The father of a teenage Alaskan girl who was fatally shot in a murder-for-hire plot involving the girl’s best friend five years ago died in a motorcycle crash in south-central Alaska Sunday while commemorating his late daughter, according to reports.
Timothy Hoffman Sr., 58, of Anchorage, lost control of his motorcycle and crashed around 1:32 p.m. while riding northbound on Park Highway just past South Rainbow Street in Meadow Lakes, Alaska State Troopers (AST) said Monday. Timothy and his passenger were badly injured and unresponsive. Both were transported to a hospital, where Timothy was pronounced deceased while his passenger remained in critical condition, the AST added.
“Timothy wasn’t wearing a helmet; his passenger was wearing a full-face helmet,” the AST’s statement revealed.
Hoffman’s wife Barbara “Jeannie” Hoffman was the passenger, Tanya Chaison—fiancée of Timothy Hoffman’s twin brother—told Anchorage Daily News. Barbara Hoffman broke her skull, back, and other bones, and would require multiple surgeries, Chaison reportedly added.
The bike ride — which involved about 50 people on motorcycles and in other vehicles — was in commemoration of the Hoffmans’ 19-year-old daughter Cynthia’s death in a murder-for-millions catfishing plot, according to Anchorage Daily News. Barbara Hoffman reportedly was on the ride for the first time since Cynthia’s death in 2019 as she was just starting to find closure regarding her bereavement. The commemorative ride also involved a stop at the area where Cynthia Hoffman was killed. Cynthia Hoffman and her five siblings were developmentally disabled but well looked after, the outlet reported.
Cynthia Hoffman’s best friend, Denali Brehmer, four other teenagers and a young adult “intentionally caused the death of Cynthia Hoffman” on or around Jun. 2, 2019, prosecutors alleged, according to a court document.
Brehmer, then 18, was in an online relationship with Darin Schilmiller, then 21, of Indiana, who posed as a millionaire under a fake photograph and name, “Tyler” from Kansas, and Brehmer identified as “Angel,” according to the allegations in the court document. Both allegedly discussed raping and murdering someone in Alaska. Schilmiller promised Brehmer at least $9 million to murder someone and send him the photographs and/or video of the murder, prosecutors further alleged. Brehmer allegedly willingly recruited four friends — Caleb Leyland, then 19, and Kayden McIntosh, then 16 and two juveniles — into the scheme. The group selected Cynthia Hoffman as the prospective murder victim, according to the allegations.
Brehmer allegedly drove Hoffman, Leyland and McIntosh in Leyland’s vehicle to Thunderbird Falls in Chugiak, Alaska, under the pretext of hiking. They bound up and gagged Hoffman with duct tape at an off-trail clearing near the Eklutna River, and McIntosh fatally shot Hoffman using Brehmer’s gun, according to the allegations. The three suspects then dumped Hoffman’s body into the river and Brehmer sent Schilmiller videos and/or photographs of the murder, prosecutors further alleged. The suspect destroyed some of Hoffman’s personal effects and Brehmer texted Hoffman’s family saying they had dropped Hoffman off at Polar Bear Park in Anchorage, the allegations continued. Brehmer also allegedly deleted her chats with Schilmiller.
Brehmer, Leyland, McIntosh and Schilmiller later admitted their roles in the crimes in separate police interviews, prosecutors alleged. Schilmiller also allegedly admitted to plotting another murder with Brehmer and to attempting to blackmail Brehmer into raping people after Hoffman’s murder. (RELATED: Woman Pleads ‘Guilty But Mentally Ill’ To Kidnapping, Killing Autistic Teen)
Schilmiller allegedly produced and attempted to receive child pornography on the day after Hoffman’s murder, for which he was also arrested, according to the prosecutors. Brehmer and Schilmiller pleaded guilty Jul. 2023 to child pornography charges, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said. Brehmer received the maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release Mar. 4, while Schilmiller was awaiting sentencing, according to the DOJ.
Schilmiller and Brehmer each bagged 99-year-long prison sentences in January and February respectively, according to Alaska’s Department of Law and the Anchorage Police Department. Leyland will be sentenced Jun. 10, while McIntosh was awaiting trial, Alaska’s Department of Law said.
