For Timothy Hoffman, it was the fifth annual memorial motorcycle ride to the Victims for Justice Memorial, and on to Thunderbird Falls in Eklutna, where his daughter had been tricked into going on a hike and then murdered by her companions on June 2, 2019. Then the riders would go on to an annual memorial celebration gathering in Big Lake.
The CeCe Celebration Ride for Justice started with a breakfast and live music courtesy of the Carousel Lounge. Riders mounted their motorcycles to head out to pay their respects to the teenager who was shot and whose body was dumped into the Eklutna River on that fateful day.
The ride in 2023 was going to be the last one, but then the fateful fifth-annual ride for 2024 was organized. For Timothy Hoffman Sr., father of the late Cynthia Hoffman, Sunday would be his last ride.
Hoffman, with his wife riding behind him on his Harley, lost control of his motorcycle at Mile 49 of the Parks Highway, near S. Rainbow Street.
Hoffman, 58, had organized the ride every year with friends and family to remember his daughter on the anniversary of CeCe’s death; this was the first time his wife Jeannie had gone with him. Jeannie was injured severely in the crash and is in the hospital in critical condition.
Timothy was not wearing a helmet on Sunday; Jeannie was wearing a full-face helmet, Alaska State Troopers said. Both were unconscious when they were transported to the hospital , where Timothy was pronounced dead on Sunday afternoon. The Parks Highway was closed for two hours, with traffic diverted onto a service road.
Timothy’s brother Greg has set up a GoFundMe page to help defray the costs for the funeral for Timothy.
The Hoffman family has endured much over the years, as one-by-one the perpetrators of the murder went in front of an Anchorage judge and pled guilty to their various roles in the murder of Cynthia. Denali Brehmer, one of the ringleaders, was recently sentenced to 99 years in prison for the deed that shocked Alaska and the nation.
Hoffman, who thought Brehmer was a friend, had been lured by Brehmer and other “friends” to the banks of the Eklutna River and she was shot execution style near Thunderbird Falls. Brehmer and accomplices dumped her body into the river. Investigators later learned that Darin Schilmiller of Indiana had solicited and orchestrated the murder with Brehmer during a perverted relationship the two developed on the internet. Schilmiller had offered money to Brehmer to conduct the murder of someone, and provide him the video footage of it.
Schilmiller is now serving a 99-year sentence. Caleb Leyland, one of the defendants, pled guilty to his role and is scheduled to be sentence June 10. Kayden McIntosh, accused of being the one who actually pulled the trigger, is still pending trial.
That poor family. Prayers to them.
The real crime here is that it took 5 years to process something that should have taken 20 minutes, once they learned what had happened to her.
I agree. The Constitution guarantees a speedy trial, but that part seems to have been cut out of the document.
The right to a speedy trial is historically based on the tendency of tyrannies to imprison enemies and not even announce charges, just letting people languish in prison for no actual legal reason. I know it sounds simple on its face, but it has nothing to do with the fact that legal proceedings take forever and schedules are backed up.
The Bill of Rights favors perpetrators over victims. But it’s hard for us to even imagine accepted norms of “justice” from the 17th & 18th centuries.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord. And may perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Alaska doesn’t have a helmet law and that’s fine, but anyone who rides without a helmet is a fool. I got my motorcycle endorsement in 1980 which is over 4 decades of riding. I have seen several deaths from not wearing a helmet in what appeared to be relatively slow falls. On the flip side, I had a friend put his head through the grill of an F250 and took out the radiator. He walked away. So sad for the family.
This is so sad I want to cry…..
This a tragedy. Motorcycles are so dangerous. Any insurance agent will tell you that actuarial statistics put your odds of death or severe injury on a motorcycle at 15% to 35% during your riding career. That’s too high for most people’s comfort level. RIP.
Motorcycles are like guns, they’re not dangerous. It’s the person in control of them that are dangerous. I’ve been riding for over 40 years with no accidents, same thing for my gun ownership. If you break down motorcycle deaths there are 2 glaring commonalities…no license endorsement and alcohol was involved.
Poker runs.
Comments are closed.