Denali Brehmer: The Catfish Killer
Interview With A KillerThe murder of 18-year-old Cynthia Hoffman – also known as CeeCee – is a disturbing story that involves catfishing, deception, and manipulation. It is a horror story that demonstrates the dangerous nature of social media while showing just what some people are willing to do for money.
Denali Brehmer murdered her best friend CeeCee after a man she met online offered her $9 million to do so. The case is featured in Interview With A Killer, a new true crime show, giving viewers an exclusive and insider look into the minds of convicted killers via a series of interviews.
Join us here at Crime+Investigation as we dive deeper into the case of Denali Brehmer and the murder of Cynthia Hoffman.
Who is Denali Brehmer?
Denali Dakota Skye Brehmer was born in 2001. She was one of five sisters, but their early lives were more than a little tumultuous.
All five of the children were removed from their mother Nicola House’s care at different times in their childhood because of abuse. The abuse spiralled to the point where Denali’s two-month-old baby sister Gabrielle was killed by the man living with their mother.
Denali was adopted when she was 18 months old. Despite the turbulent beginning with her mother, they reconnected not long before the murder of CeeCee. Two of Denali’s sisters – Breanna and Rebekah – spoke out about the devastation caused by Denali’s actions. Breanna went on to say that the lingering trauma had affected Denali.
'We all had really hard lives and I feel like she took the wrong road with the wrong people who didn’t care about her, and now she is paying the ultimate cost.'
The murder of Cynthia Hoffman
In May 2019, 18-year-old Denali started a relationship with a wealthy man online known as Tyler. The truth was that Denali was being catfished and was instead talking to a 21-year-old man from Indiana called Darin Schilmiller.
After talking for some time, Schilmiller made Denali an offer. In exchange for $9 million, he wanted her to kill someone and then provide video or photographic evidence of their death. Schilmiller later confessed that he had chosen CeeCee as the victim.
A month later, in June, Denali gathered four friends – including Caleb Leyland and Kayden McIntosh – to help her murder her friend Cynthia Hoffman. She offered them a cut of the money if they did so.
Hoffman, who had learning disabilities, was 19 years old when she was lured to her death by Denali and her accomplices. Denali took CeeCee to Thunderbird Falls, a popular hiking destination in Eklutna, Alaska. Once there, CeeCee was bound in tape and then shot in the back of the head by the 16-year-old McIntosh. The group then threw her body into the Eklutna River.
Brehmer contacted CeeCee’s family by text after her death, telling them that they had finished their hike and they had dropped CeeCee off at the nearby park. Throughout the murder, Brehmer was in contact with Schilmiller. She sent Snapchat videos and photographs of CeeCee when she was tied up and then again when she had been shot.
The sentencing
In February 2023, Denali pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. This plea came after the charges of solicitation of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, murder in the second degree, and tampering with evidence were dismissed.
On 12th February 2024, Denali Brehmer – then 23 – was sentenced to 99 years in prison for orchestrating the murder of Cynthia Hoffman. This sentence was the maximum penalty that the court was able to impose.
A month before Brehmer’s sentencing, in January 2024, Darin Schilmiller – then 25 years old – was also sentenced to 99 years in prison.
Accomplice Caleb Leyland pleaded guilty on one count of second-degree murder in August 2024. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison, 10 years suspended, followed by a further 10 years of probation.
Kayden McIntosh – who delivered the killing shot – pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder in May 2024. The other charges against him were dismissed. His plea agreement guaranteed a sentence between a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of 85 years.
The two unnamed accomplices were minors at the time of the murder. Because of this, they were charged and prosecuted in juvenile court. Any details regarding their identities or sentences are confidential.
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