Denali Brehmer: Alaska woman who killed her best friend after catfish offers her $9M to murder someone pleads guilty
CHUGIAK, ALASKA: A woman who killed her 19-year-old "best friend" in 2019 by falling for a catfish online, has reportedly pled guilty. Denali Brehmer, 22, reportedly came in contact with a man pretending to be a millionaire, who offered her $9M to kill someone. On Wendesday, February 15, she pled guilty to the first-degree murder of Cynthia Hoffman.
Brehmer decided to accept the crime of murdering Hoffman, who had 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, per KTUU.
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The tragic fate of Cynthia Hoffman
The incident happened in June 2019, when Hoffman was reported missing during a hike with Brehmer and another friend at Thunderbird Falls in Chugiak. A couple of days later, her body was discovered on the banks of the Eklutna River, bound with duct tape with a bullet hole at the back of her head.
It was only during the investigation that authorities came to know about Brehmer's online relationship with a man, who called himself "Tyler" and claimed to be a millionaire from Kansas, court records showed. The records also stated he allegedly offered her $9M to kill someone, and send him pictures and videos of the murder.
An Indiana man, posing as a millionaire online, allegedly promised Alaskan teen Denali Brehmer “$9 million” if she killed her “best friend” & sent pictures of the crime.
— Dillon Huffman (@DillonHuffmanTV) June 20, 2019
Cynthia Hoffman was shot in the head and dumped into a river, prosecutors say. @wnct9 pic.twitter.com/lBpqVIqjv1
Brehmer, who was then 18 at the time, drove Hoffman to Thunderbird Falls with another friend, Kayden McIntosh, then 16. Police said that the duo duct taped her and took pictures of her before the fatally shooting her. According to online court records, McIntosh and Brehmer were each charged with one count of murder and one count of tampering with evidence.
Who else was involved?
Along with the aforementioned duo, two juveniles, one male and another female, whose names have not been disclosed, "were involved in the planning of this homicide with Brehmer and McIntosh," according to 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. As per the documents obtained by The Alaska Star, Leyland allegedly told the police officers that he helped Brehmer in carrying out the crime and even lent his SUV to her to commit the crime.
Who is Darin Schilmiller?
The catfish, Darin Schilmiller of Indiana, was charged with allegedly coming up with the plan to kill Hoffman in 2019. The 21-year-old was indicted 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 by an Anchorage grand jury according to a statement from the Alaska Department of Law.
Schilmiller pled not guilty to all counts in August that year. Alaska Public Media reported that he was extradited to Alaska on November 24, 2022, and awaits trial in jail. Brehmer will be sentenced on August 22. She faces 30 to 99 years in prison.
Hoffman's father, Timothy, said that his daughter considered Brehmer her "best friend" after they met in high school. "The only thing I know is that my daughter trusted these people," Timothy said in court in 2019, KTVA reported. He added, "My daughter just wanted friends, and now I have to bury her. And that is wrong."