ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Court TV) — A man who admitted to being involved in the murder-for-hire of a 19-year-old girl has been sentenced to spend the next 30 years behind bars.
Caleb Leyland sits in court during his sentencing hearing on Aug. 23, 2024. (Court TV)
Caleb Allen Russell Leyland pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder for killing Cynthia Hoffman in June 2019, Alaska’s Department of Law announced last year. On Friday, Judge Andrew Peterson sentenced Leyland to 40 years in prison, 10 years suspended, to be followed by 10 years of probation.
Hoffman was reported missing after joining friends, later identified as Kayden McIntosh and Denali Brehmer, on the Thunderbird trail on June 2, 2019. Her body was found on June 4. Police said she had been shot in the head and her body moved into the Eklutna River.
Police said that Hoffman’s murder was part of a murder-for-hire plot masterminded by Darin Schilmiller, who offered to pay Brehmer $9 million or more to kill the victim and send him photos and/or videos. Investigators said that Brehmer, in turn, recruited McIntosh, Leyland and two other, unidentified, people to assist in the planning and execution of the murder in exchange for money. Leyland’s role was to provide the vehicle for Brehmer and McIntosh to use on the day of the murder.
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Forensic psychologist Dr. Kaichen McCray testified on Thursday that she found no evidence of severe mental illness when she examined Leyland, but noted that he had a drinking problem before his arrest. McCray said she found a “low to moderate” risk that Leyland would reoffend if released.
On Friday, when the sentencing hearing resumed, the victim’s sister told the judge that she wasn’t just angry, she was sad because she hadn’t just lost a sibling, she also lost a friend. “We heard yesterday that [Leyland] had some hopes and dreams for his future,” Samantha Hoffman told the court. “But did it ever occur to him and everybody else that perhaps my sister had some hopes and dreams of her own? Sadly, that was snuffed out.”
Leyland addressed the court before he was handed his sentence. “First and foremost, I am sincerely sorry. I feel ashamed that this heinous crime has happened,” Leyland told the Court. “None of this would have happened if I had thought things through.” Leyland said that he had asked for the victim’s forgiveness from jail, and now was asking for the Court and the victim’s family to forgive him as well.
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Schilmiller, Brehmer, McIntosh and Leyland all pleaded guilty. Schilmiller was sentenced to 99 years in January, with Judge Peterson describing Schilmiller as a “worst offender” who had committed the murder “for the mere thrill of it.” Schilmiller will not be eligible for discretionary parole until he has served at least 45 years of his sentence.
In Feb., Brehmer was similarly sentenced to 99 years, with Judge Peterson saying that her conduct was “cold, calculated, and carried out to a ‘T’.” The judge described watching a video of Hoffman’s last moments, where she could be seen duct-taped on the ground, saying it was “one of the most difficult pieces of evidence I’ve had to watch in this position.”
McIntosh’s sentencing is scheduled to begin on Nov. 14, 2024.
As part of his sentence, Leyland was ordered to have no contact with the victim’s family. Judge Peterson noted he hoped the sentence was severe enough to serve as a deterrent to others.
