Man sentenced for murder of 19-year-old that prosecutors believe was motivated by ‘catfishing’

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU/Gray News) - An Alaskan man convicted of killing a 19-year-old woman in 2019 as part of an alleged “catfishing” scheme was sentenced on Friday.

Kayden McIntosh, 22, was sentenced to 85 years in prison, with 15 suspended, for shooting and killing Cynthia “CeeCee” Hoffman near Thunderbird Falls in Chugiak on June 2, 2019.

McIntosh’s sentence included 10 years of formal felony probation.

The court accepted McIntosh’s 2024 plea to one count of second-degree murder. All other counts against McIntosh were dropped.

According to state investigators, McIntosh shot and killed Hoffman in 2019 as part of a murder-for-hire scheme. The state said McIntosh and his co-defendants, Caleb Leyland and Denali Brehmer, were catfished by Darin Schilmiller.

According to the state, Schilmiller had promised Brehmer at least $9 million to commit a murder and send him videos and photos of the act.

Brehmer, according to the state, recruited McIntosh and Leyland to commit the murder alongside her.

On that day in 2019, Brehmer and McIntosh led Hoffman on a hike at Thunderbird Falls, prosecutors argued. During the hike, Hoffman was tied up and then fatally shot by McIntosh.

McIntosh was eligible to receive anywhere from 30 to 85 years imprisonment. The state asked for the maximum of 85 years, while the defense asked for the minimum of 30.