Press Release
Caleb Leyland Pleads Guilty to Murder of Cynthia Hoffman at Thunderbird Falls
November 22, 2023
(Anchorage, AK) – Today, 24-year-old Caleb Allen Russell Leyland pleaded guilty to the murder of Cynthia Hoffman in June 2019 near Thunderbird Falls. Anchorage Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson accepted Leyland’s plea to one count of Murder in the Second Degree. The charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder were dismissed as part of the agreement.
The charges against Leyland stem from the June 2, 2019, murder of 19-year-old Cynthia Hoffman near Thunderbird Falls in Chugiak, Alaska. The murder of Hoffman involved a group of teenagers who are accused of being “catfished” by Darin Schilmiller to commit the crime for money. The case was investigated by the Anchorage Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of multiple other State and federal law enforcement agencies.
The court will determine Leyland’s sentence at a hearing. The agreement between the parties permits the court to sentence Leyland to a maximum term of imprisonment of 75 years with 25 years suspended.
Sentencing is scheduled to begin June 10, 2024, in front of Judge Peterson.
Leyland is currently in the custody of the Alaska Department of Corrections and is no longer eligible to be released on conditions of release.
CONTACT: Anchorage Assistant District Attorney Patrick McKay at (907) 269-6300 or patrick.mckay@alaska.gov.
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Department Media Contact: Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.
Due to resource constraints, we no longer post links to referenced records. Records filed in a federal court are readily available at Docket Search or PACER, and records filed in a State of Alaska court are readily available from the Alaska Court System (Trial Courts - Alaska Court System and Search for an Appellate Case). Contact Sam Curtis to request a referenced record that is not readily available from a court or on the internet, or contact law.recordsrequest@alaska.gov to submit a formal Alaska Public Records Act request.