Hiawatha man’s social media accounts reveal his searches after killing

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Hiawatha man accused of kidnapping and killing Melody Hoffman regularly checked her Facebook homepage but stopped five days before she was killed Feb. 17; on Feb. 18, he was searching the Iowa Missing Persons Alert page and her mother’s Facebook page.

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Special Agent Marissa Mussman with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation testified Friday about social media activities and communications of McKinley Louisma, 23, who is on trial in Linn County District Court this week in the torturing and killing of Hoffman, 20, of Marion.

She said Louisma started searching or visiting the Facebook page of Melody’s mother, Megan Hoffman, starting in December 2023 and visited her page about seven times up until Jan. 7, around the time Melody broke up with him.

Mussman said Louisma visited the Iowa Missing Persons Alert on Feb. 18, and about an hour later went to Megan Hoffman’s profile. Louisma continued to search or visit Megan’s page Feb. 18 and 19.

Mussman said Louisma was likely checking Megan Hoffman’s page for updates she might post on her daughter.

Louisma is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony. His co-conspirator, Dakota Van Patten, 18, of Cedar Rapids, also is charged in Melody Hoffman’s killing.

Hoffman died by strangulation around midnight Feb. 17, according to testimony this week. The prosecution said she was tortured and killed in Morgan Creek Park in Cedar Rapids and then her body was left at Lily Pond Park in Amana.

‘Friday, the 13th’

Mussman also identified Louisma’s Facebook profile for the jury, which Mussman downloaded Feb. 18. His cover photo, which was updated the day before Hoffman’s killing, showed an image of Jason Vorhees, of the “Friday the 13th” movies, carrying a machete.

Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks asked Mussman what Jason did in the movie.

Mussman said the character “stalks and kills people” around “Crystal Lake” using a machete.

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According to trial evidence, Louisma and Van Patten bought two machetes at Walmart earlier on Feb. 17. One was found in Louisma’s car, between the front seat and console. Investigators believe the machetes may have been used in the assault because Hoffman had stab and slashing wounds to her back.

Louisma’s profile photo also was shown to the jury. In the photo, he has his hand shaped like a gun. His status at that time stated he was in a relationship with “Nakia Reed,” who is Nakia Svoboda, his former longtime girlfriend, which is why Melody Hoffman broke up with him.

Mussman identified social media communications between Louisma and Hoffman that seemed to indicate Hoffman’s frustration with him after they broke up.

Jan. 7 exchange

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On Jan. 7, Melody Hoffman messaged Louisma, asking why he didn’t want to be with her. Louisma responded, asking her why she was texting him, saying he didn’t “wanna play whatever game you playing bc (because) am not interested.”

Hoffman then messaged she was going to throw out the stuff he left at her apartment. He tells her to “have fun.”

Jan. 7 is also the day Hoffman was sent an anonymous threatening message, Mussman said. Investigators didn’t know who sent it.

In other social media messages, Hoffman would reach out to Louisma in calls or messages and he wouldn’t answer her.

Mussman also identified a message Megan Hoffman sent Louisma on Feb. 18, asking if her daughter was with him. He denied it.

Louisma then messaged Melody Hoffman, who was already dead, and said her mom was trying to reach her. Louisma asked Melody if she was OK and told her to get hold of her mom.

Cellphone locations

In other testimony, Cedar Rapids police Investigator Jeff Holst testified about his forensic examination of Louisma’s cellphone, from which he retrieved locations, photos and user activity specific to Hoffman’s homicide.

Previous testimony by investigators went over the much of the same information using Hoffman’s phone, which her mother always tracked through a locator app on her daughter’s phone. Melody had a mild intellectual disability, so her mother tracked her movements as a safety precaution.

Louisma’s phone showed exact times for when Louisma, Van Patten and Melody Hoffman were at Morgan Creek Park, from 12:09 to about 12:26 a.m. Feb. 18, which is when investigators believe Hoffman was tortured and killed.

His phone also showed Louisma traveling back to Marion and then going to Lily Pond Park in Amana, where police found Hoffman’s body later in the morning of Feb. 18.

The forensic exam showed Louisma arrived at Lily Pond Park at 2:15 a.m. and left about 2:35 a.m.

Louisma’s camera app on his phone had been activated, meaning photos were taken, at Morgan Creek, once when he arrived and once before leaving, Holst said.

Holst also found that a torture photo of Hoffman with duct tape over her mouth, shown to the jury Thursday, had been cropped or shared by Louisma and then sent to the trash folder, but it wasn’t permanently deleted. Louisma also viewed his trash folder after sending the photo.

Holst also recovered a Snapchat conversation between Louisma and an unnamed person. The person was identified as a string of numbers because Louisma had deleted that contact.

The message is believed to be from Hoffman, on Feb. 17, when she left her mother’s home without telling her:

Hoffman: How long are you going to be

Louisma: Not long

Hoffman: Do you want me to meet you at cayces (Caseys)

Louisma: Just to Wendy

Hoffman: K

Hoffman: The one by u is close

Louisma: Just com where I always be

Hoffman: Hurry up

Louisma: OK

Louisma’s phone showed he was in the vicinity of Hoffman’s residence at 11:24 p.m. Feb. 17, Holst said.

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