ANCHORAGE, Alaska _ A federal grand jury Tuesday indicted two of the defendants in the killing of Anchorage teenager Cynthia Hoffman on new child pornography charges.
The indictments represent the latest twist in a tangled case involving a group of young people whose intense online relationship, prosecutors say, crossed over into real-world murder and sexual assault.
"For all the good the internet can do, it can be a very dark place," said Bryan Schroder, the U.S. attorney in Alaska, at a news conference in Anchorage on Tuesday. "Parents would be wise to monitor the activity of their children online."
Denali Brehmer, 18, now faces four federal child pornography charges in addition to state murder charges.
Darin Schilmiller, a 21-year-old Indiana man who prosecutors contend offered Brehmer $9 million to "rape and murder someone in Alaska," was also included in the indictment announced Tuesday.
He'd already been arrested on federal child pornography offenses last week. The new indictment includes five federal charges against Schilmiller, including conspiracy to produce child pornography, production of child pornography, receipt and distribution of child pornography. Schilmiller is also charged with coercion and enticement of a minor.
The two are facing state murder charges in the shooting death of Hoffman, a developmentally disabled 19-year-old Service High School graduate whose family has said they considered Brehmer to be her best friend. Four other teens have been charged in her killing.
Prosecutors assert Brehmer was at the center of a plot to kill Hoffman at the behest of Schilmiller, who she was communicating with online.
In what prosecutors have characterized as a "catfishing" scheme, Schilmiller posed online as a millionaire named "Tyler" who lived in Kansas, court documents say.
Hoffman was taken to the Thunderbird Falls trailhead in Chugiak where she was bound with duct tape, shot and left on the Eklutna River on June 2, according to charges.
Five people have been charged in her death: Brehmer, 16-year-old Kayden McIntosh, 19-year-old Caleb Leyland and two unnamed juveniles.
The new federal charges stem from materials discovered on Brehmer's phone as Anchorage police investigated the killing.
Detectives found images of Brehmer sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl, which she then shared with Schilmiller, who was posing as "Tyler."
Text message exchanges included in other criminal complaints in the case show the Indiana man asking Brehmer to "rape" the girl, who was said to be 14 but was actually 15.
The crimes have been disturbing to people in Alaska and beyond, Anchorage police Chief Justin Doll told reporters at a news conference with federal, state and local authorities.
"This is a truly horrific case that is not the norm for our community," Doll said.
Many questions remain.
The indictments do not add detail to the narrative of the killing of Hoffman, or answer the many questions about the interactions between Schilmiller, a 21-year-old from rural Indiana who had a troubling history of befriending people online only to ask them for pictures of their children.
But they do offer a hint: The charges identify Brehmer as "Angel," one of her online nicknames, and Schilmiller as "Babe," an apparent nickname from their relationship.
