An Alaska woman was sentenced to 99 years in prison on Monday, more than four years after she killed a teen in a murder-for-hire plot that was a hoax.
Denali Brehmer, 24, was 18 on June 2, 2019, when she and a group of friends lured Cynthia Hoffman, 19, to the Eklutna River and shot her execution-style. Must Read Alaska reported that the group then dumped her body in the river, where it was found days later.
READ: $9 million entices group of teens to savagely slay special needs ‘best friend’
Hoffman reportedly had developmental disabilities and considered Brehmer a close friend. Two days after being reported missing by her father, Hoffman was found dead on a bank at the Eklutna River in Anchorage, lying lifeless on the desolate bank. Police said her feet and hands were bound with tape and she was shot once in the back of the head.
Noah Schilmiller — a 21-year-old online catfish from Indiana — offered Brehmer $9 million to film a murder. He also solicited pornography from Brehemer, leading to additional charges. Brehmer was in an online relationship with Schilmiller, who claimed to be a millionaire from Kansas named Tyler, according to People.
Alaska Native News reported that Schilmiller was sentenced last month to 99 years for his role in Hoffman’s slaying.
According to Must Read Alaska, the sentencing judge in Brehmer’s case reviewed footage of Hoffman duct taped on the ground before her murder.
The tape is “one of the most difficult pieces of evidence I’ve had to watch in this position,” Anchorage Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson said.
The person accused of fatally shooting Hoffman, Kayden McIntosh, is awaiting trial. He was 16 at the time of the murder. A fourth accomplice, Caleb Leyland, pleaded guilty in November to second-degree murder. His sentencing is scheduled for June.
*Additional reporting by Leigh Egan
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[Featured image: Cynthia Hoffman/Facebook]
