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Alaska woman sentenced to 99 years in murder-for-hire killing of friend
Denali Dakota Skye Brehmer, one of two young people charged in the 2019 killing of Alaska teenager Cynthia Hoffman in a murder-for-hire scheme, was sentenced to 99 years in prison on Monday.
Court documents showed that Brehmer, then 18, struck up an online relationship with 21-year-old Darin Schilmiller, who was living in Indiana. Schilmiller claimed to be a millionaire and said he would send Brehmer $9 million in exchange for photos and videos of a killing. He did not name a target.
Brehmer allegedly offered four other friends a cut of the money if they helped her, CBS News previously reported, and Brehmer and then-16-year-old Kayden McIntosh allegedly lured Hoffman on a hike. During the hike, Hoffman was shot in the back of the head and put into a river. Police found Hoffman’s body one day after she was reported missing. McIntosh’s trial in the case is pending.
Brehmer, now 23, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in February 2023 after charges of conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation of murder, tampering with evidence, and murder in the second degree were dismissed. Nearly a year later, her sentencing occurred over three days in January and February 2024. The 99-year sentence was the maximum penalty the court was permitted to impose, according to a news release from Alaska’s Department of Law.
Anchorage Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson called Hoffman’s murder “tragic and senseless” and noted that Brehmer showed no remorse after the murder and went on to engage in other criminal conduct at Schilmiller’s request.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, Schilmiller and Brehmer also conspired to coerce a minor to produce sexually explicit images. Last summer, the two pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to produce child pornography.
In January, Schilmiller was sentenced to 99 years in prison by Peterson for his role in the murder after being extradited to Alaska.
Caleb Leyland, another friend involved in the murder-for-hire scheme, pleaded guilty to one charge of second-degree murder in November, after charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder were dismissed. His sentencing is scheduled for June in front of the same judge who sentenced Brehmer.
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New documentary explores the private life of “Superman” icon Christopher Reeve
Long before comic book characters dominated movie screens, actor Christopher Reeve made the world believes in superheroes with the 1978 classic “Superman.”
Reeve died in 2004, nearly a decade after an accident re-shaped his life. “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” is using interviews with family and friends and never-before-seen home videos to explore his real-life heroism.
Reeve started his career on the stage, studying at the prestigious Juilliard School and living with comedian Robin Williams. The pair had a friendship that was “more like a brotherhood,” said Reeve’s son Matthew. Reeve was in awe of Williams’ energy and versatility, Matthew Reeve said, but audiences quickly clued into Reeve’s own star power when he took on the role of the Man of Steel.
To his children, though, he “was just dad,” Matthew Reeve said. The documentary explores how Matthew Reeve and his sister Alexandra Reeve Givens grew up watching their dad take the stage as Superman. “Super/Man” also reveals their heartbreak over their parents’ breakup and the joy they found when Reeve re-married. He tied the knot with Dana Reeve in 1992, and the pair welcomed another child, William Reeve, later that year.
“Dana was sunshine,” Alexandra Reeve Givens recalled. “She just brought joy with her wherever she was and could find it even in the darkest moments.”
Those dark moments came suddenly, when in 1995, a near-fatal horseback riding accident left Reeve paralyzed from the neck down. The documentary allows viewers to see, for the first time, what went on out of the public’s view. Reeve can be heard talking about how he “ruined (his) life and everybody else’s,” but in a touching moment, old friend Robin Williams is seen visiting him in the hospital.
“Robin showed him ‘Hey, you’re still you,'” Alexandra Reeve Givens said. “‘You still have this foundation of friendship and people around you, who adore you. And you’re going to find those fun moments in life again.'”
That support from friends and family re-ignited Reeve’s legacy of activism. He made appearances at the Democratic National Convention and the 68th Academy Awards in 1996, about a year after the accident. Matthew Reeve said watching his father address his industry peers at the Oscars was “one of (his) most proud moments.”
“It was just a production for him to get out of bed every morning, let alone get across the country and go out in public for the first time,” Matthew Reeve said. “It was a big deal. It was a big deal to him, but it was also a big deal to the entire disability community. We stayed up in London till like three in the morning to watch that live. It’s a fond memory.”
Reeve also went on to launch what would become the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, which is dedicated to advancing research into spiral cord injury and help individuals and families impacted by paralysis. It was his dad’s mission to find a cure, Matthew Reeve said, while his stepmother wanted to focus on improving the lives of paralyzed people and their families. The foundation and Reeve’s platform helped bring unprecedented attention and funding to spinal cord injury research.
Reeve even kept acting and realized his lifelong dream of directing with the 1997 HBO movie “In the Gloaming.” Reeve died in 2004 from heart failure at 52.
“There is a huge amount of great actors and actresses out there, where their filmography might be amazing and what they achieve on a cultural level might be amazing, but have they actually achieved anything really as a human that moves the needle for our society?” said filmmaker Ian Bonhote, who made the documentary with Peter Ettedgui. “And Chris has done both things.”
“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” will open in theaters on Friday, Oct. 11.
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