After a man she met online offered to pay her $9 million if she brought him pictures and videos of her killing her "best friend," an Alaska woman admitted pleaded guilty.
Denali Brehmer, 22, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to first-degree murder in the killing of Cynthia Hoffman in June 2019.
Hoffman, 19, was killed after getting shot in the back of her head. Her body was then dumped in the Eklutna River.
Brehmer, who was 18 years old at the time of the murder, allegedly began making plans for the killing after a man she met online promised to pay her money in exchange for proof that she had killed someone.
Authorities claimed that although Brehmer started dating the man she knew as "Tyler," yet unbeknownst to her he was actually a Catfisher assuming the identity of a millionaire from Kansas. In reality, his real name is Darin Schilmiller, an Indiana native.
Court records stated Brehmer and Schilmiller began preparing for various crimes in exchange for moned, including the "rape and murder of someone in Alaska."
Authorities stated Brehmer picked Hoffman as the victim and enlisted the aid of four friends: Kayden McIntosh, Caleb Leyland, and two other minors who have not been identified. Brehmer promised them "large portions of money" in exchange for their assistance in killing Hoffman.
According to the authorities, Hoffman was duped into visiting Thunderbird Falls by Brehmer and two of the youngsters under the pretense of a hiking expedition. According to court filings, they bound her wrists, feet, and mouth with duct tape, shot her in the back of the head, and threw her body in the river.
Brehmer allegedly texted pictures and videos to Schilmiller as the murder was being committed.
The group texted Hoffman's parents after killing her to inform them they had dropped her off at a park. At that time they were also busy destroying some of her personal items. According to the police, Hoffman had not been sexually assaulted.
Brehmer "accepted the facts included in the complaint initially filed in the matter," the Alaska Department of Law stated on Wednesday.