Testimony: Murder defendant kept photo of Marion victim with duct tape over her mouth

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Hiawatha man accused of torturing and killing 20-year-old Melody Hoffman in February had a photo in his cellphone that showed her face with duct tape over her mouth, a bloody nose and apparently crying, a police investigator testified Thursday.

Marion Sgt. Thomas Peterson, continuing his testimony from Wednesday, said a piece of duct tape with strands of hair was found in the car trunk of McKinley Louisma, 23, who is on trial this week in Linn County District Court. The photo, shown to the jury, also appeared to have strands of hair stuck to the duct tape.

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Peterson said Louisma accessed this photo about 4:05 a.m. Feb. 18. In previous testimony, investigators said that Hoffman died around midnight Feb. 17, based on a locator app information and health data evidence from her phone, and likely in Morgan Creek Park west of Cedar Rapids.

Louisma is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony. His accused coconspirator, Dakota Van Patten, 18, of Cedar Rapids, also is charged in the kidnapping and killing of Hoffman, who lived in Marion. She died by strangulation, according to court documents.

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Peterson testified that an analysis of Louisma’s phone showed his internet search history, which included several items available online at Walmart of face coverings, ski masks and rubber gloves, after 9:30 p.m. and before 10 p.m. Feb. 17. Morgan Creek Park and Lily Pond in Amana, where Hoffman’s body was found, also was searched in the phone’s maps app.

According to previous testimony, Hoffman left her residence after 11 p.m. that night with Louisma and Van Patten.

The Wi-Fi connection used by Louisma from on Feb. 17 and 18 was from Van Patten’s hot spot on his phone, Peterson testified.

Louisma’s phone history also showed a selfie of Van Patten, taken at 8:01 p.m. Feb. 18, wearing Hoffman’s glasses, with text added to the photo that stated “Anyone around Cedar Rapids got some nose studs,” Peterson said.

There also was a photo on Louisma’s phone that was from Snapchat of another Van Patten selfie, which showed him sitting on a bed, shirtless, wearing Hoffman’s glasses and smoking a vape pen. That was taken 9:59 p.m. Feb. 18.

Peterson said a photo with “5917” typed over a blurred background taken from Snapchat was found on Van Patten’s phone at 11:59 p.m. Feb. 17. That was the passcode for Hoffman’s iPhone, he said.

A machete shown on the Walmart sites had been deleted from Louisma’s phone about 9:45 a.m. Feb. 19.

According to testimony, Louisma, Van Patten and Logan Kimpton, also charged in connection with the slaying, had purchased two machetes and coated rubber gloves Feb. 17 at a Walmart.

In other testimony, Karlee Schneider, a criminalist with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, testified about possible DNA found on the items found in Louisma’s car. None of the items identified Louisma’s DNA. Several indicated Hoffman as the major contributor to a DNA profile and many of the items had two or three minor contributors — but the samples were insufficient to determine the profile of those.

Schneider identified numerous swabs of evidence tested. Blood found on Louisma’s Honda Accord trunk lid belonged to Hoffman. Two of the coated rubber gloves indicated a mixture of three individuals, with Hoffman being major contributor but no minor contributor identified. And the inside of a glove showed a mixture of three individuals, with Van Patten as the major contributor.

DNA from the back of Hoffman’s shirt matched Hoffman’s profile; blood from one piece of duct tape was mixture of two individuals, but only Hoffman was identified as major contributor.

Schneider said blood was found on a paracord, a pocket knife and knife handle. It showed a mixture of two or three individuals, but only Hoffman’s profile was identified.

The machetes didn’t show any blood, but investigators found a mixture of DNA for two individuals, with only Kimpton identified.

There was a roll of duct tape that tested for blood. The contributors were Hoffman and Van Patten, Schneider testified.

The prosecution will continue its case Friday. The trial is expected to continue next week.

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