Suvechha Sarkar
In November 2010, 32-year-old Tina Rose Herrmann and her 11-year-old son, Kody Alexander Maynard, along with the former’s friend, 41-year-old Stephanie L. Sprang, went missing in Howard, Ohio. Furthermore, Tina’s 13-year-old daughter, Sarah Maynard, also vanished. It led to a frantic search, directing the police to Matthew John Hoffman. Authorities uncovered the horrifying truth about Tina, Kody, and Stephanie when they discovered Sarah was alive. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Signs of a Psychopath: It’s Called Closure’ revisits the case, examining the disturbing psychology of the killer and his confession that finally brought justice.
Matthew Hoffman Escalated Planned Burglary Into Homicides
Matthew John Hoffman was born on November 1, 1980, to his mother, Pat Hoffman, and his father. Trouble began after he graduated from high school and went to Colorado, deciding he wanted to go skiing. That was when he reportedly burned down 10 townhomes, causing $2 million in damage in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He ultimately turned himself in, and in 2001, he pleaded guilty to first-degree arson. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. On November 10, 2010, Matthew reportedly intended to commit burglary at Tina Rose Herrmann’s house and waited for her family to leave the house. After they left, he reportedly sneaked through the open garage. However, he was caught entirely off guard when Tina Rose Herrmann returned with her son and daughter, Kody Alexander and Sarah Maynard.
Tina’s family friend, Stephanie L. Sprang, was also with them. Since Matthew was allegedly caught off guard, he attacked Tina, Kody, and Stephanie and stabbed them, leading to their death. He then bought a tarp, duct tape, and garbage bags from a nearby Walmart. Matthew reportedly kidnapped Sarah and also took the remains of the three of them to his home in Clinton Township, Ohio. He then reportedly arranged a pile of leaves three feet deep in the basement and made a bed for Sarah. He kept her hands bound and mouth gagged and reportedly sexually assaulted her. Matthew then dismembered Tina, Kody, and Stephanie’s remains before putting them in garbage bags and disposing of their remains in the Kokosing Lake Wildlife Area, located near Fredericktown.
A Walmart Receipt Led Investigators to Matthew Hoffman
On that fateful day, Tina’s co-worker called 911 to report that she could not reach Tina. The following day, she reportedly entered the house through an open window to horrifically discover blood on the carpet, in the bathroom, and in several other places. Officials discovered a tarp and garbage bags near the blood in the living room. They further found blood and a Walmart receipt in the garage. Upon following that lead, they found CCTV footage, which captured Matthew buying the items. Ultimately, on November 14, 2010, law enforcement arrived at his home and discovered several walls lined with leaves. They fortunately found Sarah in the basement and rescued her. Officials took Matthew in custody and began questioning him about the whereabouts of Tina, Kody, and Stephanie.
Initially, Matthew was reluctant to say anything and just admitted that he recently lost his job as a tree trimmer and his girlfriend broke up with him because he became violent towards her. However, he was reluctant to provide any information regarding Tina, Kody, or Stephanie. On November 16, 2010, he reportedly attempted to make a deal with the investigators, noting that he would only give information about the whereabouts of the three missing individuals through a lawyer. Matthew further stated that he wanted the officials to take him out to the location, and when he tried to run, he reportedly wanted them to shoot him. Since he was reluctant to give any information, the prosecution eventually removed the death penalty in exchange for his confession and the location of the remains.
Matthew Hoffman is Currently Incarcerated at an Ohio Prison Facility
Following the deal with the prosecution, Matthew wrote a 10-page confession letter, where he claimed that he initially assaulted Tina to just knock her out. However, when Stephanie also came in, he allegedly panicked and stabbed them. He claimed that “things quickly spiraled out of control.” Ultimately, he led the officials to the woods of Kokosing Wildlife Preserve, where he disposed of the remains in the hollow of a tree. Thus, authorities recovered Tina, Kody, and Stephanie’s remains on November 18, 2010. Matthew was officially charged with three counts of aggravated murder, one count of aggravated burglary, one count of kidnapping, one count of rape, one count of tampering with evidence, and three counts of abuse of a corpse.
On January 6, 2011, Matthew pleaded guilty to all the charges against him. He was sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole, for the murders. Additionally, he was sentenced to nine years each for burglary, kidnapping, and rape, and four years in prison for tampering with evidence, all to be run concurrently. For the three counts of abuse of a corpse, he received 0.92 years or around 11 months, which was also to be run concurrently. As of writing, Matthew is serving his time at the Toledo Correctional Institution, which is located in Toledo, Ohio.
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