Home News Main Stories US teenager murders friend after fake online character offered her $9 million
US teenager murders friend after fake online character offered her $9 million
An online impostor, posing as a business mogul, allegedly lured an Alaskan teenager into murdering her best friend after offering her more than $9 million.
Denali Brehmer, 18, of Anchorage, is in the dock to answer to the charges of plotting the murder of Cynthia Hoffman, 19.
A Snapchat video of the murder was forwarded to an Indiana man, Darin Schilmiller, who had offered her $9m (£7m) for the heinous crime.
Court documents, that describes the two, Brehmer and Hoffman, as best friends, revealed that Brehmer confessed to the killing of Hoffman on a hiking trail in June.
The documents reveal that the murder was executed at the behest of the Indiana man she had met online months earlier, claiming to be a millionaire from Kansas.
But "Tyler" was a bogus online persona concocted by Schilmiller in trap a known as catfishing.
Investigators say they uncovered mobile phone evidence Brehmer and Schilmiller "discussing a plan to rape and murder someone in Alaska".
Brehmer then allegedly recruited four friends to help in the crime, offering to pay large sums of blood money.
Authorities say Hoffman, who was known as "CeeCee", was brought to Thunderbird Falls in Anchorage by the killers on the day of her death.
They had taken her in a pick-up truck under the guise of going hiking.
Hoffman's family said she had learning difficulties. The victim's father, Timothy Hoffman, told the Anchorage Daily News: "My daughter trusted these people. My daughter just wanted friends. Now I have to bury her."
The suspects allegedly bound Ms Hoffman's head and hands with duct tape and shot her in the back of the head before pushing her body into the Eklutna River, nearly 30 miles (48km) north of Anchorage.
Kayden McIntosh, 16, is accused of firing the fatal shot with Ms Brehmer's gun.
Caleb Leyland, 19, and a juvenile male and female, who have not been named because of their age, have also been criminally charged.
Mr Schilmiller, 4,000 miles (6,400km) away at his home in New Salisbury, Indiana, had also allegedly directed Ms Brehmer to rape the victim before killing her.
But police say there is no evidence that Ms Hoffman was sexually abused.
Prosecutors say Ms Brehmer sent video and photos to Mr Schilmiller in Indiana throughout the attack "at his directive".
The victim's clothing and personal items were allegedly destroyed by the attackers.
Brehmer is also accused of texting the victim's family after the killing to say she had been dropped off at a different park in Anchorage.
Indiana State Police interviewed Schilmiller on 9 June who confessed to duping Brehmer and discussing a second murder plot with her.
He also allegedly blackmailed Brehmer into sexually assaulting children, threatening to expose the murder of Ms Hoffman if she did not comply.
Police say that during their investigation they found sexually explicit images in the pair's text exchanges.
Brehmer has allegedly confessed to filming a video of an eight- or nine-year-old girl being sexually abused, as well as a 15-year-old, and sending them to Schilmiller.
In a criminal complaint, the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force said text messages show Mr Schilmiller directing Ms Brehmer how she should assault the teenage girl.
He is currently awaiting extradition to Alaska to face the charges.
Each of the defendants faces up to 99 years in prison if found guilty.
Cynthia Hoffman
Denali Brehmer
Previous articleSenior Stockholm school employee charged with 'gross sexual abuse' of students
Next articlePush to ban foreign languages in Sweden schools to allow integration, understanding
Mugabe was a deluded despot, death can't cleanse that
Author fears for the worst if violence in Sweden is not...
What we know about famous hacker Julian Assange arrest