The Girl in the Leaves (21 page)

“There isn’t a night that goes by that I get much sleep. My every waking moment is
spent grieving the loss of my eleven-year-old son and pain for my thirteen-year-old
daughter. She has lost her mother and brother, and I wish as her father, that I could
take that loss away from her.

“Every morning when I wake up, I think it is just a bad dream that someone killed
my son and kidnapped my daughter. And then a couple of minutes go by, and it really
sets in that this isn’t a bad dream. This is reality. No more throwing a football
with Kody. No more playing video games. No more baseball games. No more fishing trips,
first car for graduation, college. What would his kids look like? We will never know.

“No more birthdays. A couple of weeks before this, I told him I would take him to
a Cleveland Browns game. That’s not going happen now. How do I explain to his four-year-old
half-brother, whom he looked up to, that Kody is never coming home. I have to say,
‘Son, he is in heaven with God.’

“Matthew Hoffman, you should totally be ashamed of what you did. But I do not believe
you have a conscience or a heart. So with that, I hope you rot in hell, you sick bastard.”

All of these people expressed their grief, anger and hatred of Matthew Hoffman. But
none more so than Larry Maynard and his family. That included the one survivor of
the tragedy—Sarah.

THIRTY-TWO

“I’m Not Scared of You, Matthew”

Sarah wanted to read aloud to Matthew Hoffman a letter she had written. Some, however,
thought it would be too stressful and painful for her to do, so instead, Prosecuting
Attorney John Thatcher read it on her behalf. Sarah sat in a black dress next to her
dad as the statement was read in the courtroom.

Her letter began, “This has changed my whole life, and my family’s life too.

“This is so sickening, Matthew, to know how you even had the guts to do this to this
family. Stephanie was a great woman too. She watched Kody and me whenever my mom needed
her to. All I’m thinking about is how sick and disgusting you are.

“I will never forget about Kody and my mom, Tina. I think Matthew is really stupid
for killing the dog too. What could we have possibly done to you, Matthew, to be treated
like this? There is no reason why. Matthew, when you kidnapped me, I kept asking if
you killed my mom and my brother. And you said, ‘Don’t worry about it.’

“How could you possibly do this to a loving and caring family? Matthew, you must have
been planning this for a really long time, because you have to have skills and time
to do such a thing like this. I wonder if it even goes through your head, ‘Why did
I do this? Now I’m going to prison for life.’

“My brother was only eleven years old and his name was Kody. My mom was thirty-two
years old and her name was Tina Herrmann. My mom did a lot for Kody and me. I didn’t
even get to say that I loved him one last time. I told my mom before I went to school
that I loved her and for her to have a good day at work.

“I’m very, very thankful for the guys who worked so hard to find me. Matthew, I don’t
know if you thought you were going to get away with this, but luckily didn’t. I think
Matthew was purposefully trying to scare me and my family, but I’m not scared of you,
Matthew. I’m going to stand up for myself and live my life.

“When this happened on November 10, 2010, all I was thinking about was if my family
was okay and if I was going to be able to live. Especially when he was putting the
ropes on me, and I said, ‘Oww, that hurts!’ He said, ‘I don’t care if your arms and
legs turn purple.’

“When I went to my room, I was going to call the police, but Matthew got in there
just in time. I was so scared when Kody and I walked into the house that day and there
was a huge patch of blood by the front door. My reaction was ‘Oh My God!’

“Justice will never be served. I will never be able to get my mom and brother back
until I see them in heaven. Kody will never ever see our family again. There is so
much stress in my life right now, thinking that another idiot is going to kill me
or something. Matthew, I want you to know that you will never be forgiven by me.

“Some memories of Kody: he was a left-handed pitcher and he was really good. A whole
bunch of people always told him how good a player he was. In life, he wanted to be
a helicopter pilot in the Coast Guard.

“Some memories of Mom: she always made sure we were happy, and she went out and did
stuff with Kody and me, even though she didn’t have that much money. She always made
sure we had heat in our house to stay warm, made sure we had food on our plates, nice
clothes on, and that we had shoes on our feet. She was a really caring woman, and
when someone needed help, she would take her time to go help them. I loved her as
a mother even though there were times we didn’t get along. She loved dolphins and
sunflowers. One thing she said to me, ‘Sarah, when I die, I want you to send me with
the dolphins.’

“I will tell you a little about me. I played softball for three years. I was so good
at it. I played in the outfield and I played on the All-star Team over the summer.
I loved it. I’m almost fourteen. I enjoy my new school and the people there!!!”

Sarah’s last comment was meant as an “in-your-face” to Matthew Hoffman, a reiteration
of her ealier theme that he had not destroyed her spirit and she was no longer afraid
of him. And then she brought up the fact that where he was going,
he
was the one who now had to be afraid.

* * *

Judge Eyster read each and every count and had Matthew Hoffman declare how he pleaded
on the count. To each count, Hoffman said “guilty” in a fairly strong voice until
it came to the sexual assault count, when Hoffman’s voice could barely be heard. So
the judge asked him once again how he pleaded. Hoffman this time said more loudly,
“Guilty.”

Larry Maynard stated later, “It was apparent he didn’t want anyone to hear how he
pled on that count. He didn’t want that on the record, where anyone in prison could
see that he had sexually molested a thirteen-year-old girl. Prisoners hate pedophiles
and Hoffman knew it.”

After all the pleas of guilty, Judge Eyster sentenced him to a life in prison without
the possibility of parole. Hoffman was escorted out of the courtroom, and Larry Maynard
recalled, “I was glad to get him out of my sight!”

After the sentencing, Larry Maynard had a few things to say to the media. He related,
“It was good to get it all out in court. He [Matthew Hoffman] got what he deserved.
Justice was served. We can’t let him know that the victims’ families will be scared.
Violence will not be tolerated, and the local law enforcement did a great job.”

After Hoffman’s sentencing, Stephanie Sprang’s mother, Pat Cullins, and sister, Sherrie
Baxter, both wrote letters to Prosecuting Attorney John Thatcher, praising the work
of his office. And Stephen Thompson, Stephanie Sprang’s father, related, “I’m satisfied
with what he got. He got what he deserved, and I’m satisfied with the results.” Still,
he added, “We’ve tried to go through [a normal] Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it’s
been very hard.”

THIRTY-THREE

“She Would Have Been the Star Witness”

Prosecutor John Thatcher held a press conference to wrap up the case and to let the
media ask questions. He introduced his assistant prosecutors, Jennifer Springer and
Chip McConville, as well as Sheriff David Barber and Special Agent Joe Dietz from
BCI&I. Then Thatcher went over the basic synopsis of the case once more, from Hoffman
entering Tina Herrmann’s home to the murders and kidnapping of Sarah Maynard. Thatcher
also detailed the hunt for Sarah, her rescue, and the search for the three missing
victims.

When it came to how and why the plea deal had been made with Matthew Hoffman, Thatcher
said, “I take full responsibility for all the charges brought in this case. However,
I thought it was right and fair to consult with the family members first. I told them
of the offer and of dropping the death penalty if Matthew Hoffman would identify the
location of the remains of Stephanie Sprang, Tina Herrmann and Kody Maynard.

“It was my decision to make. Anyone who has a problem with the death penalty out of
this case, has a problem with me. I don’t want to hear any complaints about the families.
They only expressed their wishes. They didn’t tell me what to do.

“I decided that the justice needed in this case was, number one—within twenty-four
hours all remains would be recovered. Hoffman would then plead guilty to all charges
brought in the indictment.

“I told the family that after a week of searching, it was possible the bodies would
never be found. There was only one person who knew where they were. I told the family
members, ultimately it was my decision to make, but I think you have the right to
know.

“I asked each and every one of them how they felt. It was their wish that they find
their loved ones as soon as possible. Then we could find out what he did and when
he did it.

“Helping these family members find their loved ones as soon as possible, is what we
did. From what I’ve heard, we probably never would have found those bodies in a meaningful
period of time and bring some kind of closure to these families.

“They [the family members] were able to watch their television sets as three hearses
took the bodies of their loved ones away. They were able to have their calling hours
and funeral services—not only the family members, but the whole community. Some day
there might have been that opportunity years and years in the future. But the ability
to do that now at least brought some closure to these people.

“After the bodies were recovered, there were other issues. The families wanted to
know, why did he choose that house? There were a lot of speculations and fears. There
was a speculation that Matthew Hoffman had accomplices. They wondered if family members
had been stalked—particularly Sarah.

“And frankly, the investigation, as thorough as it was, couldn’t answer all the questions.
Matthew Hoffman had to give those answers. So as part of the agreement, he had to
make a full confession, which he did. He had to fill in the investigators with some
of the missing parts that only he knew.”

While others in the community, like Larry Maynard, would still hang on to their convictions
that Sarah, Tina or Stephanie had been stalked by Hoffman and then everything spun
out of control from there, Thatcher said that he believed Hoffman did fill in those
gaps, and that it was ultimately a burglary gone bad.

Thatcher continued, “There is no indication that [Hoffman] targeted those people or
stalked those people. He murdered Tina and Stephanie because they surprised him. Unfortunately,
Kody and Sarah came home, and as you know, he also murdered Kody.

“For whatever reason, he decided to spare Sarah. And thank God he did. Because if
he hadn’t spared her life, I’m not sure we would have been able to solve this case.
His intention was to remove the bodies from the home and to burn the house down and
make his escape. I think he would have eventually been caught, but we wouldn’t have
had the evidence at the crime scene that we were able to work with if he had decided
not to spare Sarah’s life. Rescuing Sarah was the only ray of sunshine in this whole
situation.

“Some people have questioned my decision to include a rape charge. My explanation
for it is this—in addition to being a brutal murderer, Matthew Hoffman is also a sex
offender. And even though he’ll never get out of prison, he will be classified as
a sex offender in prison. That charge will be with him for the rest of his life. If
anyone, who has had contact with the victim in this case, has any problem with that,
shame on them. The victim in this case had nothing to do with putting herself in that
situation. Obviously she was kidnapped and forced into that situation.

“A factor in this decision—I know that a change of venue was likely. That would have
delayed a trial even longer. And at trial, the families would have to relive the situation
all over again. It would have required the one living witness, Sarah, to testify in
court. Now she is spared having to do that.

“I can’t express how grateful I am to the state-wide law enforcement community. This
is the type of situation that will overwhelm any size county. There were officers
who came down here with sick children at home, and two hours’ sleep, to investigate
crime scenes.

“I’d like to thank everyone in our community and outside our community who came here,
who hoped we would find these three missing people alive. At the time, we were all
praying we would find these people alive. It didn’t turn out that way, but that doesn’t
diminish anything that they did.”

Thatcher then threw the floor open to questions.

One reporter asked, “Was there one specific piece of evidence that led you to Hoffman?”

The response was, “Let me tell you a story that was a pretty amazing piece of detective
work. There were a couple of items at the crime scene that didn’t look like they belonged
there. There was a shopping bag with a couple of items in it, and we used the product
code identity and tracked it to a specific store.” This was, of course, the Walmart
store in Mount Vernon. “We saw an individual leave in a car, and were able to pull
up a driver’s license photo matching that individual. It turned out to be Matthew
Hoffman.”

A reporter wanted to know how Hoffman could have pulled off such a complex series
of actions single-handedly, since so many cars were involved. Thatcher said that after
the confession, Hoffman had had to answer the investigators’ questions. And the timeline
he drew up about his activities matched what was believed to have been possible. There
were no indications that anyone else was involved.

“How specific was [Hoffman] about where the bodies were?” another reporter asked.

“We didn’t want him out of jail. So the directions were specific enough that it didn’t
take a lot of searching.”

When asked if he knew why Hoffman had spared Sarah, Thatcher responded, “I don’t think
he gave any reason other than he said he just couldn’t kill her. I know that statement
falls pretty flat under the circumstances. But whatever it was that prevented him
from taking her life, thank God that it did.”

Thatcher also emphasized that if Matt Hoffman ever tried to appeal his sentencing,
“then it would set the clock back to November 17, 2010, and I could ask for the death
penalty once again. It would essentially be a breach of contract if he appeals the
conviction and sentencing.”

A final question was, “How much did Sarah help you in this case?”

Thatcher answered, “A lot. It was the effort and strength on her part to be able to
relive what had been happening to her. She knew that some of the things he told her
weren’t true. If this case had gone to trial, she would have been the star witness.
And I think she would have done a good job.”