chandler hospital with life-threatening injuries, including multiple skull fractures, fractured ribs, and trauma to her body.
Police told New Times at the time that the baby was unresponsive when she was admitted to the hospital. She died a week later.
Police also found evidence of sexual abuse on the girl's body, including injuries to her inner thighs and genitals.
Hopf, an admitted meth user, told police he accidentally dropped the baby and poked her in the eye while feeding her, causing her to cry so hard she stopped breathing. Hopf claimed he started chest compressions on the girl, which may have caused some of the bruising. However, when the baby stopped breathing, he didn't bother to call an ambulance or alert any of the other four adults in the home at the time.
The baby wasn't brought to the hospital until her mother noticed a large bruise on her eye.
Hopf has a history of domestic violence with the baby's mother. He also completed two years' probation for a credit-card-theft conviction.
Hopf's next court appearance is scheduled for Friday.
