Press Release
Darin Schilmiller Pleads Guilty to Soliciting Murder of Cynthia Hoffman at Thunderbird Falls
August 4, 2023
(Anchorage, AK) – Today, 25-year-old Darin Mitchell Schilmiller of New Salisbury, Indiana, pleaded guilty to soliciting the murder of Cynthia Hoffman in June 2019 near Thunderbird Falls. Anchorage Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson accepted Schilmiller’s plea to one count of solicitation to commit murder in the first degree.
The charges against Schilmiller 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 Schilmiller, an Indiana resident, to commit the crime for money. As part of the agreement, Schilmiller signed an affidavit admitting to a statement of facts surrounding the incident. 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 Schilmiller’s sentence at a hearing. There is no agreement between the parties regarding a specific term of imprisonment. Judge Peterson may sentence Schilmiller to a term of imprisonment of no less than 5 years and no more than 99 years.
Sentencing is scheduled to begin Jan. 8, 2024, in front of Judge Peterson.
The charges of first- and second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder were dismissed as part of the agreement.
Schilmiller is currently in the custody of the Alaska Department of Corrections and he is no longer permitted to be released on conditions of release.
CONTACT: Anchorage Assistant District Attorney Patrick McKay at (907) 269-6300 or patrick.mckay@alaka.gov.
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Department Media Contacts: Communications Director Patty Sullivan at patty.sullivan@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6368. Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.