GUILTY OH - Two women & child killed, 13yo abducted, Apple Valley, 10 Nov 2010 #9

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Java said:
I guess the public defender has to say something? Come up with something IF they can? And as weak as this attempt was, at any kind of an explanation for this heinous animal, this was the best they could do.
I, in no way believe it was a burglary, I think he knew that TH was home, waited for the kids to leave for school, SS might of been a surprise, and he waited for the kids to come home, and he already had the location of the hollow tree in mind. Hid SS car...... Dismemberment, kidnapping, etc... It was no shotgun attempt at covering up a burglary.
Ditching the car near the college, the dog, etc.....
Sorry Mr. Public Defender - I do not believe this was a burglary!!
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ITA! This was one of the most horrific murders in recent times. A very sad case that has forever changed so many lives. Certainly SM's life will never be the same. But her statement that she's not afraid of MH shows a inner strength that indicates she's trying to overcome all that's happened. I hope for the best for her.

I don't believe for a minute that this was a burglary gone wrong. There was far too much planning ahead. Far too many details that came together to suggest that there was a long-range plan involved.

The two children coming home together that day and finding a pool of blood, jogged my memory. It was stated by LE that SM saw her mother the last time that day, but that the last time she saw Stephanie Sprang was the day before. This indicates that by the time the children got home, Stephanie had already been murdered and her body elsewhere, out of sight.

It's haunting to remember a post on one of the local media sites from someone who seemed to have inside information. In one of those posts the poster stated that SM was kept somewhere in the house but could hear a saw and the bathtub being drained and filled. What a horrible and frightening experience for anyone to endure.

I'm glad that MH pled guilty and got life without the possibility of parole. It's a real blessing that SM won't have to re-live the horrific details of what happened on a witness stand. I hope that MH is put into general population.
 
Java said:
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/01/06/hoffman-arraignment.html?sid=101

The break in the case that led to the discovery of the girl in Hoffman's home was a Walmart bag containing a tarp and trash bags that the killer left behind in Herrmann's home, Thatcher said after sentencing.
Using the bar code from the items at the store, investigators were able to locate the transaction involving their purchase and then match it to surveillance video of the man who bought the items. Video showed him driving away in a Toyota Yaris.
Investigators then ran a database search for all Yaris vehicles in the area, with Hoffman's name appearing among those driving the model. Since a deputy had spoken to him in the area where Herrmann's stolen pickup truck was found, he immediately became a prime suspect.
Authorities them obtained a search warrant, entered Hoffman's home, arrested him and freed the girl.
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I'm still very curious about how LE with certainty that SM was alive and being held captive in MH's home.
 
they did not know she was alive, as you highlighted in your post it was good detective work that traced the items he left at the crime scene, then they used CTV to ID the vehicle of the person who purchased those items, then they checked who owned the vehicles, he was a registered ownder of said vehicle, he had previous contact with LE during investigation therefore he was flagged as a priority/suspect, they then obtained SW for his home and were probably suprised to find the victim alive, it was excellent detective work that ensured at least there was one samll positive to come out of all the horror
 
georgiajean said:
SM's 2-page victim's statement is here: http://www.dispatch.com/wwwexportcontent/sites/dispatch/local_news/stories/2011/01/06/hoffman.pdf

Absolutely wrenching to read.
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File opened fine on my end.
Poor child, I simply cannot imagine what she has been through. It gives me some solace to know she is being strong & courageous. But how could you ever expect that something like this could ever be put entirely behind you? I so admire her, she is such a survivor, and a very brave little girl. My heart just aches for her.
 
"No DP because of the families wishes"

I sorta wish they would not report it like that. The family probably wishes they could skin him alive and hang him on the Courthouse lawn!
To get their loved one's back, they agreed to no DP. This was his Public Defenders job. Likely they would of had no other choice for a recovery.
Fortunately for them a guilty plea with no trial, was thrown in as well. Sparing them any further anguish.
I hope the family knows that MH will suffer in prison. Likely more so than on Death Row.
Such a psychotic coward he is. Has the ability to devastate a lovely family in the manor that he did, yet squirms at the thought of himself being killed. And bargained to spare his own life. If there was even an ounce of self respect inside this atrocious human, he could of had the guts to have said "Take me out as well". Did he? NO - he's a frightened little chicken at the thought of his own death, yet doesn't even give it a second thought to kill others.
If the family is o.k. with the punishment, so am I. However I hope his cell mates will bring him the justice he deserves on a daily basis. Child killers & rapists are not at the top of the food chain in prison.

And I admire Ohio for giving this case blazing speed through our judicial system. Thank you!
 
I believe the truth is in SM's words. There is so much in there, that answered most of the questions I had. As far as her family is concerned, no, this was not a random robbery gone wrong.

MH is a very sick monster. I hope LE is continuing to look for additional, past victims to tie to MH. Because you don't go from burning an apartment complex to killing 3 and kidnapping/violating another, just like that. At least that's how I understand it. Maybe some criminals do.
 
georgiajean said:
Thank you for posting this.
More questions answered here. And quotes from other victims. Reading SM's father's words...his honesty...words can't express.
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That really got to me too. A photo of him in the courtroom so graphically depicts the searing RAGE he feels at this murderous lowlife. I swear there are actual flames shooting out of his eyeballs, and with good reason. He's one big burly guy too! The pipsqueak Hoffman should probably be glad he's relatively safe on the INside of jail forever!
 
This is one of the more horrifying crimes I've ever seen on the pages of WS. I shouldn't say that, because just when you think you've seen it all, another pops up. :(

I seriously doubt there was a dry eye in that courtroom after the victim's impact statements were given.

G*d bless the victims and their families and all who loved them. I wish them well, although I don't know how you can recover from something so awful as this. Time, time, time.....and love. Their wounds may never heal, but they will be softened to enable them to once again lead a normal life.

Sometimes, life just isn't fair.

fran
:rose:
 
fran said:
This is one of the more horrifying crimes I've ever seen on the pages of WS. I shouldn't say that, because just when you think you've seen it all, another pops up. :(

I seriously doubt there was a dry eye in that courtroom after the victim's impact statements were given.

G*d bless the victims and their families and all who loved them. I wish them well, although I don't know how you can recover from something so awful as this. Time, time, time.....and love. Their wounds may never heal, but they will be softened to enable them to once again lead a normal life.

Sometimes, life just isn't fair.

fran
:rose:
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Fran - I so agree. Of all the cases I have followed something about this one horrified me on a level I didn't know existed.
I can't get the precious survivor's statement to open - and would very much like to see it as it sounds from the article she is taking her power and her life back from this piece of $hit. I applaud the adults and counselors in her life whom must be getting her the best of care, coupled with the seeds of character her mother planted and the joy her brother nurtured -- I just get a feeling this is gonna be one fine young lady and she will (if not already) be a victor not a victim.
 
georgiajean said:
For anyone who can't open the file, try Right-clicking on the link, and select "open in new window".
It comes right up for me, that way. But if I just click on it, it won't open. If that doesn't work, let me know.
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:banghead: Still not working for me. I even copied and opened a new window and still nothing.
 
A_News_Junkie said:
:banghead: Still not working for me. I even copied and opened a new window and still nothing.
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It's a pdf file, which means you have to have Adobe Reader software (it's free). Did it come up with an icon in the middle of the screen? If so, click on it.

I'm not a fan of Adobe pdf files.

If it wasn't against the rules here, I would copy/paste it for you.

That said, I still need to read it. I followed this case from Day One and really had to back away for a while.
 
Cazzie said:
It's a pdf file, which means you have to have Adobe Reader software (it's free). Did it come up with an icon in the middle of the screen? If so, click on it.

I'm not a fan of Adobe pdf files.

If it wasn't against the rules here, I would copy/paste it for you.

That said, I still need to read it. I followed this case from Day One and really had to back away for a while.
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I have Adobe -- my problem is I left my brain somewhere (maybe the parking lot! LOL) It was my plus blocking it. :banghead: <--- I should know better.

I followed from first day too. This is about 100 miles from me -- and the horror of it all, really got to me too.
 
Going back over MH's history, I read about the arson in Colorado and was struck by the phrase, repeated again and again by the media: He set fire to the apartments "To Cover Up a Burglary".
With MH in prison for the rest of his life, I'm not sure what value there is in discussing this. Just wanted to throw it out there.
He was going to set fire to this house, but changed his mind. His defense attorney claims this was a burglary that went terribly wrong, which I don't buy. The progression from burglary to murder is a huge one, and difficult to swallow that there were not a lot of intermediate crimes that transitioned this monster from burglary to murder.
But the progression from burning down an apartment complex to cover a burglary (and potentially killing 16 people, without thought), to killing three people to cover a burglary makes more sense, logically.
Is it possible his mind was so twisted that he was more concerned about being caught for burglary, than he was about killing people?

SM's witness statement makes it very clear that she and her family felt they were being stalked, and that this was not a mere burglary. Now it could be that MH was staking out their house and the houses around it, for burglary. But I'm not sure I buy that.
 
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