A 19-year-old murder suspect allegedly captured over 200 selfies while wearing the glasses of Melody Hoffman, a 20-year-old Iowa woman with an intellectual disability, whom he is accused of torturing and killing, according to prosecutors.
Dakota Van Patten is alleged to have assisted his friend, McKinley Louisma, in the kidnapping and subsequent murder of Hoffman, who was reportedly killed around midnight on February 18, 2024, as detailed by Marion County authorities in a report by The Gazette here.
In a court hearing on Tuesday, prosecutors revealed that Van Patten grotesquely took more than 200 selfies wearing Hoffman’s clear-framed glasses from 2:30 p.m. on February 18 until 8:30 p.m. on February 19, 2024.
strangled to death, prosecutors claim. linnsheriff
The selfies discovered on Van Patten’s phone featured him shirtless in bed, showing off the sweatshirt he allegedly wore during the murder, and vaping, while donning the eyewear belonging to the victim, according to court allegations.
Additionally, Van Patten’s phone contained a photo of Hoffmanâs four-digit iPhone passcode and images of him posing with a realistic BB gun taken on February 17, the day prior to the murder, as per authorities.
It is alleged that Van Patten and Louisma restrained Hoffman’s wrists and ankles, inflicted multiple stab wounds, and ultimately strangled her, before abandoning her body near Lily Pond in Amana, where they further desecrated her remains, as stated by Linn County prosecutors.
trusting individual with an intellectual disability, victimized by Van Patten and her ex-boyfriend, McKinley Louisma. Stewart Baxter Memorial Services
Van Patten faces charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony.
Meanwhile, Louisma, 24, has already been sentenced to life imprisonment for the heinous act. He accessed a photo at 4:05 a.m. on February 18 that displayed Hoffman with duct tape over her mouth, in distress, and bleeding from her nose, as reported by The Gazette.
On February 17, Van Patten, Louisma, and a third suspect, Logan Kimpton, 19, reportedly lured Hoffman into sneaking out of her home before binding her wrists and ankles with duct tape and forcing her into the trunk of Louisma’s vehicle, according to court filings.
All three suspects were observed buying gloves and machetes shortly before Hoffman’s murder, but Kimpton allegedly withdrew from participating in the brutal crime, authorities have claimed. KCRG also reported on this development.
Iowa law enforcement found significant evidence in Louisma’s vehicle, which included a stained pocketknife, machetes, rope, duct tape, pink HeyDude shoes, and a shredded pink shirt with duct tape attached, according to CBS Iowa here.
DNA evidence indicated that Van Patten matched samples collected from the duct tape, a glove, and the glasses, the report stated.
According to Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks, Hoffman was described as overly trusting and having an âintellectual disability,â placing her mental age closer to that of a 14-year-old rather than a 20-year-old, as reported by The Gazette here.
Furthermore, Associate State Medical Examiner Dr. Kelly Kruse testified on Tuesday that Hoffman tested positive for hormones suggestive of a potential pregnancy, according to People.
