In a horrible case of ‘Online Catfishing’, a 22-year old woman pleaded guilty to murdering her 19-year old best friend in 2019, after a man online offered her $9 million dollars to kill someone.
According to a statement released by Alaska Department of Law on Wednesday, Denali Brehmer of Anchorage pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.
Brehmer agreed to plead guilty to murdering Cynthia Hoffman, 19, a teen with developmental disabilities, in exchange for having five other charges against her dropped.
“She was charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, solicitation to commit murder in the first degree, two different theories of murder in the second degree, and tampering with evidence,” State Prosecutor Patrick McKay said.
The charges stemmed from June 2019, when Hoffman went missing during a hike with Brehmer and another friend at Thunderbird Falls in Chugiak, Alaska.
Her body was found two days later on the banks of the Eklutna River, bound with duct tape and shot in the back of the head.
After thoroughly investigating the horrific crime, police learned that Brehmer had started an online relationship with a man who said his name was “Tyler” and who claimed he was a millionaire from Kansas.
The man had offered her $9 million to kill someone and send him pictures and video of the slaying. Brehmer, then 18-years old, and Kayden McIntosh, then 16-years old, drove Hoffman to Thunderbird Falls.
They both duct taped Hoffman and took pictures of her before McIntosh shot her in the back of the head.
McIntosh and Brehmer were each charged with one count of murder and one count of tampering with evidence.
Two juveniles, a male and female whose names were withheld because they are minors, were involved in the planning of this homicide with Brehmer and McIntosh,” read the police report.
Caleb Leyland, then 19, was also arrested for one count of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit murder and multiple counts of sexual assault with a minor.
Leyland told police, “I helped plot Hoffman’s murder and lent my SUV to Brehmer to commit the crime.”
McIntosh and Leyland’s cases are still pending.
In 2019, Darin Schilmiller of Indiana was charged with allegedly coming up with the plan to kill Hoffman.
An Anchorage grand jury indicted then-21-year-old Schilmiller on charges of murder in the first degree, conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree and two counts of murder in the second degree.
In Aug. 2019, he pleaded not guilty to all counts. Now 24, Schilmiller was extradited to Alaska, where he remains jailed and is awaiting trial.
Brehmer will be sentenced on Aug. 22 and her plea agreement did not include a specific term of imprisonment. However, she faces a sentence of 30 to 99 years in prison.
The victim’s family said that she had a learning disability, this caused her to function at a younger developmental age than 19.
Hoffman’s father, Timothy Hoffman, said, “My daughter considered Brehmer to be her best friend after they met in high school. The only thing I know is that my daughter trusted these people. My daughter just wanted friends, and now I have to bury her. And that is wrong.”
