A third man has been arrested in Iowa in connection with the kidnapping a murder a a woman whose body was found dumped by lake last week.
A complaint against 18-year-old Logan Kimpton says he was with the other two suspects buying machetes and gloves at a Walmart before the murder but “chickened out” of the murder of 20-year-old Melody Hoffmann, KGAN reported.
McKinley Louisma, 23, and Dakota Van Patten, 18, have already been arrested and charged with first degree murder. Kimpton has been charged with assault with injury, willful injury, conspiracy to commit non-forcible felony, and conspiracy to commit forcible felony.
Hoffman’s body was found in the picnic area of Amana Lily Lake on February 18, CrimeOnline reported. An autopsy determined she had been strangled, but she also had multiple slash and cut wounds on her body, KGAN said.
Court documents say that Louisma had been in a relationship with Hoffman while at the same time in relationship with another woman. HE and Van Patten were seen on surveillance video at the Walmart in southwest Cedar Rapids before they picked up Hoffman. A search warrant executed at Van Patten’s home turned up Hoffman’s glasses and a towing rope believed to have been used to strangle her.
Court documents say they put Hoffman’s body in the trunk of a car at Morgan Creek Park and drove around Linn County while she begged to be let go before dumping her body at Amana Lily Lake, about 16 miles away, Huffington Post reported.
Police said they found Hoffman’s phone case as Apple Watch band, with blood on it, in Louisma’s car.
The complaints against Louisma and Van Patten say they duct taped Hoffman’s wrists and forced her into the trunk before driving to the lake.
The complaint against Kimpton says that he told three other people that he and two friends planned to kill someone but didn’t say who the target was, according to KGAN.
When asked by an investigator if he “chickened out” of the murder, Kimpton replied, “Damn right I did.”
All three suspects are US citizens.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Featured image: Melody Hoffmann/Facebook]
