She killed her “best friend” after being offered $9 million by a man she met online through a bizarre catfishing program

TDisappointed by a false promise of $9 million from a man she met online, Denali Dakota Skye Brehmer lured her so-called best friend to the Alaskan wilderness, where the teenager was bound with duct tape and shot in the head as part of a brutal murder plot .

What began as a bizarre online catfishing scheme ended with the death of Cynthia “CeeCee” Hoffman, 19, who was developmentally disabled.

An Indiana man, Darin Schilmiller, then 21, posed as a millionaire from Kansas named “Tyler” on Snapchat. He entered into a relationship with Brehmer, then 18, and offered to send her millions of dollars through PayPal to “rape and murder someone in Alaska.”

Brehmer agreed. She enlisted other friends in the conspiracy and on June 2, 2019, they committed CeeCee's murder near Thunderbird Falls, a popular hiking area north of Anchorage. Her death was captured in photos and videos that were sent back to “Tyler” on Snapchat as evidence.

In February 2023, Brehmer pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. Her friends were also charged with murder: 16-year-old Kayden McIntosh pulled the trigger and 19-year-old Caleb Leyland, who provided the vehicle to carry out the murder.

Now, in the third episode of Court TV's new limited series “Catfishing for Murder,” Brehmer speaks publicly about the murder for the first time Interview with a murderer.

“I have already admitted my guilt and am now ready to take full responsibility for what I did,” Brehmer said in an interview at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center.

But as she confronts what happened that fateful day, her story begins to change.

Brehmer acknowledges that the murder was premeditated in some ways, but then blames panic when a bound and gagged CeeCee “freaked out” about going to the police, which led to McIntosh grabbing the gun.

“I just went along with it,” says Brehmer calmly in the interview. “Because… the problem is solved, right?”

A catfish murder

On June 2, 2019, CeeCee – who considered Brehmer his best friend – was invited to Thunderbird Falls for a hike. Brehmer said later in the interview that a “hike” meant they set out to get high.

Brehmer and McIntosh, the last two people to ever see CeeCee alive, were hanging out with her in the woods when “the three agreed to tape each other up and take photos,” McIntosh told investigators, according to the criminal complaint. It's unclear why they decided to do this.

But then CeeCee, whose wrists and feet were bound with duct tape that also covered her mouth, “panicked,” the complaint says.

When they removed the tape from CeeCee's mouth, she told them she was going to call the police and tell them they had kidnapped and sexually assaulted her, the complaint says.

McIntosh then grabbed the 9mm gun Brehmer was holding and shot CeeCee in the back of the head, he told police.

Brehmer told police at the time that she saw CeeCee twitch before McIntosh pushed her body into the river, the complaint says.

But in the new interview with Court TV, Brehmer said the shooting happened very suddenly because they panicked when CeeCee threatened to call the police even though she didn't have her phone with her because McIntosh had already taken it .

According to the complaint, Brehmer and McIntosh then attempted to cover up CeeCee's death by burning her clothing, purse and cellphone along with the gun.

McIntosh then instructed Brehmer to text CeeCee's sister and tell them they had dropped her off at a local park. Brehmer told police she did what she was told because she was afraid of McIntosh.

CeeCee's bound body was found in the river on June 4, a day after she was reported missing.

The fake millionaire who allegedly encouraged murder

Three weeks before CeeCee was killed, Brehmer and “Tyler,” who met on Snapchat, began talking on the app about their plans to rape and murder someone in Alaska.

Anchorage police later learned that “Tyler” was actually Darin Schilmiller of Indiana, who had been using fake pictures to pose as a millionaire on the Internet as part of the catfishing scheme in which he offered to impersonate Brehmer “9.” “I took videos and/or photos of the murder to him,” a statement released at the time said.

Brehmer asked some of her friends for help and, according to police, offered them an unknown amount of so-called prize money for their participation in planning the murder.

Police said Schilmiller later admitted to targeting CeeCee after learning that she and Brehmer had gotten into an argument over a boy.

“Initially, when we were all thinking about it, I agreed and said yes because I was mad at her and she was mad at me and I was just all over her ass,” Brehmer says in the interview about the argument they had over a boy named Zack. “I wanted to make amends, I wanted to make amends, but she needed revenge for what she did to Zack.”

When asked in the documentary whether she deserved revenge with her life, a defeated Brehmer sighs, says “No,” and adds, “That's up to me.”

Brehmer was eventually arrested and when she realized she had been conned or defrauded by Schilmiller, also known as “Tyler,” she told authorities that she had been recruited by him.

According to the Alaska Department of Law, she was given the maximum sentence for her role in the murder.

“She might not have pulled the trigger, but this would never have happened without her [her]Anchorage Assistant District Attorney Patrick McKay said of Brehmer during the sentencing.

“She executed Cynthia Hoffman in a murder plot. She conspired with numerous other people inside and outside of Alaska, including youth, and changed everyone’s lives forever.”

Schilmiller, who posed as “Tyler” online, was also sentenced to 99 years in prison for his role in the murder.

He admitted to federal agents and Indiana State Police that he chose CeeCee as the victim after learning about the fight and ordered Brehmer to kill her, court documents said.

He said Brehmer communicated with him during the murder and sent Snapchat photos and videos of CeeCee while she was tied up and after she was killed.

Prosecutors said Schilmiller also asked Brehmer to obtain child pornography, which led to a federal charge against Brehmer.

Leyland pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in November 2023 and was sentenced to 30 years in prison in August 2024.

McIntosh, then 16, was charged with murder for shooting CeeCee in the head. His sentencing is scheduled for November 14.

Another tragic death

Every year on the anniversary of CeeCee's death, her father organized a celebratory motorcycle ride.

Timothy Hoffman, 58, was one of the attendees at the event on June 2 this year, where friends and family gathered to remember CeeCee. However, he lost control of his motorcycle and died in the accident.

This trip marked the first time that his wife, CeeCee's mother Barbara “Jeanie” Hoffman, accompanied him to the memorial service.

She survived the accident but endured multiple surgeries after suffering a fractured skull, back and bones, a family member told the newspaper Anchorage Daily News.

The Hoffman family has experienced many tragedies, but Hoffman's brother Donald Hoffman Jr. has vowed to continue to fight for justice for CeeCee.

In an interview with Court TV, he says Brehmer doesn't deserve to ever get out of prison.

“No matter how much you guide your children, there are a lot of shady people in the world. We see the end result. My niece is no longer here. She’s dead, shot in the back of the head,” he said. “And for what? She was led there, she went voluntarily because she thought it was all a game. It’s like the wolf leading the lamb to the slaughter.”

“I think she has no conscience,” he added of Brehmer. “She's evil. She murdered my niece without batting an eyelid. And if she could have gotten away with it, she would have done it.”

“Interview With a Killer” airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET on Court TV.