This is Murder in the Rain, where each week Emily Rowney, Alicia Hollund and Josh McCullough

tell true crime stories of the Pacific Northwest.

Murder in the Rain contains graphic content, listener discretion is advised.

In recent episodes, we've had Josh talk about the killing of Cassie Joe Stoddard and his

scream-inspired Patreon Mini, then Emily's stories of catfishing gone wrong in our episode

plenty of catfish. I wasn't searching for a similar story, but I stumbled upon one that

eerily resembles a mash-up of both of those cases. This is the story of the murder of Cynthia

C. C. Hoffman and the alleged catfish that orchestrated her killing.

The other day, the show received a message from a listener. She was letting us know we had

delivered some disturbing news to her. Here, I'll read what she sent in regards to our episode

Awakening Nightmare about the killing of Matthew Choi. Today, I was listening to your episode

Awakening Nightmare. I was only partially listening until you said Alan Ko's name, because that's

the name I know. I met him on Tinder, and we had a one-off night, but I never talked to him again,

because when I went to the bathroom, I snooped, and the entire cabinet was full of makeup and

shit. This was probably June or July of 2020. I wasn't certain it was him until you mentioned the

marijuana movement, because he had said those exact words to me. Then everything fell into place.

This is such a random wild thing, and I'm honestly still spinning, and have definitely

sued my anxiety with weed. But I feel like I should let you guys know that because of you,

I now know I slept with someone who was capable of a brutal murder a few short months later.

He also messaged me a few months later to ask me back, so I went and checked the date on those,

and he had sent them those messages after his murder of Matthew, as well as after his arrest.

I wish I could explain the feeling I had when I found out the horror and anxiety were next level.

...