Alaska father dies during motorcycle ride to honor daughter killed in bizarre murder-for-hire scheme

The father of one 19 year old Alaskan woman Killed in a murder-for-hire scheme in 2019, she died during a weekend memorial motorcycle ride commemorating the fifth anniversary of her death.

Timothy Hoffman, 58, lost control of his motorcycle Sunday in an area west of Wasilla and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to the Alaska State Troopers. His wife, Barbara “Jeanie” Hoffman, was on the back of the motorcycle and seriously injured, Tanya Chaison, who is engaged to Timothy Hoffman’s brother, told reporters. Anchorage Daily News.

The Hoffmans’ 19-year-old daughter, Cynthia Hoffman, was killed in a bizarre murder-for-hire plot involving Denali Brehmer, a woman Hoffman considered her best friend. Prosecutors alleged that Brehmer, then 18, began an online relationship with an Indiana man she believed to be a Kansas millionaire, Darin Schilmiller. Authorities said Schilmiller promised to pay Brehmer $9 million to kill someone and send him photos and videos of the crime. Brehmer allegedly recruited four friends to kill Hoffman.

Court documents say the group took Hoffman to Thunderbird Falls, a popular trail area north of Anchorage, and followed an off-trail path to the Eklutna River. Hoffman was tied up with duct tape, shot and thrown into the river. Brehmer then texted Hoffman’s family saying the group dropped her off at an Anchorage park, authorities said.

After Brehmer’s arrest, and after realizing that she had been deceived by Schilmiller, she told authorities that she had been solicited by him. She was sentenced earlier this year to 99 years in prison. The 99-year sentence was the maximum sentence the court was authorized to impose, according to a Press release of the Alaska Department of Law.

Schilmiller of New Salisbury, Indiana, also received a 99 year sentence for his role in Hoffman’s death. Schilmiller admitted to federal agents and Indiana State Police that she chose Hoffman as her victim and told Brehmer to kill her, according to court documents.

Caleb Leyland, another friend involved in the murder-for-hire scheme, pleaded guilty to one charge of second-degree murder in November, after charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder were dismissed. His sentencing is scheduled for this month.

According to the US Department of Justice, Schilmiller and Brehmer also conspired to coerce a minor into producing sexually explicit images. Last summer, the two pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to produce child pornography.

Timothy Hoffman’s children, including Cynthia, had developmental disabilities, and he described the steps he took to ensure they were safe, including driving them to and from school and hourly phone calls.

He attended court hearings in the case, often wearing a black leather motorcycle jacket and carrying his small support dog, Diego. He spoke at recent hearings about the pain and devastation Cynthia’s murder caused her family.

“My daughter trusted these people” he said after the murder of his daughter. “My daughter just wanted friends.”

Jeanie Hoffman began to find closure after her daughter’s death, which was one of the reasons she joined Timothy on a motorcycle Sunday, said her brother, Robert Hoffman. She has already accompanied memorial tours in another vehicle, he said.

Patrick McKay, who was the lead prosecutor in some of the criminal cases related to Cynthia Hoffman’s murder, called Timothy Hoffman a “zealous defender” of his daughter and said her sudden death was “almost too unbelievable to be true.”

“I hope his family and friends take comfort in remembering that Tim died doing something he loved, with people he loved, in memory of someone he loved,” he said.