KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A Kalamazoo man is now behind bars, years after he sexually assaulted a teenager in 2005.

Shawn Darnell Robinson Hopkins, 39, was sentenced to 12-50 years on two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in Kalamazoo County Wednesday, according to Attorney General Dana Nessel.

This comes two months after Hopkins was convicted of the charges in December.

“After so many years following this tragic assault, I hope this sentence will bring a sense of justice to the victim,” Nessel said. “Her courage to come forward and seek accountability for her abuser is truly commendable. I am, as always, thankful for the Kalamazoo SAKI unit in pursuing justice for her and many other survivors of cold-case sexual assaults.”

Two decades prior, Hopkins gave a teenager, 14, alcohol and marijuana before he sexually assaulted her, according to Nessel.

The girl met Hopkins through a friend hours before the assault, and only knew him by his street name, "Chicago," officials said.

Hopkins, who has a history of violence with family members and intimate partners dating back to the early 2000s, discovered he was under investigation and fled to Chicago after the assault, according to Nessel.

He remained hidden under more than a half-dozen aliases, but after DNA testing in 2022, was eventually identified.

Hopkins ultimately turned himself in on Feb. 3, 2023, officials said.

At Wednesday's sentencing, the survivor told the court her "childhood was stolen," and "altered her adult life."

"I sometimes wonder how my life could have been had I not had such a traumatic thing happen to me. I want nothing more than to go back in time and have a healthy childhood like everyone deserves but that’s not what I was dealt in life," the survivor said. "I’m now 33-years-old and the images of what happened to me as a child will never go away. I’ve been to therapy and though it’s a coping mechanism, it’s not ever going to stop me from remembering the things this man has done to me when I was only a child.”

She continued, "“I still need help dealing with this trauma that may never go away but I pray for my own deliverance from the pain and suffering that I’ve went through and still go through. Even though the case is over, and trial is done, and all the lawyers and jury and everyone who watched during trial gets to move on with life, this incident is something I’ll never forget.”

The Kalamazoo Sexual Assault Kit Initiative assisted in the investigation.