This is one of the most shocking crimes we’ve ever heard about — not just for the violence and depravity, but over the inanity of the motive.
The case of the murder of Alaskan teen Cynthia Hoffman (above) started out horrific — but it’s taken more and more disturbing turns over the past couple weeks.
[Trigger Warning: Graphic Content Ahead]
The body of the 19-year-old was found on a hiking trail on June 4. She had been bound with duct tape and shot in the back of the head.
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But it wasn’t some stranger in a mask, some unknown monster who killed her. It was the girl she called her “BFF” in a recent post on Instagram. It was her friends.
In total, five teens have been arrested for the murder.
According to indictments in the case, which were released last week, 18-year-old Denali Brehmer (above, right) confessed to her part in the crime.
She told police she and a 16-year-old boy named Kayden McIntosh (whose name has been released as he’s being tried as an adult) borrowed a friend’s truck with the express purpose of kidnapping and murdering their pal Cynthia, or CeCe as they called her.
They drove their friend to the park. Brehmer produced a gun but couldn’t pull the trigger herself. According to the charging documents:
“Brehmer told [a detective] that after Cynthia was tied up, she handed [McIntosh] the gun and told him to shoot her because she couldn’t do it, and he shot her.”
He did. He killed her.
Then the two drove to another park where they burned CeCe’s personal belongings, as well as throwing the gun in the fire.
In the hours CeCe was missing, Brehmer messaged her parents (who believed her name was “Angela”), saying:
“I hope she comes home safely she’s my best friend.”
Chilling.
After a brief investigation, Brehmer admitted all of this. She and McIntosh are being charged with first degree murder and evidence tampering.
Their friend who lent them the truck, Caleb Leyland, faces charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. According to police, he and two juvenile suspects — a male and a female — were all present at the planning of the crime and are all being charged.
But… WHY???
The answer brought in the FBI, in search of a man who called himself “Tyler” from Kansas.
Tyler met Denali on the Internet and told her he was rich and trying to buy child porn. He told her he would pay for any photos and videos she could make for him.
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She went for it.
Police found sexually explicit photos Denali had sent to Tyler on her phone. According to feds, he convinced her to exploit girls she knew, including a 15-year-old and one who was 8 or 9.
In fact, as part of the investigation, police discovered Leyland, the guy with the truck, had sexually assaulted the minor female suspect as well.
Tyler eventually asked for more, telling Denali he would pay her $9 million to “rape and murder” a girl and send him video and photos. Denali agreed and planned it with her friends. Leyland was supposed to get $500,000 just for the use of his vehicle. They all thought they’d be rich.
The thing is…
There is no Tyler from Kansas!
The FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force found out “Tyler” was actually a man named Darin Schilmiller (above, left).
He’s not from Kansas, he’s from Indiana, he’s only 21 years old, and no — he is not a multimillionaire. He couldn’t have paid these kids nine mil even if he’d wanted to.
Schilmiller is in FBI custody facing child pornography charges and will eventually be extradited to Alaska to answer for his part in the killing.
It’s unclear if Brehmer will face sexual assault or child pornography charges. But she probably should be. She did these things.
She did all these things. For money that wasn’t there.
[Image via KTVA/Facebook.]
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