Episode 164: Matthew Hoffman // The Leaf Killer

Matthew Hoffman is an Ohio man whose crimes became known nationwide after a brutal triple homicide in 2010. On November 10, Hoffman broke into the rural home of Tina Herrmann in Apple Valley, killing Tina, her son Kody Maynard, and family friend Stephanie Sprang. He later dismembered the victims and hid their remains inside a hollowed-out tree in the nearby Kokosing State Wildlife Area. During the attack, he abducted Tina’s 13-year-old daughter Sarah, holding her captive in his basement for four days before police discovered her alive during a rescue raid.

Hoffman, who had a history of bizarre obsessions with trees, leaves, and the forest, never gave a clear motive for the killings. He ultimately pleaded guilty to multiple counts of aggravated murder, kidnapping, burglary, and abuse of a corpse. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.