FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A man charged in the killing of an 18-year-old woman nearly two years ago in Fort Collins pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder.
Steven McNeil, now 22, had initially faced a first-degree murder charge but that charge was amended to second-degree murder. Other domestic violence-related counts were dismissed as part of the plea deal, court records show.
Officers were called to 525 East Drake Rd. on Feb. 6, 2021, after someone called Fort Collins Police to report an unconscious woman in a parking lot. The woman, identified as 18-year-old Danielle Hopton died from her injuries, which according to police were consistent with an assault.
McNeil who had a previous relationship with Hopton was identified as a suspect and arrested the next day.
He had several other criminal cases and also pleaded guilty on Wednesday to an assault charge related to an incident in December of 2020.
Sentencing for both cases is set for March 24.
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