Medical examiner: Marion woman died by strangulation, likely within minutes

CEDAR RAPIDS — Melody Hoffman likely died within minutes in February 2024 as her killer put a paracord around her neck and strangled her, a state medical examiner testified Tuesday.

Dr. Kelly Kruse, an associate state medical examiner, testified the 20-year-old Marion woman died by ligature strangulation and the marks left on her neck, more predominantly on the right and front of her neck, indicate the killer attacked her from behind. She had no marks on the back of her neck.

Kruse also said Hoffman may have been pregnant at the time she died, or she may have had a miscarriage shortly before she was fatally assaulted, which the prosecution has said is a possible motive.

Hoffman had been seeing McKinley Louisma, and he had recently gotten back together with a former girlfriend who made him choose between her and Hoffman. The prosecution alleges Louisma enlisted the help of Dakota Van Patten to get rid of his problem.

Van Patten, 19, of Cedar Rapids, is on trial for first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony. Louisma, 24, of Marion, was convicted last year.

According to testimony last week, Hoffman was killed around midnight Feb. 18. Investigators said she was tortured and strangled at Morgan Creek Park in Cedar Rapids and then her body was left at Lily Pond Park in Amana.

Van Patten’s DNA was found on a roll of duct tape used to bind Hoffman’s wrists and ankles, on the inside of coated gloves, and on Hoffman’s eyeglasses, which he posed in to take 200 selfies after she was killed, according to testimony Monday.

The prosecution is expected to wrap up its case Wednesday.

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Graphic photos of Hoffman’s injuries were shown to the jury during Kruse’s testimony.

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

Kruse said Hoffman also had blunt force injuries including bruises, contusions and scrapes. The majority of the injuries were on her head. She had “significant” head wounds.

Hoffman also had sharp force injuries — stabbing and cutting wounds to her back, back of arms, buttocks and her right hand.

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

Kruse said it depends on the amount of pressure applied. The blood flow would cut off quickly. Someone can lose consciousness within seconds and can die within minutes.

After consciousness is lost, that pressure or force would have to continue for someone to die, she said.

Stabbing and cutting marks

Kruse testified Hoffman also had 30 cutting marks and five stab wounds to her upper back and on her side, near her lower back area. The cutting wounds were in a crisscross pattern covering her entire back, nearly down to her buttocks, but they were superficial compared to the stabbing injuries.

The stabbing wounds were about 1 1/2 inches deep, Kruse said.

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 said lividity can set in within 12 hours.

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Investigators testified last week Hoffman’s body was found lying face down at Lily Pond Park after 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 18.

Kruse said it’s possible the stab and cutting injuries were made while Hoffman was in the process of dying or had died because she would expect to see more blood if Hoffman was alive at the time.

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

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

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

Hoffman was tested for alcohol and drugs, which came back negative. She also was tested for HCG — a hormone produced when an embryo is fertilized — which was present and slightly elevated. Kruse examined Hoffman’s uterus but it didn’t indicate she was pregnant.

Hoffman could have been in the early stages of a pregnancy or recently had a miscarriage based on the hormone level, Kruse said.

On cross exam, Kruse said the injuries could have been inflicted by one person and the serrated knife could have made all the stabbing and cutting injuries.

Van Patten defended Louisma to police

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Earlier Tuesday, Marion Police Investigator Tom Peterson concluded his testimony from Monday, answering questions about an interview he and another investigator conducted of Van Patten.

Peterson said during the interview, Van Patten, who denied knowing anything about a murder, asked where a body had been found. Peterson said they hadn’t told Van Patten anything about a body being found.

Van Patten also told investigators he didn’t think Louisma was capable of killing someone because he was “soft and a nice guy.” Van Patten repeated that more than once about Louisma, Peterson said.

Van Patten also asked Peterson if a phone’s location had to be turned on for the Life360 app to work. That stood out to Peterson because Hoffman’s app, which enabled location sharing with her mother and others, had been turned off at 1:17 a.m. Feb. 18, about an hour after she was killed.

Peterson said Van Patten also asked more than once who had told them he killed Hoffman.

Peterson asked him who he thought it was and Van Patten said Louisma.

Another investigator will go into more details about Van Patten’s interview on Wednesday.

Trish Mehaffey covers state and federal courts for The Gazette

Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com