A TEEN allegedly killed her “best friend” after a man she met online offered to pay her $9million (£7.2million) to murder someone. Cynthia ‘CeeCee’ Hoffman, 19, was shot in the back of the head and her body was dumped in a river in Alaska. Her supposed best friend Denali Brehmer, 18, allegedly recruited four other […]
A TEEN allegedly killed her “best friend” after a man she met online offered to pay her $9million (£7.2million) to murder someone.
Cynthia ‘CeeCee’ Hoffman, 19, was shot in the back of the head and her body was dumped in a river in Alaska.
Her supposed best friend Denali Brehmer, 18, allegedly recruited four other teens to help plan and carry out the killing.
Prosecutors believe Brehmer was “catfished” by Darin Schilmiller, 21, who posed as a millionaire named “Tyler” online.
Schilmiller promised millions of dollars to the teens in exchange for images of a killing, new charges against him claim.
He was interviewed by federal agents on June 10 during which he admitted to orchestrating the plan, court documents say.
Authorities also claim that Schilmiller tried to blackmail Brehmer into raping someone after the murder.
There was no evidence to indicate that Hoffman was sexually assaulted.
Brehmer, 18, her friends Kayden McIntosh, 16, and Caleb Leyland, 19, along with two other teens were arrested and charged over her murder earlier this month.
Investigators claim the five teens started planning the killing at some point in May or early June and selected Cynthia as the victim.
Cynthia’s family say she had the mental age of a 12-year-old because of a developmental disability.
The 19-year-old had previously described Brehmer as her “best friend,” according to family members.
The pair had met when they were both students at Service High School.
The teens told cops each of them was supposed to receive a share of Schilmiller’s promised reward for their role in the killing.
Leyland, who is accused of lending his car to Brehmer and McIntosh to use in the killing, told police he was promised $500,000, according to documents in the case.
Investigators believe Brehmer sent Snapchat videos and photos to Schilmiller that showed Hoffman bound with duct tape.
She also sent images of Hoffman’s body after the killing, the charges say.
Prosecutors say Brehmer and McIntosh tricked Cynthia into driving with them to Thunderbird Falls in Chugiak on June 2 after claiming they were going on a hiking trip.
Once they arrived, they went off the trail until they came to a clear, where McIntosh and Brehmer allegedly duct taped Hoffman’s hands, feet and mouth.
McIntosh then used Brehmer’s 9mm handgun to shoot Cynthia once in the head before pushing her body into the river, according to the charges.
Misleading texts were then sent to Cynthia’s family claiming she had been dropped off at Polar Bear Park.
Prosecutors say that Brehmer learned she was being catfished after the killing.
A ‘catfish’ is someone who fakes an online persona, often to scam money out of people.
McIntosh has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder and evidence tampering.
Brehmer has been charged with first-degree murder.
The owner of the car, Caleb Leyland, 19, and two juveniles, a male and female, are also charged with conspiracy in the case.
Cynthia’s family has said her developmental disability made her vulnerable.
“All I know is that my daughter didn’t deserve all this,” her father Timothy Hoffman said.
“She should have had the friends that she wanted. She shouldn’t have had people that wanted to plot against her. And the ages of these people? I think it is sick.”
