The father of an Alaska woman who was killed in a 2019 murder-for-hire plan died over the weekend while on a motorcycle ride to remember her. It was the fifth anniversary of her death.
According to the Anchorage Daily News, 58-year-old Timothy Hoffman lost control of his motorcycle on Sunday near Wasilla. He was later declared dead by Alaska State Troopers. The newspaper said that his wife, Barbara “Jeanie” Hoffman, was riding on the back of the motorcycle with Tanya Chaison, who is engaged to Timothy Hoffman’s brother. Chaison was badly hurt.
Denali Brehmer, who Hoffman thought of as her best friend, was involved in a catfish plan that killed their 19-year-old daughter Cynthia Hoffman. Authorities say Brehmer started dating Darin Schilmiller, an Indiana man who said he was a millionaire from Kansas, online. He told her he would pay her $9 million to kill someone and send him pictures and videos of the crime.
Hoffman’s body was discovered on June 2, 2019, in Chugiak on the Eklutna River. In the end, she was found bound with duct tape after being shot and killed. Police say that Brehmer sent Schilmiller pictures and videos of the killing.
She reportedly asked four friends to help her kill him. They were Kayden McIntosh, Caleb Leyland, and two teenagers. Hoffman was killed because they made her think she was meeting up with them for a hike at Thunderbird Falls trail.
Brehmer was given a 99-year prison term earlier this year. Schilmiller from New Salisbury, Indiana, got 99 years in prison for his part in Hoffman’s death as well. Court records show that Schilmiller told federal officers and the Indiana State Police that he picked Hoffman as the victim and told Brehmer to kill her. Late this year, two more people involved in the case will be sentenced.
There was a “catfish” murder-for-hire plan in 2019 that led to the death of 19-year-old Cynthia Hoffman. An Indiana man offered fake millions of dollars for a video of someone being killed. Teenagers from Alaska bit the bait.
Timothy Hoffman often wore a black leather biker jacket to court and brought his small service dog, Diego, with him.
Some of the criminal cases connected to Cynthia Hoffman’s death were led by Patrick McKay. He said that Timothy Hoffman was a “zealous advocate” for his daughter and that his sudden death was “almost too unbelievable to be true.”
