“The Tree-Trimmer’s Terrifying Secret: Unmasking The Leaf Killer” #MurderNoir

Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories

Darren Marlar

History, Documentary, Society & Culture, True Crime

4.6 • 4.1K Ratings

🗓️ 2 July 2024

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

THE TRUE CRIME CASE THIS STORY IS BASED ON: Matthew Hoffman, a former tree trimmer turned murderer, became known as "The Leaf Killer" after authorities discovered his gruesome crimes in 2010. Following a downward spiral involving job loss, a breakup, and prison time for arson, Hoffman's behavior grew increasingly erratic. He began spending hours in trees, stalking his neighbors, and developing a disturbing obsession with leaves. Hoffman's fixation turned deadly when he invaded the isolated home of Tina Herrmann in Mount Vernon, Ohio, murdering her, her two children, and her friend Stephanie Sprang. After dismembering their bodies, he hid the remains in a hollow tree. His house, bizarrely filled with piles of leaves, concealed 13-year-old Sarah Maynard, whom he had kidnapped and assaulted. Hoffman’s capture was a result of meticulous police work, which involved tracking his purchases and analyzing security footage. Facing the death penalty, Hoffman confessed and led authorities to the victims' remains in exchange for a life sentence without parole. Sarah Maynard testified at his trial.

SOURCES…
https://www.ranker.com/list/matthew-hoffman-leaf-case/sonja-ska
Music provided by Alibi Music Library
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Originally aired: July 01, 2024

CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/the-tree-trimmers-terrifying-secret-unmasking-the-leaf-killer-murdernoir/

Transcript

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0:00.0	Your mother has sadly passed away and the responsibility of planning a funeral has landed squarely on your shoulders.
0:07.0	Sorry.
0:09.0	So who do you send the funeral announcements to?
0:11.0	Family, of course, close friends, maybe people who were
0:15.2	coworkers with your mom, some of her high school friends perhaps, the Grim Reaper, church
0:20.4	family. Wait a minute. Go back.
0:23.0	The Grim Reaper?
0:25.0	Somebody actually requested that for their own funeral.
0:28.0	And that's the subject of this week's Mind of Marler, which you can find at mind of Marler.com.
0:35.0	Right now through July 7th, everything in the Weird Darkness store is up to 35% off.
0:40.5	That means huge savings on everything in the store with t-shirts only 16 bucks.
0:45.7	The store now has hats too along with everything else like hoodies, magnets, stickers,
0:50.2	buttons, journals, clothes for your kids, sweatshirts, long sleeve and short sleeve teas and more.
0:56.6	Start shopping at Weird Darkness.com slash store, then click on all designs and you can see the full
1:01.8	list of designs and products.
1:03.4	That's We're Darkness.com slash store and then click on all designs.
1:08.0	Remember, the sale ends July 7th.
1:10.6	We're Darkness.com slash, then click on all designs.
1:15.0	This town's got more secrets than a confessional on Sunday.
1:20.0	When the Tina Herman case landed on my desk, I knew it was going to be a real stomach
1:26.8	churner. Mount Vernon, Ohio, a place where small town charm meets big city nightmares.
1:35.0	My name's not important. I'm a private eye. It all started when Tina Hermann, a Dane with a heart as big as her smile, vanished
	...

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