Buzzapp Master 
It was a huge amount of money for a teenager to imagine having, but what Denali Brehmer had to do to get the cash couldn’t have been more shocking. Brehmer was being offered $9 million by a stranger online in return for photos and videos of a murder. It didn’t matter who died, but Brehmer would have to make it happen.
While most people would have ended the conversation at such a suggestion, shockingly, 18 year old Brehmer agreed and even enlisted others to help. As she set the plan in motion, she was unaware that the man behind the scheme wasn’t who he claimed to be. Brehmer resided in Anchorage, Alaska, and connected with a man named Tyler on Snapchat, who claimed to live in Kansas. Tyler portrayed himself as a millionaire, and Brehmer was quickly swayed by him as he shared his obsession with disturbing images.
Denali Brehmer lured her former friend into the Alaskan wilderness then filmed her death
(Image: YOUTUBE/CATFISHING FOR MURDER)
However, what Brehmer didn’t realise was that she was being catfished, reports the Mirror. The person she was communicating with was actually jobless Darin Schilmiller, 21, living in his grandparents’ basement in Indiana with little money. Three weeks after they started messaging each other, Schilmiller proposed to Brehmer that, in return for $9 million, she should kill someone in Alaska and document it for him with photos and video.
Instead of reporting to the police, Brehmer approached four of her friends and promised them a share of the millions if they helped her. Two of the accomplices were underage, and their involvement remains undisclosed. Caleb Leyland, 19, was promised a whopping $500,000 to supply the car, while 16 year old Kayden McIntosh was tasked with pulling the trigger.
Brehmer then set her sights on former schoolmate Cynthia Hoffman, 19, as the victim following a trivial argument over a boy. Schilmiller convinced Brehmer that Cynthia was an ideal target.
Despite having some developmental disabilities which made her seem younger than her actual age, Cynthia was incredibly close to her protective father, Timothy. He would always ensure his daughter’s safety by driving her everywhere and calling her every hour.
Darin Schilmiller, 21, was accused of promising millions of dollars to the teens in exchange for images of a killing
(Image: KTVA)
Cynthia kept herself occupied with restaurant work or assisting her dad with his handyman tasks. On 2 June 2019, McIntosh and Brehmer lured Cynthia into a hike on a popular trail in the Alaskan wilderness north of Anchorage, with Leyland providing the vehicle.
They took Cynthia to Thunderbird Falls and led her off-trail to Eklutna River. Brehmer later texted Cynthia’s sister claiming they had left her at a local park.
When Cynthia didn’t return home, her worried father reported her missing. Tragically, on 4 June, Cynthia’s body was discovered in the Eklutna River with a gunshot wound to the back of her head. Investigators concluded she had been bound with duct tape before being shot from behind.
The police swiftly apprehended Brehmer and McIntosh in relation to Cynthia’s tragic demise, with their involvement seeming evident. Chillingly, Brehmer had in her possession photos and a video showing Cynthia tied up and visibly distressed near the riverbank.
Under interrogation, she claimed that the trio were simply socialising and had consented to “duct tape each other and take photographs”. However, it was apparent that Cynthia was the only one who had been bound.
Police said McIntosh’s guilt was “obvious”
(Image: Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Brehmer recounted that after they had taped Cynthia’s wrists and feet, they gagged her mouth, leading to Cynthia panicking. Upon removing the tape, Cynthia allegedly threatened to report them for kidnapping and assault.
That’s when McIntosh took drastic action, shooting Cynthia. In an attempt to erase their tracks, they incinerated Cynthia’s belongings along with the firearm used, before dumping her still “twitching” body into the river.
The concocted tale quickly fell apart as the police unearthed that Brehmer had sent the harrowing images and footage of Cynthia’s torment to Schilmiller while the crime was in progress. The authorities tracked down and arrested Schilmiller, as well as Leyland for providing the transportation.
Confronted with the reality of being catfished, Brehmer confessed that Schilmiller had enticed her into committing the murder. As the news of the heinous act spread, it dominated headlines, painting a grim picture of youths taking a life for the promise of money – money that never even existed.
In February 2023, Brehmer admitted to first degree murder and was sentenced the following year to 99 years in prison. The judge labelled the murder-for-hire as “tragic and senseless”, as well as cold and calculated.
He described the video of Cynthia’s death as one of the most difficult pieces of evidence he’d ever had to watch. It was recognised that while Brehmer hadn’t fired the fatal shot, Cynthia’s death wouldn’t have occurred without her involvement.
The court heard that Brehmer showed no remorse and even committed further crimes after the murder by conspiring to coerce a minor into sharing explicit images. Both Brehmer and Schilmiller pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to produce child pornography in relation to this case.
Caleb Leyland, 19, was offered $500,000 to provide the vehicle
(Image: Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Timothy, Cynthia’s father, attended the sentencing and spoke emotionally about his daughter. “My daughter trusted these people,” he said. “My daughter just wanted friends.”
Schilmiller, then 25, was extradited to Alaska and received 99 years for his part in Cynthia’s death after pleading guilty. The judge had reviewed his horrific messages with Brehmer and told him, “This was intentional, premeditated murder for hire. You plotted with other co-defendants to kill somebody you never met for no reason other than the sheer thrill of controlling others and seeing it be done.”
Leyland, who was 24 at the time, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 30 years for his involvement in the plot. McIntosh, despite being only 16 when he committed the crime, was tried as an adult and also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
He could face up to 85 years in prison. The roles of two other teenagers, who were prosecuted in juvenile courts, remain unclear.
Tragedy continued to haunt the Hoffman family. Every year on the anniversary of Cynthia’s death, her father Timothy would organise a commemorative motorcycle ride.
However, during the fifth anniversary ride in June 2024, the 58 year old tragically lost control of his bike and died in the ensuing crash. That year, Cynthia’s mother Barbara had decided to join the ride for the first time and was severely injured.
She is still recovering from her injuries. Cynthia’s murder may sound like something out of a horrifying film, but she should be remembered as a young woman who simply sought friendship.
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