On November 10th 2010 a family of 4 disappeared from their home in Apple Valley, Ohio. Clues left behind told a very gruesome story but they also provided a bit of hope that one of them may still be alive. Detectives race against the clock in this horrific and mind bending case.
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[00:00:02] Just Another Monster contains a good theme, violence, and content that may be sensitive to some listeners.
[00:00:10] Listener discretion is advised.
[00:00:23] Out at her house now. I just went in her home because I'm so worried about her. There is blood everywhere.
[00:01:20] Welcome to the new and improved Just Another Monster, where we talk real monsters and true crime.
[00:01:28] It feels really good to be back, and I can't wait to show you what's next.
[00:01:39] This case is one of the more disturbing cases I've come across.
[00:01:45] It made significant impact on me, actually, and it's stayed with me ever since.
[00:01:52] So, of course, I have to share it with all of you.
[00:01:55] So, let's not waste any more time.
[00:02:01] And let's get on with it, shall we?
[00:02:48] It's November 2010.
[00:02:51] The leaves are changing color again, going from a vibrant and lively green to bright yellows and golden browns.
[00:03:01] The evening air is becoming frigid as the days grow shorter, and the blanket of night grows longer and darker.
[00:03:12] The sound of dry leaves scraping the sidewalks is a familiar sound with every breeze.
[00:03:19] The carved pumpkins on porches begin to soften and collapse on themselves, starting to resemble toothless old men.
[00:03:30] And it's a Wednesday in a quiet little town in Ohio called Apple Valley.
[00:03:36] This little town of nearly 17,000 prides itself on being a very close-knit and safe community.
[00:03:45] It's the kind of town where everyone knows one another, and you could feel safe leaving your doors unlocked.
[00:03:52] Which is virtually unheard of nowadays.
[00:03:55] 32-year-old Tina Rose Herman, along with her beloved children, 11-year-old Cody Herman, and 13-year-old Sarah Maynard, called Apple Valley their home.
[00:04:08] Tina is described as courageous and energetic, and the greatest joy and purpose in her life was being a mother.
[00:04:17] As a single mother, she provided for her children by working at a local dairy queen as a manager.
[00:04:24] And she enjoyed the smaller things in life, like sunflowers and her ever-growing collection of dolphin figurines.
[00:04:32] Tina shared her two children with a former long-term partner, Larry Maynard.
[00:04:38] The two were never married, but maintained a civil partnership to help raise the children together.
[00:04:43] Her 11-year-old son, Cody, had just recently started his school year as a 5th grade honor roll student at East Knox Middle School.
[00:04:53] Cody was a budding athlete who loved sports, particularly baseball.
[00:04:59] Tina's 13-year-old daughter, who attended the same school as a 7th grader, was a bubbly and blossoming teenage girl
[00:05:06] who was a star athlete that played softball and volleyball while working toward her aspirations of becoming a pediatrician.
[00:05:16] Tina, Cody, and Sarah, along with their miniature pincher Tanner, enjoyed a happy and picturesque life in this small town in Apple Valley, Ohio.
[00:05:28] But things weren't always easy for them.
[00:05:32] Tina had been in an on-again, off-again relationship for over 6 years with a 30-year-old man named Greg Borders.
[00:05:41] In 2007, Tina and Greg had purchased their home in Mount Vernon together so they could raise Tina's children in a safe and suitable home,
[00:05:50] but both would end up facing many challenges over the years.
[00:05:54] A couple of years later, the pair would throw in the towel on their romantic relationship,
[00:05:59] but would continue to maintain a somewhat civil relationship because they did own their home together and Greg loved Cody and Sarah.
[00:06:09] Greg worked at a Target distribution center in West Jefferson, Ohio, which is a 2-hour drive from their home in Mount Vernon.
[00:06:17] So even after Greg broke things off with Tina, they would still share their home while Greg would stay at his mother's from time to time.
[00:06:26] 2007 through 2010 was the peak of the subprime mortgage crisis that impacted millions of Americans.
[00:06:34] Millions lost their hard-earned, well-paying jobs.
[00:06:37] Businesses went bankrupt.
[00:06:38] Homelessness increased exponentially in many cities throughout the U.S.,
[00:06:44] while banks were bailed out of their financial responsibilities and continued to line the pockets of the wealthy.
[00:06:50] There were approximately 3.8 million housing foreclosures between 2007 and 2010 alone.
[00:06:58] Now, for comparison, in 2023, there were only 270,000 properties that started the foreclosure process.
[00:07:07] So, like millions of other Americans, Tina and Greg were not immune to the housing crisis and the subsequent rising interest rates,
[00:07:15] so they too were in the process of losing their home.
[00:07:19] Facing a foreclosure and the final demise of their romantic relationship,
[00:07:24] the two had decided it was time to part ways and to start putting in efforts into new chapters for themselves.
[00:07:31] But what Tina didn't know is that this new chapter in her life would come to a violent and horrific end.
[00:07:45] Wednesday, November 10, 2010 was a pretty typical day for both Tina and Greg.
[00:07:52] Greg had already left for work early that morning, and Cody and Sarah had gone off to school.
[00:07:59] Tina wanted to take advantage of some of the daylight hours to run some errands and tour some apartments in the area
[00:08:06] before she had to go to work that evening.
[00:08:08] But as the hours passed, the day grew darker and colder,
[00:08:14] and Tina never made it to work.
[00:08:18] Tina's manager, Valerie Haythorn, grew extremely concerned when Tina was a no-show for her 4 p.m. shift at Dairy Queen.
[00:08:26] Now, this was very out of character for Tina.
[00:08:31] Valerie knew that something had to be very, very wrong for Tina to not show up for work or even call in.
[00:08:38] Tina wasn't answering her phone or responding to text messages,
[00:08:42] and Valerie began to feel a pit growing in her stomach.
[00:08:46] Something was very wrong with this.
[00:08:49] Once Valerie was done with her shift, she decided to make the drive to Tina's house on King Beach Drive.
[00:08:56] Tina's quaint little three-bedroom home was perched up at the end of a large driveway and surrounded by dense woods.
[00:09:03] The nearest neighbor was about 200 yards away.
[00:09:06] As Valerie approached the home, she noticed the lights were still on,
[00:09:11] and there were two vehicles in the driveway.
[00:09:14] Tina's Ford F-150 and another car that Valerie was unfamiliar with.
[00:09:19] No one came to the door after Valerie's repeated knocks.
[00:09:23] There were no answers to her countless calls.
[00:09:26] And strangely enough, there were no barks coming from Tanner, the family dog.
[00:09:32] The whole situation was very strange, and Valerie had a strong feeling that something was very, very wrong.
[00:09:40] So she finally made a call to the Knox County Police.
[00:09:44] Sheriff Barber's office.
[00:09:47] Hi, hey, Thorn.
[00:09:48] Uh-huh.
[00:09:49] And I work out at Dairy Queen.
[00:09:51] I'm the general manager out there.
[00:09:52] Uh-huh.
[00:09:53] One of my employees did not show up for work this afternoon at 4 o'clock.
[00:09:56] Okay.
[00:09:56] Which is totally uncharacteristic of her.
[00:09:58] She's one of my managers.
[00:10:00] Okay.
[00:10:00] I drove out by her house and went and knocked on the door and left her note.
[00:10:03] She's not answering her phone, which is totally uncharacteristic.
[00:10:06] She's not answering her texts, and she is not at home, but her truck and her coat are in her house.
[00:10:10] Her truck's there and her coat is in the house.
[00:10:12] I'm very concerned about her.
[00:10:14] What's her name?
[00:10:15] Her name is Tina Herman.
[00:10:17] H-E-R-R-M-A-N-N.
[00:10:20] Okay.
[00:10:21] I know that she and her boyfriend are splitting up, and he can be a real jerk with her.
[00:10:25] Okay.
[00:10:25] Do you have a phone number for her?
[00:10:27] Um, oh my God, I do, but it's in my phone.
[00:10:29] I'd have to call you back.
[00:10:30] Okay, that's fine.
[00:10:31] What was your name again?
[00:10:32] My name is Valerie Haythorn.
[00:10:34] Okay.
[00:10:35] Okay, I will have a deputy swing out there and check on her.
[00:10:38] Okay, I appreciate it.
[00:10:40] Thank you.
[00:10:41] Bye.
[00:10:43] After Valerie's call, the police eventually made it to Tina's home to perform a welfare check around 7.25pm.
[00:10:51] They approached the home, noticing that the lights were on, and proceeded to knock on the front door repeatedly.
[00:10:58] But, again, there was no answer.
[00:11:01] With no real indication of foul play, the police left, assuming that, you know, maybe Tina left with some friends or family in a rush for what could have been a number of reasons.
[00:11:12] The following Thursday morning, the police would receive a phone call from a man named Ron Metcalf.
[00:11:18] Ron was the boyfriend of a 41-year-old woman named Stephanie Spring.
[00:11:24] Stephanie was a mother herself to two boys, Seth and Michael, and she also had a daughter named Tricia.
[00:11:31] Stephanie was born and raised in Mount Vernon, Ohio, and she was a 1987 graduate of Mount Vernon High School, where she ran for the school's cross-country track team.
[00:11:42] And Stephanie also happened to be best friends with Tina Herman.
[00:11:47] Ron Metcalf called police to inform them that Stephanie was missing.
[00:11:52] The last time he had seen or spoken to Stephanie was when she was leaving to meet with Tina at her home.
[00:11:58] Ron knew that the breakup between Tina and Greg was pretty messy, as there were allegations of abuse and mistreatment in the relationship.
[00:12:08] So, Ron was rightfully worried.
[00:12:10] At this point, the Apple Valley Sheriff's Department began to see a bit of a connection here.
[00:12:17] So, the next logical course of action for them was to call Cody and Sarah's school.
[00:12:23] When they did, they were informed that neither Cody or Sarah were at school,
[00:12:27] and that they were dropped off by their bus drivers at their house the day before.
[00:12:32] So, now you have two women, two children, and a dog that seemed to have just up and vanished without a trace.
[00:12:42] Another day had come and gone, and Tina was once again a no-show for her shift at work.
[00:12:53] It had been over 24 hours since anyone heard anything from Tina, Cody, or Sarah.
[00:13:00] Now, after missing two shifts in a row, Tina's manager and friend Valerie knew deep down in her gut that something was very wrong.
[00:13:10] That pit in Valerie's stomach started to become a chasm, and she was overcome with the feeling of absolute dread.
[00:13:20] It was now Thursday, November 11th.
[00:13:23] A little after 4pm, Valerie once again made the drive out to Tina's home.
[00:13:29] The lights were still on, and everything was pretty much as she left it the last time she was there.
[00:13:35] But this time, being the tenacious person that Valerie is,
[00:13:40] she decided to do a little more than just knock on the door and leave a note.
[00:13:45] This time, she was going to make her way inside of the home.
[00:13:49] She ended up crawling in through a back window,
[00:13:52] and what she saw sent chills down her spine.
[00:13:58] This is Debbie Selma. I can help you.
[00:14:00] Yes, this is Valerie Haythorn.
[00:14:02] Uh-huh.
[00:14:02] I called in last night about Tina Harmon being missing.
[00:14:05] Uh-huh.
[00:14:06] I am out of her house now.
[00:14:08] I just went in her home because I'm so worried about her.
[00:14:11] There is blood everywhere.
[00:14:14] Okay.
[00:14:16] Where are you at? I'm sorry.
[00:14:17] I just got back today, so...
[00:14:19] Okay, okay.
[00:14:19] So you just need to kind of fill me in a little bit, okay?
[00:14:22] Tina Harmon works for me.
[00:14:23] She did not start for work yesterday,
[00:14:25] and we have not been able to locate her or her children for the life.
[00:14:27] It's been 24 hours now.
[00:14:29] Uh, I just spoke with...
[00:14:31] No, I'm sorry, ma'am.
[00:14:32] Okay.
[00:14:32] I just need an address.
[00:14:34] I just need an address.
[00:14:37] 481 Kings Beach Drive in Apple Valley.
[00:14:40] Okay.
[00:14:41] Okay.
[00:14:41] Just give us a few minutes and we'll be in run, okay?
[00:14:44] Okay, sir.
[00:14:44] Don't go back in the house.
[00:14:46] I'm not going to anyone.
[00:14:47] I'm staying in the driveway.
[00:14:48] Okay, thank you.
[00:14:49] All right.
[00:14:49] All right.
[00:14:49] Bye.
[00:14:50] Bye.
[00:14:51] The Mount Vernon police immediately rushed to the house on King Beach Drive,
[00:14:55] where they were met with a hysterical Valerie.
[00:14:58] See, she knew something was wrong from the start.
[00:15:02] Police approached the door and made their presence known.
[00:15:06] Guns drawn and alert,
[00:15:07] the officers cautiously made their way into the home.
[00:15:12] Upon entry,
[00:15:13] the officers were met with a large blackened pool of coagulated blood
[00:15:19] that had saturated through Tina's beige carpet.
[00:15:24] This was the first indication that something horrible had happened.
[00:15:30] As police made their way further into the home,
[00:15:34] two more large pools of blood are found in two distinct areas of the home.
[00:15:41] The smell of blood was so thick in the air,
[00:15:46] you could taste the copper in your mouth.
[00:15:50] One very interesting thing about these pools of blood
[00:15:53] were the drag marks that led away from them.
[00:15:56] They were accompanied by a set of blood-soaked footprints.
[00:16:00] Three rivers of black crimson trailed out from the living room,
[00:16:06] Sarah's room, and Tina's room,
[00:16:07] and they converged into one that led directly into the bathroom.
[00:16:12] The officers then made their way into the bathroom,
[00:16:16] having no idea what they were about to see.
[00:16:19] The entire inside of the bathroom was drenched in blood, literally.
[00:16:25] The shower curtain itself was soaked in blood from the bottom up,
[00:16:29] like a high watermark.
[00:16:31] It indicated that there had been, at one point,
[00:16:34] several inches of it in the tub.
[00:16:36] The amount of blood covering the walls, toilet, floor, and bathtub
[00:16:41] was immeasurable.
[00:16:44] It was enough to indicate that,
[00:16:46] whosoever blood it was,
[00:16:48] they were very unlikely to be alive.
[00:16:51] Police continued to search the home,
[00:16:53] but there was still no sign of Tina, Cody, or Sarah,
[00:16:56] and Tanner, the miniature pincher,
[00:16:59] was nowhere to be found.
[00:17:01] Crime scene investigators were immediately called in to process the scene.
[00:17:05] Now, a few things of note here.
[00:17:08] Detectives discovered two full bags of groceries
[00:17:10] that were left on the floor of the kitchen.
[00:17:12] A receipt inside one of the bags
[00:17:14] indicated that the purchases were made
[00:17:16] a little after 12 p.m., Wednesday, November 10th.
[00:17:20] There were also no obvious signs of a burglary
[00:17:23] or forced entry into the home.
[00:17:25] There were no broken windows,
[00:17:27] there were no doors kicked in,
[00:17:28] but one of the detectives noticed
[00:17:30] that the right side of the garage door was off its rail.
[00:17:34] It caused it to kind of skew upward,
[00:17:37] leaving a gap just large enough
[00:17:39] for a human being to crawl out of,
[00:17:42] or into,
[00:17:44] the garage.
[00:17:45] When detectives entered the garage,
[00:17:47] they discovered Stephanie's Jeep.
[00:17:49] It had mud and weeds in the grill,
[00:17:52] and small amounts of blood were detected inside of it.
[00:17:55] Also in the garage was a Walmart shopping bag
[00:17:59] that contained unopened tarps and garbage bags,
[00:18:02] and Tina's truck,
[00:18:05] a Ford F-150,
[00:18:06] was missing.
[00:18:22] Apple Valley detectives just stumbled upon
[00:18:25] a gruesome and horrific crime scene
[00:18:27] inside the home of Tina Herman.
[00:18:30] The amount of blood in the home,
[00:18:32] particularly the bathroom,
[00:18:34] was significant.
[00:18:36] It is what some detectives describe
[00:18:38] as a bloodletting event.
[00:18:41] It's when there was so much blood present
[00:18:43] at a crime scene
[00:18:44] that it lends itself to either multiple victims
[00:18:47] with significant life-threatening injuries,
[00:18:49] or dismemberment had taken place.
[00:18:52] Potentially both.
[00:18:54] Now, another thing of note.
[00:18:56] When detectives were processing the scene,
[00:18:59] I mentioned those bloody footprints
[00:19:01] that kind of ran parallel with the drag marks.
[00:19:04] In the garage,
[00:19:05] there were two distinct sets of them.
[00:19:09] One of those were very unique.
[00:19:11] They had a very distinctive pattern
[00:19:13] that indicated that they were a pair
[00:19:15] of Airwalk brand shoes.
[00:19:18] This was important to detectives
[00:19:20] because the shoe prints
[00:19:22] and size of the prints
[00:19:23] were an exact match
[00:19:24] to those that belonged to Sarah Maynard,
[00:19:27] Tina's 13-year-old daughter.
[00:19:30] The prints would indicate
[00:19:31] that Sarah was still alive,
[00:19:33] even while the event was taking place.
[00:19:36] And considering her prints
[00:19:37] were found in the garage
[00:19:38] with Tina's truck missing,
[00:19:40] she could very well possibly
[00:19:42] still be alive.
[00:19:44] With this glimmer of hope,
[00:19:46] the detectives immediately threw
[00:19:48] all of their resources
[00:19:49] into finding Sarah and her family.
[00:19:51] The clock was ticking.
[00:19:54] On Thursday, November 11th,
[00:19:57] around 6.55pm,
[00:19:59] while detectives were still processing
[00:20:00] the crime scene at Tina's home,
[00:20:02] they received a phone call
[00:20:03] from the Sheriff's Department.
[00:20:05] They called detectives
[00:20:06] to notify them
[00:20:07] that Tina's missing Ford F-150
[00:20:09] was located in a parking lot
[00:20:12] of a local college
[00:20:13] that was roughly seven miles away
[00:20:15] from the crime scene.
[00:20:16] The Sheriff's Department
[00:20:17] did search the area
[00:20:18] for Tina, Sarah, Cody, and Stephanie,
[00:20:21] but the search yielded no results.
[00:20:24] On Friday, November 12th,
[00:20:27] 5.30pm,
[00:20:28] Greg Borders,
[00:20:30] Tina's on-again, off-again boyfriend,
[00:20:33] was brought in for questioning
[00:20:34] by the Knox County detectives.
[00:20:38] Greg was interviewed extensively
[00:20:40] by detectives.
[00:20:42] He had stated that he went
[00:20:43] to work at Target,
[00:20:44] which we all knew,
[00:20:45] and stayed the night
[00:20:46] at his mom's house that evening.
[00:20:48] The next day,
[00:20:49] he met up with a friend
[00:20:50] for a round of golf.
[00:20:52] And Greg's alibis checked out.
[00:20:55] Now, Greg did mention
[00:20:56] to detectives
[00:20:57] that Tina told him
[00:20:58] about a strange man
[00:21:00] that she had seen
[00:21:00] sitting on a stump
[00:21:01] in the woods
[00:21:02] across from her home,
[00:21:04] just staring at her house.
[00:21:06] She thought that maybe
[00:21:07] the man had been
[00:21:07] living in the dense woods
[00:21:09] surrounding the area.
[00:21:10] There were even a few times
[00:21:12] that someone would knock
[00:21:13] on the door,
[00:21:14] but when she would go
[00:21:14] to answer it,
[00:21:15] no one was there.
[00:21:17] She didn't think
[00:21:18] much of it, really.
[00:21:19] She just assumed
[00:21:20] it was probably some kids
[00:21:21] playing a prank.
[00:21:23] Detectives questioned
[00:21:24] friends and coworkers
[00:21:25] and other suspects,
[00:21:26] but nothing came of it.
[00:21:27] Nothing at all, actually.
[00:21:29] It had no leads to go on,
[00:21:31] no new developments.
[00:21:33] At this point,
[00:21:34] detectives only had
[00:21:35] the physical evidence
[00:21:36] to go on.
[00:21:37] Tina's truck
[00:21:37] didn't really reveal
[00:21:38] anything new,
[00:21:39] so there wasn't
[00:21:40] really much to go on.
[00:21:42] That was until
[00:21:43] they took a closer look
[00:21:44] at that Walmart bag
[00:21:45] they found in Tina's garage,
[00:21:47] the same one that contained
[00:21:48] unopened packages
[00:21:49] of tarps and garbage bags.
[00:21:51] Now, unfortunately,
[00:21:52] there was no receipt
[00:21:53] in this bag
[00:21:54] to indicate when
[00:21:55] or who had purchased
[00:21:56] the items,
[00:21:56] but it was all
[00:21:58] detectives had to go on.
[00:22:00] On Saturday,
[00:22:01] November 13th,
[00:22:03] detectives worked
[00:22:03] with Walmart
[00:22:04] to scour through
[00:22:05] every purchase made
[00:22:06] of two tarps
[00:22:08] and garbage bags
[00:22:09] between the time
[00:22:10] that Tina and her family
[00:22:11] went missing
[00:22:12] and when detectives
[00:22:13] arrived at the scene.
[00:22:14] Using this information,
[00:22:16] they were able
[00:22:17] to identify
[00:22:17] a transaction
[00:22:18] for two tarps
[00:22:20] and some garbage bags
[00:22:21] that was made
[00:22:22] a little after midnight
[00:22:23] on Wednesday,
[00:22:24] November 10th,
[00:22:25] going into Thursday.
[00:22:27] With that information,
[00:22:28] detectives were able
[00:22:29] to dial in
[00:22:30] to the video
[00:22:30] of the cashier
[00:22:31] that handled
[00:22:32] the transaction
[00:22:32] and video footage
[00:22:34] of the person
[00:22:35] who made it.
[00:22:36] It was a young man
[00:22:38] they did not recognize,
[00:22:39] one that wasn't
[00:22:40] even on their radar.
[00:22:42] Using the store
[00:22:43] security footage,
[00:22:44] they were able
[00:22:44] to track the individual
[00:22:45] throughout the store.
[00:22:46] He purchased
[00:22:47] two tarps
[00:22:48] and garbage bags
[00:22:49] using cash
[00:22:49] and then left
[00:22:51] the Walmart parking lot
[00:22:52] in a Toyota Yaris.
[00:22:54] Unfortunately,
[00:22:55] they were unable
[00:22:56] to see the plates
[00:22:57] and the surveillance footage,
[00:22:59] but they were able
[00:23:00] to do a search
[00:23:01] for all Yaris vehicles
[00:23:03] in the same color
[00:23:04] registered in Knox County.
[00:23:06] And their search
[00:23:07] wouldn't take very long
[00:23:09] to identify
[00:23:10] their new suspect.
[00:23:13] Shortly after
[00:23:14] detectives began
[00:23:15] their search
[00:23:15] for all Yaris vehicles
[00:23:17] in their county,
[00:23:18] they were able
[00:23:19] to quickly identify
[00:23:20] a young man
[00:23:21] that not only
[00:23:22] owned a Yaris,
[00:23:23] but also fit
[00:23:24] the description
[00:23:25] pulled from
[00:23:26] the surveillance footage.
[00:23:27] In fact,
[00:23:28] his driver's license
[00:23:29] photo they had
[00:23:30] on record
[00:23:30] showed him
[00:23:31] wearing the same
[00:23:32] exact shirt
[00:23:33] he was wearing
[00:23:34] in the Walmart footage.
[00:23:35] And his name
[00:23:36] was Matthew J. Hoffman.
[00:23:40] The address
[00:23:41] they had on file
[00:23:42] for Matthew
[00:23:43] put his location
[00:23:44] just under
[00:23:45] half a mile away
[00:23:46] from Tina Herman's home.
[00:23:48] Not only that,
[00:23:49] but their criminal
[00:23:50] database search
[00:23:51] showed that Hoffman
[00:23:52] had a criminal record.
[00:23:54] In August of 2000,
[00:23:57] Matthew Hoffman
[00:23:57] set fire to a townhome
[00:23:59] to cover up
[00:24:00] a burglary
[00:24:00] and car theft
[00:24:01] in Steamboat Springs,
[00:24:03] Colorado.
[00:24:04] No one was hurt,
[00:24:06] but the fire
[00:24:06] did spread
[00:24:07] to other units
[00:24:08] causing roughly
[00:24:09] $2 million
[00:24:09] in damages.
[00:24:11] Matthew was
[00:24:12] convicted in 2001
[00:24:13] and sentenced
[00:24:14] to eight years
[00:24:15] in prison.
[00:24:16] He was released
[00:24:17] in 2007
[00:24:18] and paroled
[00:24:19] in Ohio.
[00:24:23] Matthew Hoffman
[00:24:24] was born
[00:24:25] in Mount Vernon,
[00:24:26] Ohio in 1980.
[00:24:29] Now,
[00:24:29] not a lot is known
[00:24:30] about Matthew
[00:24:31] other than being
[00:24:31] described as
[00:24:32] quiet,
[00:24:33] a follower,
[00:24:35] and just
[00:24:35] unremarkable
[00:24:37] and largely forgettable.
[00:24:39] Some neighbors
[00:24:40] would describe Matthew
[00:24:41] as the town weirdo,
[00:24:43] a sometimes
[00:24:44] erratic and strange man
[00:24:45] that people began
[00:24:46] to distance themselves from.
[00:24:48] In October of 2010,
[00:24:51] just a month prior
[00:24:52] to the events
[00:24:53] of November 10th,
[00:24:55] Matthew's
[00:24:55] live-in girlfriend
[00:24:56] left him
[00:24:56] after he had
[00:24:57] apparently choked her
[00:24:58] during a violent
[00:24:59] episode he had.
[00:25:01] Around that time,
[00:25:02] he was reportedly
[00:25:03] becoming paranoid
[00:25:04] and more erratic.
[00:25:06] Around that time,
[00:25:07] Matthew also
[00:25:08] lost his job
[00:25:09] as a tree trimmer
[00:25:11] at Fast Eddie's
[00:25:12] Lawn Care
[00:25:12] where he worked
[00:25:13] part-time.
[00:25:14] He was terminated
[00:25:15] for continued
[00:25:16] poor performance
[00:25:17] and for,
[00:25:18] well,
[00:25:19] lying about his
[00:25:20] previous felony
[00:25:21] convictions.
[00:25:22] Matthew also
[00:25:23] had the power
[00:25:24] cut off
[00:25:24] to his home.
[00:25:25] His vehicle
[00:25:26] was in the process
[00:25:27] of being repossessed
[00:25:28] and he resorted
[00:25:30] to eating squirrels
[00:25:31] that he would trap
[00:25:32] around his home.
[00:25:33] He would spend
[00:25:34] a lot of his
[00:25:35] free time
[00:25:35] just sitting in a tree
[00:25:36] in his backyard
[00:25:37] watching over the
[00:25:38] neighborhood for
[00:25:38] hours at a time.
[00:25:40] His neighbors
[00:25:41] started keeping
[00:25:41] their children inside
[00:25:42] when Matthew
[00:25:43] was out and about
[00:25:44] as he made them
[00:25:45] increasingly uncomfortable.
[00:25:46] You could say
[00:25:47] that things just
[00:25:48] weren't working
[00:25:49] in Matthew's favor
[00:25:50] at the time.
[00:25:51] In fact,
[00:25:52] he was
[00:25:52] kind of spiraling.
[00:25:54] Not knowing
[00:25:55] if Sarah Maynard
[00:25:56] had been abducted
[00:25:57] or if she was
[00:25:58] even still alive,
[00:26:00] Knox County
[00:26:00] detectives
[00:26:01] wasted no time
[00:26:02] obtaining what's
[00:26:03] known as
[00:26:04] a no-knock
[00:26:05] warrant.
[00:26:06] And it's exactly
[00:26:07] what it sounds like.
[00:26:08] Detectives
[00:26:09] were in a race
[00:26:10] against time.
[00:26:12] And on the
[00:26:13] morning of Monday,
[00:26:14] November 15th,
[00:26:16] Knox County
[00:26:16] police,
[00:26:17] the sheriff's
[00:26:18] department,
[00:26:18] and SWAT
[00:26:19] teams executed
[00:26:20] a joint venture
[00:26:22] and strategy
[00:26:23] to apprehend
[00:26:24] Matthew Hoffman
[00:26:24] by any
[00:26:26] means necessary.
[00:26:33] The SWAT
[00:26:34] team proceeded
[00:26:35] to get into
[00:26:36] formation around
[00:26:37] Matthew's home,
[00:26:38] covering all
[00:26:39] potential exits.
[00:26:40] Once they were
[00:26:41] given the command,
[00:26:42] SWAT kicked
[00:26:42] the door in.
[00:26:44] Detective Craig Feeney
[00:26:45] was the first
[00:26:46] to enter.
[00:26:46] A second SWAT
[00:26:47] member deployed
[00:26:48] a flashbang
[00:26:49] into the home
[00:26:50] to disorient
[00:26:51] Matthew.
[00:26:52] Detective Feeney
[00:26:53] found a stunned
[00:26:54] and startled
[00:26:55] Matthew laying
[00:26:56] on his living
[00:26:57] room couch.
[00:26:58] Officers yanked
[00:26:59] him from the
[00:27:00] couch and
[00:27:01] detained him
[00:27:01] immediately.
[00:27:02] Once Matthew
[00:27:04] was removed
[00:27:04] from the home
[00:27:05] and the smoke
[00:27:06] settled,
[00:27:07] Knox County
[00:27:08] detectives
[00:27:08] and members
[00:27:09] of the sheriff's
[00:27:10] department
[00:27:10] were stunned
[00:27:11] by what they
[00:27:12] saw.
[00:27:14] Upon entering
[00:27:15] Matthew Hoffman's
[00:27:16] home,
[00:27:17] detectives noticed
[00:27:18] a giant pile
[00:27:19] of leaves
[00:27:20] in the living
[00:27:21] room.
[00:27:21] This was not
[00:27:22] a small pile
[00:27:23] of leaves,
[00:27:24] either.
[00:27:24] The leaves
[00:27:26] were piled
[00:27:26] nearly four
[00:27:27] feet high
[00:27:28] and they
[00:27:28] covered a
[00:27:29] 14 by 14
[00:27:30] foot tarp.
[00:27:32] This was a
[00:27:33] pile of leaves
[00:27:33] that was large
[00:27:34] enough to
[00:27:35] potentially hide
[00:27:36] several bodies
[00:27:37] under.
[00:27:38] Police used
[00:27:39] sticks to
[00:27:39] poke around
[00:27:40] the pile
[00:27:40] of leaves,
[00:27:41] but that's
[00:27:42] all it ended
[00:27:43] up being,
[00:27:43] just a big
[00:27:44] old pile
[00:27:45] of dried
[00:27:45] up leaves.
[00:27:46] There were
[00:27:47] also three
[00:27:48] floor-to-ceiling
[00:27:49] rows of
[00:27:50] bagged leaves
[00:27:51] that were
[00:27:54] and even
[00:27:55] more bags
[00:27:56] of leaves
[00:27:56] were stapled
[00:27:57] on the
[00:27:57] bedroom walls
[00:27:58] of the
[00:27:58] home.
[00:27:59] All four
[00:28:00] walls in
[00:28:01] the bathroom
[00:28:01] were entirely
[00:28:03] covered with
[00:28:04] plastic grocery
[00:28:05] bags full
[00:28:06] of leaves.
[00:28:07] They were
[00:28:07] tied up
[00:28:08] and systematically
[00:28:09] stapled to
[00:28:10] the walls
[00:28:11] and stacked
[00:28:12] upon one
[00:28:12] another.
[00:28:13] There were
[00:28:14] 110 of
[00:28:15] them,
[00:28:16] to be exact.
[00:28:17] Even the
[00:28:17] bathroom mirror
[00:28:18] was covered
[00:28:19] with bags
[00:28:20] of leaves.
[00:28:21] Now,
[00:28:22] I had to
[00:28:22] look this
[00:28:22] up,
[00:28:23] but it
[00:28:23] sounds like
[00:28:24] that Matthew
[00:28:24] was either
[00:28:25] a dentrophile
[00:28:26] or a
[00:28:27] pneumophilist,
[00:28:28] but I'm
[00:28:29] guessing with
[00:28:30] a bit of
[00:28:30] both,
[00:28:30] I'm not a
[00:28:31] psychiatrist
[00:28:32] or a
[00:28:32] psychologist
[00:28:33] by any
[00:28:33] means.
[00:28:34] A
[00:28:35] dentrophile
[00:28:35] is characterized
[00:28:36] as someone
[00:28:37] that has
[00:28:37] what many
[00:28:38] would consider
[00:28:38] a sexual
[00:28:40] attraction
[00:28:40] or desire
[00:28:41] for trees
[00:28:42] and leaves,
[00:28:44] where the
[00:28:44] more subtle
[00:28:45] pneumophilist
[00:28:46] is someone
[00:28:47] that has a
[00:28:47] fondness
[00:28:48] for forests
[00:28:49] and the
[00:28:49] woods.
[00:28:50] And that
[00:28:51] goes back
[00:28:51] to the
[00:28:52] title of
[00:28:53] this episode.
[00:28:54] The tree
[00:28:54] fucker
[00:28:55] was just
[00:28:55] a bit
[00:28:56] too
[00:28:56] on the
[00:28:57] nose,
[00:28:57] I think.
[00:28:58] Strange
[00:28:58] childlike
[00:28:59] drawings
[00:29:00] were scrawled
[00:29:01] onto the
[00:29:01] walls of
[00:29:02] the kitchen.
[00:29:03] The walls
[00:29:03] were adorned
[00:29:04] with drawings
[00:29:05] of stars
[00:29:06] and spirals
[00:29:07] and other
[00:29:08] incoherent
[00:29:08] gibberish.
[00:29:09] The fridge
[00:29:10] itself was
[00:29:11] nearly empty
[00:29:11] except for
[00:29:12] a dead
[00:29:13] squirrel
[00:29:14] and a
[00:29:15] couple of
[00:29:15] red
[00:29:15] popsicles,
[00:29:16] presumably
[00:29:17] Matthew's
[00:29:18] only food.
[00:29:19] officers
[00:29:20] cleared the
[00:29:20] upstairs and
[00:29:21] downstairs
[00:29:21] portions of
[00:29:22] the home
[00:29:23] and there
[00:29:23] was still
[00:29:24] no sign
[00:29:24] of Sarah
[00:29:25] or her
[00:29:25] family.
[00:29:27] One of the
[00:29:28] officers noticed
[00:29:29] what appeared
[00:29:29] to be a
[00:29:30] door being
[00:29:31] obstructed by
[00:29:32] a heavy
[00:29:33] sewing cabinet.
[00:29:34] Beyond this
[00:29:35] door was a
[00:29:36] small hallway
[00:29:37] and at the
[00:29:38] end of this
[00:29:39] small hallway
[00:29:40] was an old
[00:29:41] wooden staircase
[00:29:42] leading down
[00:29:43] into a dark
[00:29:44] unfinished
[00:29:45] basement.
[00:29:46] As SWAT
[00:29:47] members made
[00:29:48] their way
[00:29:48] down into
[00:29:49] the basement
[00:29:49] they discovered
[00:29:50] a hole in
[00:29:51] a cinderblock
[00:29:52] wall that
[00:29:53] led to another
[00:29:54] walled off
[00:29:55] room of the
[00:29:55] basement and
[00:29:57] in that room
[00:29:57] they discovered
[00:29:59] Sarah Maynard.
[00:30:02] Sarah was
[00:30:03] by all
[00:30:03] accounts
[00:30:04] alive.
[00:30:05] She was
[00:30:06] responsive but
[00:30:07] obviously
[00:30:08] exhausted and
[00:30:09] frightened.
[00:30:10] She was found
[00:30:11] sitting upon a
[00:30:12] bed of leaves
[00:30:13] that were
[00:30:13] covered in
[00:30:14] blankets and
[00:30:15] a prom dress
[00:30:16] that Matthew
[00:30:17] had taken from
[00:30:18] Tina Herman's
[00:30:18] home.
[00:30:19] Her arms and
[00:30:20] legs were
[00:30:21] bound and she
[00:30:22] was wearing what
[00:30:23] appeared to be a
[00:30:24] large trash bag
[00:30:25] that was made
[00:30:26] into a makeshift
[00:30:27] diaper.
[00:30:28] Police and
[00:30:29] EMS quickly
[00:30:30] tended to
[00:30:30] Sarah as
[00:30:31] officers continued
[00:30:32] to search and
[00:30:33] process the
[00:30:34] crime scene.
[00:30:35] In the home
[00:30:35] they recovered
[00:30:36] what's called a
[00:30:37] blackjack.
[00:30:38] It's a blunt
[00:30:38] force instrument
[00:30:39] that's used to
[00:30:41] incapacitate
[00:30:42] someone.
[00:30:42] In the same
[00:30:43] drawer was a
[00:30:44] large serrated
[00:30:46] combat knife
[00:30:46] with a 10
[00:30:47] inch blade.
[00:30:48] One that's
[00:30:50] large enough to
[00:30:51] dismember a
[00:30:52] body.
[00:30:52] But it was what
[00:30:53] police didn't
[00:30:54] find that had
[00:30:55] them extremely
[00:30:56] concerned.
[00:30:57] And it's that
[00:30:57] there was no
[00:30:58] trace of
[00:30:59] Tina, Cody,
[00:31:00] or Stephanie
[00:31:01] anywhere to
[00:31:03] be found
[00:31:03] throughout or
[00:31:05] around the
[00:31:05] home.
[00:31:07] Police
[00:31:07] continued to
[00:31:08] investigate but
[00:31:09] it seemed like
[00:31:10] each new clue
[00:31:10] or piece of
[00:31:11] evidence they
[00:31:12] uncovered just
[00:31:13] escalated the
[00:31:13] case to new
[00:31:14] horrifying and
[00:31:15] disturbing heights.
[00:31:17] And yet, the
[00:31:19] worst was yet to
[00:31:20] come.
[00:31:29] Now that Sarah
[00:31:31] was safe in the
[00:31:31] hands of Knox
[00:31:32] County police and
[00:31:33] away from the
[00:31:34] monster that
[00:31:35] refers to
[00:31:36] himself as
[00:31:37] Matthew Hoffman,
[00:31:38] it was time for
[00:31:39] detectives to
[00:31:40] have a nice sit
[00:31:41] down chat and
[00:31:42] you know, get
[00:31:43] to know him a
[00:31:43] little.
[00:32:26] As you can
[00:32:28] probably tell,
[00:32:28] Matthew isn't the
[00:32:29] talkative type.
[00:32:30] The interrogation
[00:32:32] went on like
[00:32:33] this for nearly
[00:32:34] four straight
[00:32:35] hours.
[00:32:35] The detectives
[00:32:36] had actually run
[00:32:37] out of tape when
[00:32:38] recording the
[00:32:39] interview.
[00:32:40] Matthew barely
[00:32:41] uttered a word
[00:32:42] during this time,
[00:32:44] but at one
[00:32:45] point, about
[00:32:46] 20 minutes into
[00:32:47] the interrogation,
[00:32:48] he did offer
[00:32:49] some level of
[00:32:52] communication,
[00:32:52] if you can call
[00:32:54] it that.
[00:32:54] your mom loves
[00:32:56] you, man.
[00:33:01] Like I told
[00:33:01] you, there's
[00:33:02] reasons for
[00:33:02] everything, okay?
[00:33:04] We know that.
[00:33:06] You know that.
[00:33:08] You've got to
[00:33:09] get it worked
[00:33:09] out.
[00:33:11] We've been
[00:33:11] working for
[00:33:11] several days.
[00:33:14] Obviously, you
[00:33:15] know, here we
[00:33:15] are sitting here
[00:33:16] today, so that
[00:33:17] must mean
[00:33:18] something, man.
[00:33:21] You know, other
[00:33:22] people, there's
[00:33:23] family members out
[00:33:24] there of other
[00:33:24] people, and all
[00:33:26] they want is
[00:33:27] closure.
[00:33:27] That's all they
[00:33:28] want.
[00:33:29] They've been up
[00:33:30] for days like
[00:33:31] you and I have,
[00:33:32] you know.
[00:33:34] I don't understand
[00:33:41] sunlight much, man.
[00:33:43] Broken.
[00:33:44] Your heart's
[00:33:44] broken because
[00:33:46] of what happened?
[00:33:49] Someone broke
[00:33:50] your heart?
[00:33:52] Talk to me, man.
[00:33:54] You started.
[00:33:55] Let's just finish.
[00:33:56] Let's just continue
[00:33:57] right on.
[00:33:58] Now, it's probably
[00:33:59] a little hard to
[00:33:59] explain this without
[00:34:00] actually seeing it,
[00:34:02] but I hope from
[00:34:02] the audio, you can
[00:34:03] kind of surmise
[00:34:04] what was happening.
[00:34:05] But it was almost
[00:34:06] as if he was
[00:34:07] attempting to
[00:34:08] communicate with
[00:34:08] sign language, but
[00:34:09] it wasn't sign
[00:34:11] language.
[00:34:11] Matthew had
[00:34:13] balled up his
[00:34:14] fist and
[00:34:14] wrapped his
[00:34:16] chest and
[00:34:17] then used
[00:34:18] his hand to
[00:34:19] kind of convey
[00:34:21] an explosion or
[00:34:22] shattering.
[00:34:23] I think he was
[00:34:24] attempting to say
[00:34:25] that his heart
[00:34:26] was shattered.
[00:34:27] The whole fiasco
[00:34:28] was just
[00:34:28] incredibly
[00:34:29] self-serving
[00:34:30] and ridiculous.
[00:34:32] I'm not going to
[00:34:33] share much more
[00:34:33] from that interrogation
[00:34:35] because there really
[00:34:35] isn't much.
[00:34:36] It's basically
[00:34:37] four hours
[00:34:38] of silence.
[00:34:40] And during that
[00:34:41] whole time,
[00:34:41] Matthew showed
[00:34:42] no signs of
[00:34:43] remorse or regret.
[00:34:45] He was about
[00:34:45] as expressive
[00:34:46] as a fence
[00:34:47] post.
[00:34:48] He clearly had
[00:34:49] no interest in
[00:34:50] sharing any
[00:34:50] information about
[00:34:51] Tina, Cody,
[00:34:52] or Stephanie's
[00:34:53] whereabouts,
[00:34:54] and detectives
[00:34:55] were losing
[00:34:56] their patience
[00:34:56] with him.
[00:34:57] It wasn't until
[00:34:58] Special Agent
[00:34:59] Joe Dietz
[00:35:00] entered the
[00:35:01] interrogation that
[00:35:02] Matthew began
[00:35:02] to slowly unfold.
[00:35:04] I'm Joe Dietz.
[00:35:05] I'm a Special
[00:35:06] Agent who
[00:35:06] did not have
[00:35:07] a total
[00:35:07] investigation.
[00:35:09] I just came
[00:35:10] in down here
[00:35:10] and helped
[00:35:10] these guys
[00:35:11] out a little bit.
[00:35:12] This morning
[00:35:13] I've been,
[00:35:14] since the time
[00:35:15] that they came
[00:35:15] into your house,
[00:35:17] I've been
[00:35:18] down with Sarah.
[00:35:19] I don't know
[00:35:20] if you knew
[00:35:20] her name,
[00:35:20] Sarah.
[00:35:22] But I've been
[00:35:23] down kind of
[00:35:24] trying to take
[00:35:25] care of Sarah,
[00:35:26] helping her
[00:35:26] out at the
[00:35:27] hospital,
[00:35:29] getting the
[00:35:30] examination
[00:35:31] and all that
[00:35:31] stuff done.
[00:35:34] Getting her
[00:35:34] story,
[00:35:35] trying to
[00:35:36] look after her
[00:35:37] because it's
[00:35:38] always been
[00:35:38] a little bit
[00:35:39] tough for her.
[00:35:41] I mean,
[00:35:41] obviously you have
[00:35:42] some feelings
[00:35:42] for her
[00:35:42] and I understand
[00:35:43] that.
[00:35:45] Don't always
[00:35:45] give the opportunity
[00:35:46] to express
[00:35:48] those feelings
[00:35:48] the way we
[00:35:49] would want to
[00:35:49] and I'm sure
[00:35:51] that you didn't
[00:35:51] see this
[00:35:53] come and
[00:35:54] close the way
[00:35:56] there.
[00:35:56] The strategy
[00:35:57] here was
[00:35:58] simple.
[00:35:58] Appear friendly,
[00:36:00] almost sympathetic
[00:36:01] at first,
[00:36:02] and then mimic
[00:36:04] Matthew's behavior.
[00:36:05] Now after
[00:36:06] introducing himself
[00:36:07] and pleading with
[00:36:08] Matthew a little
[00:36:09] bit,
[00:36:09] Special Agent
[00:36:10] Dietz laid
[00:36:11] back in his
[00:36:12] chair sitting
[00:36:13] directly in
[00:36:14] front of Matthew
[00:36:15] and just
[00:36:15] stared at him
[00:36:16] without saying
[00:36:17] much of anything
[00:36:18] for nearly
[00:36:19] an hour.
[00:36:21] This,
[00:36:21] oddly enough,
[00:36:22] was actually
[00:36:22] enough to get
[00:36:23] Matthew to
[00:36:24] unravel a bit
[00:36:25] and utter
[00:36:26] a few words.
[00:36:27] I can't tell
[00:36:28] anything
[00:36:28] because I don't
[00:36:28] know.
[00:36:29] You don't know?
[00:36:33] I knew I must
[00:36:34] have done
[00:36:34] something wrong
[00:36:35] and I found her
[00:36:36] in my house.
[00:36:37] She kind of
[00:36:38] took care of her.
[00:36:40] But after this,
[00:36:42] more silence
[00:36:42] followed.
[00:36:43] Special Agent
[00:36:44] Dietz used
[00:36:45] several tactics
[00:36:46] to try and get
[00:36:47] Matthew to talk.
[00:36:48] He tried everything
[00:36:49] from having
[00:36:49] conversations on
[00:36:50] the phone with
[00:36:51] other detectives
[00:36:52] while Matthew
[00:36:52] was in the room
[00:36:53] to praying for
[00:36:55] him and
[00:36:56] praying with
[00:36:57] him.
[00:36:57] But nothing,
[00:36:59] nothing worked.
[00:37:00] Matthew just
[00:37:00] sat there
[00:37:01] stoically with
[00:37:02] his eyes closed
[00:37:03] and didn't
[00:37:04] make a sound.
[00:37:06] Now after about
[00:37:07] five hours of
[00:37:08] this,
[00:37:08] talking was
[00:37:09] over.
[00:37:10] Eventually Matthew
[00:37:11] was photographed
[00:37:12] and processed.
[00:37:13] Now reportedly,
[00:37:15] Hoffman did
[00:37:17] open up to
[00:37:17] Special Agent
[00:37:18] Dietz.
[00:37:18] and he did
[00:37:19] so in a
[00:37:20] single stall
[00:37:21] restroom.
[00:37:21] Unfortunately,
[00:37:22] none of it
[00:37:23] was recorded.
[00:37:24] But he had
[00:37:24] told Special
[00:37:25] Agent Dietz
[00:37:26] that he had
[00:37:27] a nightmare
[00:37:27] the night
[00:37:27] before.
[00:37:28] In his
[00:37:29] nightmare,
[00:37:30] Hoffman was
[00:37:31] working at
[00:37:31] a food
[00:37:32] processing
[00:37:32] plant and
[00:37:33] while there,
[00:37:34] he opened
[00:37:35] up a garbage
[00:37:36] bag full
[00:37:37] of body
[00:37:38] parts.
[00:37:38] It was
[00:37:39] stated that
[00:37:39] Matthew
[00:37:40] told the
[00:37:41] Special
[00:37:41] Agent
[00:37:41] that he
[00:37:42] wanted to
[00:37:42] share with
[00:37:43] detectives
[00:37:44] what had
[00:37:44] happened,
[00:37:45] but only on
[00:37:46] his terms.
[00:37:46] And
[00:37:47] these were
[00:37:48] his terms.
[00:37:50] His plan
[00:37:51] was to
[00:37:51] write down
[00:37:51] the location
[00:37:52] of the bodies
[00:37:53] to give to
[00:37:54] his lawyer.
[00:37:55] Then,
[00:37:56] Hoffman
[00:37:56] would make
[00:37:57] a grand
[00:37:57] escape
[00:37:58] attempt
[00:37:58] and the
[00:37:59] Special Agent
[00:38:00] would be
[00:38:00] forced to
[00:38:01] shoot and
[00:38:01] kill him.
[00:38:02] And it
[00:38:02] was only
[00:38:03] after Matthew
[00:38:03] was deceased
[00:38:04] that the
[00:38:05] location
[00:38:05] of the
[00:38:05] bodies
[00:38:06] would be
[00:38:06] revealed.
[00:38:07] Now Matthew
[00:38:08] claimed that
[00:38:08] he could
[00:38:09] not live
[00:38:09] with what
[00:38:10] he had
[00:38:10] done
[00:38:11] and that
[00:38:12] if his
[00:38:12] terms
[00:38:13] could not
[00:38:13] be agreed
[00:38:14] to,
[00:38:14] then he
[00:38:15] would
[00:38:15] commit
[00:38:15] suicide
[00:38:16] in jail.
[00:38:17] Matthew
[00:38:17] said he
[00:38:18] didn't
[00:38:18] want to
[00:38:18] be
[00:38:19] injected
[00:38:19] with
[00:38:19] Thorazine
[00:38:20] for the
[00:38:20] rest of
[00:38:21] his life
[00:38:21] in prison.
[00:38:23] Thorazine,
[00:38:23] for those
[00:38:24] that don't
[00:38:24] know,
[00:38:25] is a
[00:38:25] drug
[00:38:25] that's
[00:38:25] used
[00:38:26] to treat
[00:38:26] schizophrenia.
[00:38:27] Now,
[00:38:28] Special
[00:38:28] Agent
[00:38:29] Deeds
[00:38:29] obviously
[00:38:29] was not
[00:38:30] going
[00:38:30] to go
[00:38:30] along
[00:38:31] with
[00:38:31] this
[00:38:31] masterful
[00:38:32] plan.
[00:38:32] And as
[00:38:33] a response,
[00:38:34] Matthew
[00:38:34] claimed he
[00:38:35] had made
[00:38:35] the whole
[00:38:36] story up
[00:38:36] and that
[00:38:36] he didn't
[00:38:37] know where
[00:38:37] the bodies
[00:38:38] were.
[00:38:41] Matthew
[00:38:41] even referred
[00:38:42] to himself
[00:38:42] as a
[00:38:43] monster.
[00:38:44] See,
[00:38:45] they are
[00:38:45] real.
[00:38:46] The search
[00:38:47] for Tina,
[00:38:47] Cody,
[00:38:48] and Stephanie
[00:38:48] continued,
[00:38:49] and Matthew
[00:38:50] continued to
[00:38:51] remain silent.
[00:38:52] He refused
[00:38:53] to speak to
[00:38:53] anyone for
[00:38:54] days following
[00:38:55] his arrest.
[00:38:57] But it
[00:38:58] was on
[00:38:58] November
[00:38:58] 18,
[00:38:59] 2010,
[00:39:01] that Matthew
[00:39:01] finally ended
[00:39:02] the facade
[00:39:03] and caved.
[00:39:05] The Knox
[00:39:05] County prosecutor,
[00:39:07] John Thatcher,
[00:39:07] made a deal
[00:39:08] with him if
[00:39:09] Matthew would
[00:39:10] provide a
[00:39:10] full written
[00:39:11] confession along
[00:39:12] with the
[00:39:13] whereabouts of
[00:39:14] Tina,
[00:39:15] Cody,
[00:39:15] and Stephanie's
[00:39:16] remains.
[00:39:17] The Knox
[00:39:17] County prosecutor's
[00:39:18] office would
[00:39:19] not seek the
[00:39:20] death penalty.
[00:39:22] And once the
[00:39:22] deal was struck,
[00:39:24] Matthew
[00:39:24] willingly provided
[00:39:25] both.
[00:39:26] Now,
[00:39:27] in his initial
[00:39:28] statements early
[00:39:30] in the
[00:39:30] investigation,
[00:39:31] Matthew claimed
[00:39:32] that he didn't
[00:39:33] know what
[00:39:34] happened at
[00:39:35] all,
[00:39:35] that he just
[00:39:35] kind of just
[00:39:36] woke up and
[00:39:36] Sarah was
[00:39:37] just there,
[00:39:38] tied up,
[00:39:39] sitting in his
[00:39:39] home.
[00:39:39] He even
[00:39:41] tried to
[00:39:41] make some
[00:39:41] poor attempts
[00:39:42] at emulating
[00:39:43] compassion by
[00:39:44] talking about
[00:39:45] how he took
[00:39:46] care of Sarah
[00:39:47] during the
[00:39:47] four days
[00:39:48] of her
[00:39:49] captivity
[00:39:49] with him.
[00:39:50] He talked
[00:39:51] about how
[00:39:52] he and
[00:39:52] Sarah watched
[00:39:53] the first and
[00:39:54] second Iron
[00:39:54] Man movies
[00:39:55] together,
[00:39:55] he let her
[00:39:56] play video
[00:39:57] games,
[00:39:57] and gave her
[00:39:58] a copy of
[00:39:58] Treasure Island
[00:39:59] to read.
[00:40:00] He even
[00:40:01] made hamburgers
[00:40:01] for her,
[00:40:02] and he would
[00:40:02] sleep with his
[00:40:03] arm around
[00:40:04] her on that
[00:40:05] weird-ass
[00:40:05] fucking leaf bed
[00:40:06] he made.
[00:40:07] He made
[00:40:08] promises to
[00:40:09] Sarah telling
[00:40:09] her that she
[00:40:11] would be okay
[00:40:11] and that she
[00:40:12] would be home
[00:40:13] playing with her
[00:40:14] family once again
[00:40:15] by Christmas.
[00:40:16] He even made
[00:40:17] attempts to
[00:40:17] convince Sarah
[00:40:18] that he was in
[00:40:19] the process of
[00:40:20] negotiating a
[00:40:21] ransom with her
[00:40:22] family and
[00:40:23] showed her a
[00:40:24] definition of
[00:40:25] the word ransom
[00:40:26] in a dictionary.
[00:40:28] And he also
[00:40:29] shared some of
[00:40:30] the incredibly
[00:40:30] disturbing details
[00:40:31] of the sexual
[00:40:33] assaults he
[00:40:33] committed against
[00:40:34] Sarah.
[00:40:35] The four-page
[00:40:37] first-person
[00:40:38] confession Matthew
[00:40:39] provided detailed
[00:40:40] the gruesome
[00:40:41] actions he
[00:40:41] committed on
[00:40:42] November 10,
[00:40:43] 2010,
[00:40:44] but it didn't
[00:40:45] really provide
[00:40:46] any real
[00:40:46] reasoning or
[00:40:47] motives for
[00:40:48] why he went
[00:40:49] to the extent
[00:40:50] that he did.
[00:40:51] Now, I read
[00:40:53] through it myself,
[00:40:54] the whole thing.
[00:40:55] In fact, I
[00:40:56] share some of
[00:40:57] those thoughts
[00:40:57] along with an
[00:40:58] excerpt from
[00:40:59] Matthew's full
[00:41:00] confession in the
[00:41:01] very first episode
[00:41:02] of Just Another
[00:41:03] Monster, Blacklight,
[00:41:04] a new companion
[00:41:06] show for this
[00:41:07] one, the one
[00:41:07] you're listening
[00:41:08] to right now.
[00:41:09] So make sure
[00:41:10] to subscribe and
[00:41:11] check that out
[00:41:12] once it's available.
[00:41:13] You won't want
[00:41:14] to miss it.
[00:41:16] Now, some of
[00:41:17] the more horrifying
[00:41:18] statements in his
[00:41:20] confession were
[00:41:21] about what he
[00:41:22] did with the
[00:41:23] bodies of
[00:41:24] Tina, Cody,
[00:41:25] and Stephanie.
[00:41:26] And I'll be
[00:41:27] honest with you,
[00:41:28] it's one of the
[00:41:29] most disturbing
[00:41:30] things I have
[00:41:31] ever read.
[00:41:32] And I've seen
[00:41:33] some shit.
[00:41:35] On November
[00:41:36] 18th, after
[00:41:37] days of refusing
[00:41:39] to utter more
[00:41:40] than a few
[00:41:40] words to Knox
[00:41:41] County detectives,
[00:41:43] Matthew Hoffman
[00:41:44] finally caved.
[00:41:45] And he did so
[00:41:47] once the
[00:41:47] prosecutor's office
[00:41:48] promised not
[00:41:49] to pursue the
[00:41:50] death penalty.
[00:41:52] After providing
[00:41:53] his detailed
[00:41:54] four-page
[00:41:55] confession,
[00:41:56] Matthew finally
[00:41:57] provided detectives
[00:41:58] with information
[00:41:59] regarding the
[00:42:00] location of
[00:42:02] Tina, Cody,
[00:42:03] and Stephanie's
[00:42:04] bodies.
[00:42:06] The Cocosing
[00:42:07] Lake Wildlife
[00:42:08] Area is
[00:42:09] 1,100 acres
[00:42:11] of lush trees
[00:42:12] and forestry,
[00:42:13] including a
[00:42:14] 160-acre lake
[00:42:16] about one and a
[00:42:17] half miles northwest
[00:42:18] of Fredericktown,
[00:42:19] a more rural
[00:42:20] area of Knox
[00:42:21] County.
[00:42:22] It's about a
[00:42:23] 15-minute drive
[00:42:24] from Tina
[00:42:25] Herman's
[00:42:25] home.
[00:42:26] During the
[00:42:27] summer, the
[00:42:27] Cocosing Wildlife
[00:42:28] Area is a
[00:42:29] lush, forested
[00:42:30] region that is
[00:42:31] frequently occupied
[00:42:32] by local
[00:42:33] family campers,
[00:42:34] fishermen, trail
[00:42:35] hikers, and
[00:42:36] even hunters when
[00:42:37] it's hunting season.
[00:42:38] But in November,
[00:42:39] after the leaves
[00:42:40] have dried up,
[00:42:42] fallen to the
[00:42:42] ground, and
[00:42:43] decayed, the
[00:42:44] lush, vibrant
[00:42:45] trees begin to
[00:42:46] look bare and
[00:42:48] skeletal.
[00:42:49] Detectives
[00:42:50] navigated their
[00:42:51] way through the
[00:42:52] dense wildlife
[00:42:53] area, hoping to
[00:42:54] discover
[00:42:55] Tina, Cody,
[00:42:56] and Stephanie's
[00:42:57] remains.
[00:42:58] Matthew Hoffman
[00:43:00] led detectives to
[00:43:01] a 60-foot-tall
[00:43:03] beech tree that
[00:43:05] kind of stood
[00:43:06] out all on its
[00:43:07] own amongst the
[00:43:08] crowd of bony
[00:43:09] and skeletal
[00:43:11] trees that
[00:43:11] surrounded it.
[00:43:12] About 45 feet
[00:43:14] up the tree,
[00:43:15] where the large
[00:43:17] branches of the
[00:43:18] tree converged,
[00:43:19] was a large
[00:43:20] gaping hole.
[00:43:21] This hole
[00:43:23] led nearly all
[00:43:24] the way down to
[00:43:25] the base of the
[00:43:26] tree.
[00:43:27] The tree, on all
[00:43:29] accounts, was
[00:43:30] discovered to be
[00:43:31] entirely hollowed
[00:43:33] out.
[00:43:35] Detectives and
[00:43:36] crime scene
[00:43:36] investigators hoisted
[00:43:37] up a ladder and
[00:43:39] laid it against the
[00:43:40] beech tree.
[00:43:41] One of the
[00:43:42] investigators made
[00:43:43] their way up to
[00:43:44] the top of the
[00:43:44] tree, slowly and
[00:43:46] carefully climbing
[00:43:47] each rung toward
[00:43:49] the hole in the
[00:43:50] tree.
[00:43:52] Once he reached
[00:43:53] the top of the
[00:43:54] ladder, the
[00:43:55] investigator peered
[00:43:56] over and into
[00:43:57] the hole and
[00:43:58] shined a flashlight
[00:44:00] downward and
[00:44:01] into the black
[00:44:02] abyss deep within
[00:44:04] the tree.
[00:44:06] Nearly three
[00:44:07] quarters of the
[00:44:08] way down inside
[00:44:09] the tree were
[00:44:11] several black
[00:44:12] garbage bags.
[00:44:13] There was a
[00:44:15] sweet, putrid
[00:44:16] smell that was
[00:44:17] rising upward
[00:44:18] toward the
[00:44:19] opening of the
[00:44:19] top of the
[00:44:20] tree.
[00:44:21] Clearly, there
[00:44:23] was something
[00:44:23] very wrong lying
[00:44:25] at the bottom
[00:44:26] inside the
[00:44:27] tree.
[00:44:28] Detectives had
[00:44:29] no way of
[00:44:30] retrieving the
[00:44:30] bags without
[00:44:31] compromising any
[00:44:32] of the evidence.
[00:44:33] And if this is
[00:44:34] what they thought
[00:44:35] it was, they
[00:44:36] wanted to make
[00:44:37] sure that
[00:44:38] retrieval was
[00:44:39] done carefully
[00:44:39] and respectfully.
[00:44:42] Detectives had
[00:44:43] to cut another
[00:44:44] hole in the
[00:44:44] side of the
[00:44:45] tree about
[00:44:45] six feet up
[00:44:46] from the
[00:44:47] base to be
[00:44:47] able to reach
[00:44:48] into the
[00:44:49] tree.
[00:44:50] Once the
[00:44:50] second hole
[00:44:51] was cut, the
[00:44:52] bags were
[00:44:53] removed from
[00:44:54] the hollow one
[00:44:55] by one.
[00:44:57] It was then
[00:44:58] that they were
[00:44:59] able to confirm
[00:45:00] that the garbage
[00:45:01] bags that were
[00:45:02] stuffed inside the
[00:45:03] hollowed tree
[00:45:04] were indeed
[00:45:06] the mutilated
[00:45:07] and dismembered
[00:45:08] remains of
[00:45:09] Tina Herman,
[00:45:09] her son Cody,
[00:45:12] Stephanie Spring,
[00:45:14] and Tanner,
[00:45:15] the family's
[00:45:16] dog.
[00:45:17] The detectives
[00:45:18] and the
[00:45:18] crime scene
[00:45:19] investigators had
[00:45:20] never experienced
[00:45:21] something so
[00:45:22] depraved.
[00:45:23] The way that
[00:45:25] the dismembered
[00:45:26] remains were
[00:45:26] disposed of,
[00:45:27] placed inside of
[00:45:28] a large
[00:45:29] beech tree,
[00:45:30] was almost
[00:45:31] ritualistic.
[00:45:32] Matthew Hoffman
[00:45:34] had explained to
[00:45:35] detectives that
[00:45:35] he rigged up a
[00:45:36] rope and pulley
[00:45:37] system.
[00:45:38] This allowed
[00:45:39] him to reach
[00:45:40] the hole in
[00:45:41] the top of
[00:45:41] the tree and
[00:45:42] placed the
[00:45:43] garbage bags
[00:45:43] inside of it.
[00:45:45] The horrifying
[00:45:47] fates of Tina
[00:45:48] Herman, Cody
[00:45:49] Herman, Stephanie
[00:45:51] Spring, and
[00:45:52] Tanner were
[00:45:53] finally known.
[00:45:57] Matthew Hoffman
[00:45:58] pled guilty to
[00:45:59] ten felonies that
[00:46:01] included aggravated
[00:46:02] murder, burglary,
[00:46:04] kidnapping, abuse
[00:46:05] of a corpse,
[00:46:06] and rape.
[00:46:09] He is currently
[00:46:10] serving life
[00:46:11] without the
[00:46:12] possibility of
[00:46:12] parole at the
[00:46:14] Toledo Correctional
[00:46:15] Institution in
[00:46:16] Ohio.
[00:46:20] In the years
[00:46:21] following the
[00:46:22] loss of her
[00:46:23] mother and
[00:46:24] little brother,
[00:46:25] Sarah went on
[00:46:26] to live with her
[00:46:27] father and
[00:46:28] stepmother,
[00:46:29] eventually being
[00:46:30] placed into the
[00:46:31] custody of her
[00:46:32] grandmother,
[00:46:33] Tina's mother,
[00:46:34] Barbara Herman.
[00:46:36] Sarah has spent
[00:46:37] time healing and
[00:46:39] working towards
[00:46:40] some semblance
[00:46:41] of a normal life,
[00:46:43] far and away
[00:46:44] from the media
[00:46:45] or the spotlight.
[00:46:47] Her mother,
[00:46:48] Tina, and
[00:46:49] little brother,
[00:46:49] Cody, were both
[00:46:51] laid to rest at
[00:46:52] the Glen Rest
[00:46:52] Memorial Estate.
[00:46:56] Cody will be
[00:46:57] remembered as a
[00:46:59] gentle child
[00:47:00] with an enormous
[00:47:01] heart, and
[00:47:02] Tina, a
[00:47:03] courageous and
[00:47:04] joyful mother.
[00:47:06] Stephanie was
[00:47:07] laid to rest at
[00:47:08] the Mount Vernon
[00:47:09] Memorial Gardens
[00:47:10] in Ohio.
[00:47:12] She will always be
[00:47:13] remembered having a
[00:47:14] bubbly personality
[00:47:15] and an unforgettable
[00:47:17] smile, and most
[00:47:19] of all, a loving
[00:47:21] mother to her
[00:47:21] children.
[00:47:24] Matthew Hoffman
[00:47:25] will spend the
[00:47:26] rest of his sad
[00:47:27] and pathetic
[00:47:28] life in a
[00:47:29] 6x8 room made
[00:47:31] of concrete and
[00:47:32] steel, far and
[00:47:34] away from the
[00:47:35] trees and leaves
[00:47:36] that he cherished
[00:47:38] so much.
[00:47:40] Now, one
[00:47:42] request that
[00:47:42] Matthew had as
[00:47:43] part of his
[00:47:44] deal with the
[00:47:45] prosecuting attorney's
[00:47:46] office was that
[00:47:47] the beech tree that
[00:47:48] he sacrificially
[00:47:50] stored human
[00:47:51] remains inside of
[00:47:52] remain in place
[00:47:53] and unharmed.
[00:47:56] Matthew considered
[00:47:58] the tree to be
[00:47:59] sacred, almost
[00:48:01] as if his sacred
[00:48:02] tree held more
[00:48:03] value to him
[00:48:04] than the lives
[00:48:05] he so viciously
[00:48:06] took from the
[00:48:07] world.
[00:48:09] Now, out of
[00:48:10] respect for
[00:48:10] Tina, Cody,
[00:48:12] Tanner, Stephanie
[00:48:14] and their
[00:48:14] families, the
[00:48:16] tree fucker's
[00:48:16] wishes were
[00:48:17] willfully ignored
[00:48:18] and the tree was
[00:48:20] immediately destroyed.
[00:48:22] I hope Matthew
[00:48:23] knows, and I
[00:48:25] hope they burned
[00:48:26] every fucking
[00:48:27] piece of it and
[00:48:28] turned it into
[00:48:29] ash.
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[00:48:45] Thanks for
[00:48:45] listening.