Autopsy: Marion woman strangled, tortured, with injuries ‘head to toes’

CEDAR RAPIDS — Melody Hoffman may have not seen her killer coming at her with a paracord because the autopsy showed the ligature marks on her neck indicated she was strangled from behind.

Dr. Kelly Kruse, an associate state medical examiner, testified Wednesday in Linn County District Court that the 20-year-old Hoffman, of Marion, died by strangulation.

Hoffman didn’t have ligature marks on the back of her neck, only on the front and sides, which means the killer was standing behind her, Kruse said.

During the seventh day of the first-degree murder trial of McKinley Louisma, 23, of Hiawatha, Kruse also testified that Hoffman may have been pregnant at the time she died or may have had a miscarriage shortly before she was killed — a possible motive for her kidnapping and slaying on Feb. 17.

Louisma is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony. Dakota Van Patten, 18, of Cedar Rapids, also is charged in Hoffman’s kidnapping and killing and will have a separate trial March 3 in Linn County District Court.

According to testimony last week, Hoffman was killed around midnight Feb. 17. Investigators said she was tortured and killed at Morgan Creek Park in Cedar Rapids and her body was left at Lily Pond Park in Amana.

The prosecution rested after Kruse testified. The defense called no witnesses and rested. Louisma chose not to testify in his own defense, which is his right. The burden of proof is on the prosecution.

Closing statements are scheduled for Thursday, after which the jury will get the case.

Just before lunch, a juror had a medical emergency, and the defense asked the court to dismiss the juror, which 6th Judicial District Judge Chad Kepros granted. There were two alternate juror, so the trial proceeded after lunch.

Photos to jury

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Graphic photos of Hoffman’s injuries were shown to the jury Wednesday. Louisma looked at the autopsy photos as they were shown to the jury and showed no visible reaction.

In her testimony, Kruse said Hoffman had internal hemorrhaging in the muscles of the neck, which is caused by pressure or force, and she also had petechiae hemorrhaging on her face, inside her eyelids and gums, indicating strangulation.

First Assistant Linn County Attorney Monica Slaughter asked how long it takes for someone to die by strangulation.

Kruse said it depends on the amount of pressure applied. The blood flow would stop immediately. It takes only seconds to lose consciousness and minutes to die. After someone loses consciousness, the pressure or force would have to continue for someone to die, she said.

Kruse said Hoffman also had blunt force injuries — bruises, contusions and scrapes — “from head to toes.” The majority of the injuries were on her head, face, arms, wrists and hands.

Stabbing, cutting marks

Hoffman also suffered stabbing and cutting marks to her back, Kruse testified, with at least 30 cutting wounds and five stab wounds.

Based on where lividity — pooling of blood following death — set in, Hoffman was lying face down for some time. Kruse couldn’t estimate when she died but noted lividity can set in within 12 hours.

A witness, who testified last week, said she found Hoffman’s body, lying face down, at Lily Pond after 9:30 a.m. Feb. 18.

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Kruse said the cutting wounds were superficial in comparison to the stab or sharp-force injuries.

The cutting wounds were in a crisscross pattern, covering her back, according to the photos.

The prosecution’s theory is that those wounds were inflicted, possibly after Hoffman died, to make it look like she had been attacked and stripped of clothing at the Lily Pond in Amana, but investigators believe the torture and killing happened in Morgan Creek Park in Cedar Rapids and Louisma and Van Patten left her body in Amana.

Kruse said it’s possible those wounds were made after death because she would expect to see more blood if Hoffman had been alive at the time.

Kruse couldn’t determine if the stab injuries on her back were made before or after death. Hoffman could have been in the process of dying when they happened, she said.

A photo of the inside of Hoffman’s scalp, which had contusions, bruising and hemorrhaging to the front and top of the head, also was shown.

Kruse said the serrated knife and machete handle, both weapons found in Louisma’s car, could have caused Hoffman’s injuries.

The white-handled, serrated knife, which was overlaid on a photo of an wound on Hoffman’s upper buttocks, appeared to match the knife blade pattern, Kruse said of the photo. The handle of the machete, which has a texture pattern, also was consistent with injuries on Hoffman’s face.

Kruse, after being shown the paracord, also found in Louisma’s car, said it could have caused the ligature marks found on Hoffman’s neck.

Kruse said Hoffman was tested for alcohol and drugs, which came back negative.

Hoffman also was tested for HCG — a hormone produced when an embryo is fertilized — which was present. The test showed a 7.3 level of HCG, which is low.

The internal exam of the uterus didn’t show she was pregnant, but she could have been early into a pregnancy, probably about two weeks, or she could have had a miscarriage, Kruse said. She said she could not determine which it was, and it’s also possible Hoffman’s monthly period was late.

The prosecution’s theory is that Hoffman, who had been dating Louisma, may have told him her period was late or that she was pregnant, which could provide a possible motive because Louisma also had a girlfriend who was pregnant when Hoffman was killed.

Cross-examination

On cross-examination, Jill Eimermann, Louisma’s lawyer, said an over-the-counter pregnancy test resulting from urine may not show the HCG hormone and pointed out Hoffman’s level was “very low.”

Kruse agreed, saying a blood test would be better to detect the hormone, and 7.3 is a low level of the hormone.

On redirect, Kruse said the HCG hormone is only produced from an embryo. The only other way would be from a tumor, but Hoffman didn’t have any tumors.

Hoffman could have been pregnant or had a miscarriage, Kruse confirmed.

Louisma interview

In other testimony, the prosecution played the rest of Louisma’s police interview, which started Tuesday.

In the recorded interview, Special Agent Ryan Kedley of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation asked Louisma, who blamed Van Patten for beating and killing Hoffman, if Louisma wanted to stick to his version of events. He told Louisma his version was contrary to the evidence and to what others — Van Patten and Logan William Michael Kimpton, 18, of Hiawatha, also charged in Hoffman’s death — had told investigators.

Louisma told Kedley more than once he was telling the truth and everything he had told Kedley is “exactly” what happened. He would swear to it under oath.

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