An Alaskan teenager has been charged with conspiring to murder her friend after a man she met online offered her $9 million (£7m) to commit the crime.
Denali Brehmer, 18, struck up a friendship with a man she believed to be “Tyler”, a wealthy businessman from Kansas.
The man was in fact 21-year-old Darin Schilmiller of Indiana.
The pair spoke online about a plan to rape and murder someone in Alaska, sending Schilmiller videos and photos of the act in exchange for the money.
Brehmer then recruited a group of friends, and they chose their victim – Cynthia Hoffman, 19, described as one of Brehmer’s best friends, who her father said had a learning disability and the mental age of a 12 year-old.
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Police said the teenagers agreed to help carry out the murder and in exchange, “all of them would receive a significant sum of money for their part in the planning and/or execution of the murder.”
On June 2 Hoffman was lured to a hiking trail, Thunderbird Falls, northeast of Anchorage, where she was bound with duct tape and shot once in the back of the head by Brehmer’s accomplice Kayden McIntosh, a homeless 16-year-old boy.
Hoffman’s body was then pushed into a river.
“I put out search parties,” said Hoffman’s father Tim. He sent Brehmer a text message asking where his daughter was, and Brehmer replied that she would be home soon.
“I drove my motorcycle through woods and bike paths. I floored it all over town doing speed limits I should not have been doing looking for my kid,” he said.
“When she didn’t come home the first day, I knew something was wrong. When she didn’t come home the second day, I knew something was wrong. And then all I could think about was the knock on the door.”
Hoffman’s body was discovered near the waterfall two days later.
Authorities say Brehmer communicated with Schilmiller throughout the murder, sending him "Snapchat photographs and videos of Hoffman tied up and of the body afterward."
Both Brehmer and McIntosh have been arrested and charged in relation to the murder.
"I know what I did was wrong. I know I could have probably done something different," said Brehmer, during her arraignment.
Schilmiller has also been arrested along with three others accused of assisting in the planning or execution of the killing.
All six have pleaded not guilty.
Schilmiller and Brehmer were also indicted on Tuesday on federal child pornography and child exploitation charges.
Police said that a search on Brehmer’s phone during their investigation into Hoffman’s death revealed that the teen – at Schilmiller’s direction – had produced videos depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a minor and sent them to Schilmiller.
Court documents say Schilmiller admitted to attempting to blackmail Brehmer after the murder into sexually assaulting young girls. Both face up to life in prison on the child pornography charges.
They also face up to 99 years in prison for each of the murder charges, the conspiracy to commit murder charge, and the solicitation to commit murder charge.
"All I know is my daughter didn’t deserve all this,” said Mr Hoffman. “She should have the friends that she wanted.
"I have one thing in my mind right now. And that’s to send all six of them to Hell.
"And I ain’t gonna rest until it’s done. And then after it’s done I’ll show my emotions."
Bryan Schroder, US attorney for Alaska, advised parents to keep an eye on how their children were using the internet.
“For all of the good the internet can do, it can be a dark place and parents would be wise to monitor the activity of their children online.”