THIRTY-THREE

“She Would Have Been the Star Witness”

Prosecutor John Thatcher held a press conference to wrap up the case and to let the media ask questions. He introduced his assistant prosecutors, Jennifer Springer and Chip McConville, as well as Sheriff David Barber and Special Agent Joe Dietz from BCI&I. Then Thatcher went over the basic synopsis of the case once more, from Hoffman entering Tina Herrmann’s home to the murders and kidnapping of Sarah Maynard. Thatcher also detailed the hunt for Sarah, her rescue, and the search for the three missing victims.

When it came to how and why the plea deal had been made with Matthew Hoffman, Thatcher said, “I take full responsibility for all the charges brought in this case. However, I thought it was right and fair to consult with the family members first. I told them of the offer and of dropping the death penalty if Matthew Hoffman would identify the location of the remains of Stephanie Sprang, Tina Herrmann and Kody Maynard.

“It was my decision to make. Anyone who has a problem with the death penalty out of this case, has a problem with me. I don’t want to hear any complaints about the families. They only expressed their wishes. They didn’t tell me what to do.

“I decided that the justice needed in this case was, number one—within twenty-four hours all remains would be recovered. Hoffman would then plead guilty to all charges brought in the indictment.

“I told the family that after a week of searching, it was possible the bodies would never be found. There was only one person who knew where they were. I told the family members, ultimately it was my decision to make, but I think you have the right to know.

“I asked each and every one of them how they felt. It was their wish that they find their loved ones as soon as possible. Then we could find out what he did and when he did it.

“Helping these family members find their loved ones as soon as possible, is what we did. From what I’ve heard, we probably never would have found those bodies in a meaningful period of time and bring some kind of closure to these families.

“They [the family members] were able to watch their television sets as three hearses took the bodies of their loved ones away. They were able to have their calling hours and funeral services—not only the family members, but the whole community. Some day there might have been that opportunity years and years in the future. But the ability to do that now at least brought some closure to these people.

“After the bodies were recovered, there were other issues. The families wanted to know, why did he choose that house? There were a lot of speculations and fears. There was a speculation that Matthew Hoffman had accomplices. They wondered if family members had been stalked—particularly Sarah.

“And frankly, the investigation, as thorough as it was, couldn’t answer all the questions. Matthew Hoffman had to give those answers. So as part of the agreement, he had to make a full confession, which he did. He had to fill in the investigators with some of the missing parts that only he knew.”

While others in the community, like Larry Maynard, would still hang on to their convictions that Sarah, Tina or Stephanie had been stalked by Hoffman and then everything spun out of control from there, Thatcher said that he believed Hoffman did fill in those gaps, and that it was ultimately a burglary gone bad.

Thatcher continued, “There is no indication that [Hoffman] targeted those people or stalked those people. He murdered Tina and Stephanie because they surprised him. Unfortunately, Kody and Sarah came home, and as you know, he also murdered Kody.

“For whatever reason, he decided to spare Sarah. And thank God he did. Because if he hadn’t spared her life, I’m not sure we would have been able to solve this case. His intention was to remove the bodies from the home and to burn the house down and make his escape. I think he would have eventually been caught, but we wouldn’t have had the evidence at the crime scene that we were able to work with if he had decided not to spare Sarah’s life. Rescuing Sarah was the only ray of sunshine in this whole situation.

“Some people have questioned my decision to include a rape charge. My explanation for it is this—in addition to being a brutal murderer, Matthew Hoffman is also a sex offender. And even though he’ll never get out of prison, he will be classified as a sex offender in prison. That charge will be with him for the rest of his life. If anyone, who has had contact with the victim in this case, has any problem with that, shame on them. The victim in this case had nothing to do with putting herself in that situation. Obviously she was kidnapped and forced into that situation.

“A factor in this decision—I know that a change of venue was likely. That would have delayed a trial even longer. And at trial, the families would have to relive the situation all over again. It would have required the one living witness, Sarah, to testify in court. Now she is spared having to do that.

“I can’t express how grateful I am to the state-wide law enforcement community. This is the type of situation that will overwhelm any size county. There were officers who came down here with sick children at home, and two hours’ sleep, to investigate crime scenes.

“I’d like to thank everyone in our community and outside our community who came here, who hoped we would find these three missing people alive. At the time, we were all praying we would find these people alive. It didn’t turn out that way, but that doesn’t diminish anything that they did.”

Thatcher then threw the floor open to questions.

One reporter asked, “Was there one specific piece of evidence that led you to Hoffman?”

The response was, “Let me tell you a story that was a pretty amazing piece of detective work. There were a couple of items at the crime scene that didn’t look like they belonged there. There was a shopping bag with a couple of items in it, and we used the product code identity and tracked it to a specific store.” This was, of course, the Walmart store in Mount Vernon. “We saw an individual leave in a car, and were able to pull up a driver’s license photo matching that individual. It turned out to be Matthew Hoffman.”

A reporter wanted to know how Hoffman could have pulled off such a complex series of actions single-handedly, since so many cars were involved. Thatcher said that after the confession, Hoffman had had to answer the investigators’ questions. And the timeline he drew up about his activities matched what was believed to have been possible. There were no indications that anyone else was involved.

“How specific was [Hoffman] about where the bodies were?” another reporter asked.

“We didn’t want him out of jail. So the directions were specific enough that it didn’t take a lot of searching.”

When asked if he knew why Hoffman had spared Sarah, Thatcher responded, “I don’t think he gave any reason other than he said he just couldn’t kill her. I know that statement falls pretty flat under the circumstances. But whatever it was that prevented him from taking her life, thank God that it did.”

Thatcher also emphasized that if Matt Hoffman ever tried to appeal his sentencing, “then it would set the clock back to November 17, 2010, and I could ask for the death penalty once again. It would essentially be a breach of contract if he appeals the conviction and sentencing.”

A final question was, “How much did Sarah help you in this case?”

Thatcher answered, “A lot. It was the effort and strength on her part to be able to relive what had been happening to her. She knew that some of the things he told her weren’t true. If this case had gone to trial, she would have been the star witness. And I think she would have done a good job.”