Where is Joy Major Hoop? Details explored ahead of Evil Lives Here on IDfc

Investigation Discovery's Evil Lives Here is set to release a new episode that will take a look at how Joy Major Hoop planned her husband, Donald Hoop's murder. Joy, who was described as a controlling and violent wife, killed her husband in 1997. However, it is a chilling reminder even today about how a wrong relationship could even lead to one's death.

After she was convicted of her husband's murder, Joy was sentenced to life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 25 years. She is currently incarcerated at the Dayton Correctional Institution in Ohio.

Evil Lives Here season 15 episode 5 covers this case in detail. It is set to air on Sunday, September 22, 2024. The synopsis for the case reads:

"After her father, Donald Hoop, meets a woman named Joy, Desiree's life spirals; Joy is hot-tempered, cruel, and controlling; Desiree knows her dad can't escape his toxic marriage, but she has no clue that Joy is orchestrating a cold-blooded murder."

Ahead of the episode, let's find out what happened to Donald Hoop.

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What happened to Donald Hoop?

Donald Hoop was killed in a murder-for-hire scheme (Image via Pexels)

Donald Hoop, a resident of Brown County, Ohio, was in a toxic relationship with Joy Major Hoop, whom his daughter deemed to be ill-tempered, cruel, and controlling. However, Donald married her and it started a chain of events that would eventually see him dying from a gunshot wound.

On February 10, 1997, very early in the morning, Deputy Buddy Moore of the Brown County Sheriff's Office noticed a suspicious truck leaving Slammers Bar in Mt. Orab. Almost immediately following this, the Brown County 911 dispatcher received a distressed call from the Slammers parking lot, reporting a shooting.

When the authorities arrived, Joy Major Hoop was leaning over the dead body of Donald Hoop, who was killed by a gunshot wound. The authorities called for assistance, but Hoop was already dead.

Soon, the police reached the park where Deputy Moore had seen the suspicious-looking truck parked. Kathy Kerr, the homeowner, answered the door and pointed them toward the bathroom when they inquired about the driver of the truck.

In the bathroom, the police found Carl G. Lindsey trying to wash himself off. He had blood-soaked clothes, a pocket knife, and ammunition. They also found Donald's wallet, which had over $ 1,000 in cash, in the trailer. The police also discovered a .22 caliber automatic pistol.

Lindsey was taken in and the police also took Joy with them. On questioning, Joy admitted that she, Lindsey, Kathy, and Kenneth Swinford had talked about killing Donald Hoop earlier that day, but she did not believe that it would actually happen. She allegedly claimed that it was a joke.

But given the toxicity in their relationship and how others perceived Joy Major Hoop, it was hardly unlikely that she would have her husband murdered.

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Where is Joy Major Hoop now?

Donald Hoop's murderers were caught and promised (Image via Pexels)

Joy Major Hoop continued to protest her innocence after the murder of her husband, but the amount of evidence against her was enough for the jury to find her guilty. Joy was charged with four counts, conspiracy with Carl Lindsey to commit the murder, and three different theories of complicity with Lindsey in the murder.

She was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment with parole eligibility after twenty-five years. She remains incarcerated at Dayton Correctional Institution in Ohio.

As for Lindsey, he was given the death penalty for his role in the murder of Donald Hoop.

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The upcoming episode of Investigation Discovery's Evil Lives Here will cover this case in more detail.