In 2019, Kayden McIntosh believed that he would make a lot of money if he helped murder a young woman. The young man from Alaska teamed up with another young woman, Denali Brehmer, to kill the girl after being solicited to commit the crime by a man Brehmer met online. But the promise was never fulfilled. Although McIntosh didn’t find himself suddenly wealthy, he did find himself in jail. And now, he likely will be spending the rest of his life behind bars.
On November 14, 2025, McIntosh appeared in court to be sentenced for the 2019 killing of Cynthia Hoffman. Anchorage Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson sentenced the now 22-year-old to 85 years in prison with 15 years suspended, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
McIntosh was one of five teens who conspired to kill Hoffman, who was developmentally disabled, after Denali Brehmer was offered millions of dollars to kill someone and film it, per the newspaper. Although Brehmer was the ringleader, McIntosh was the one who actually killed Hoffman. He shot her once in the head.
“Mr. McIntosh, while not the ringleader or orchestrator, was an active participant in the planning and selection of Cynthia Hoffman to be murdered and he was fully aware of the plan,” Judge Peterson said. “There was no rash or spontaneous decision or action in this case by Mr. McIntosh, but rather a cold, calculated murder.”
According to prosecutors, McIntosh, who was 16 at the time of the killing, believed he would get $750,000 for the deed. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last year.
McIntosh was the last of the group to be sentenced. Brehmer, who was 18 at the time of the killing, was sentenced to 99 years in prison in February of 2024, People reported. She pleaded guilty to murder in 2023. Brehmer, who Hoffman believed was her best friend, was in an online relationship with a man allegedly named “Tyler.” The man allegedly offered her $9 million to kill someone and take pictures.
In June 2019, Brehmer, McIntosh, and Hoffman went on a hike at Thunderbird Falls in Chugiak, Alaska. Once there, they bound Hoffman with duct tape and took pictures before McIntosh shot her. Prosecutors argued that even though Brehmer didn’t fire the gun, she was still guilty.
“She may not have pulled the trigger, but this never would have happened if it weren’t for Denali Brehmer,” prosecutor Patrick McKay said, per People.
Eventually, it was discovered that Darin Schilmiller of Indiana was the one who catfished Brehmer. He pleaded guilty to soliciting a murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison, the Daily News reported.
Before his sentencing, McIntosh addressed the members of Hoffman’s family present in court to apologize. “I know that doesn’t cut it,” he said. “I don’t expect you to forgive me. I’m trying to take accountability for this.”
The members of the Hoffman family seemed pleased with McIntosh’s sentence, even though they hoped for 99 years. “It’s not what we wanted, but we’re satisfied,” Don Hoffman, one of Cynthia’s uncles, told the Daily News. “He’s going to be an old man when he gets out.”
