Burglar stabbed to death two women and boy, 11, before dismembering their bodies and hiding them in hollow tree

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Updated: 08:08 EST, 7 January 2011

Two women and an 11-year-old boy who confronted a home intruder were stabbed to death and dismembered before their remains were placed in a hollow tree.

The attacker then raped a 13-year-old girl who was with them.

Unemployed tree-cutter  Matthew Hoffman, 30, pleaded guilty today to aggravated murder, burglary, kidnapping, rape and other charges.

Evil: Matthew Hoffman in court in Knox County where he admitted carrying out the brutal killing spree that left three people dead

He was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the deaths of Tina Herrmann, whose home he broke into; her 11-year-old son, Kody Maynard; and neighbour Stephanie Sprang.

They were stabbed, dismembered and put into garbage bags and then into the tree, prosecutors said.

The raped girl said in a statement read aloud in court by a prosecutor. 'This is so sickening, to know you even had the guts to do this.'

Speaking for Hoffman in court, his attorney, Bruce Malek, said Hoffman decided not to speak in court because he 'did not feel that he would be able to make even a short statement without breaking down.'

Mr Malek said Hoffman did not single out one person or family and attributed the violence to 'a random burglary that went terribly, terribly wrong.'

Hoffman was accused of kidnapping the teenage girl, a relative of Ms Herrmann's, during the break-in and raping her at his home in the small central Ohio city of Mount Vernon.

She was found alive, bound and gagged, in his basement.

Survivor and victim: The 13-year-old girl was discovered bound and gagged in a Mount Vernon basement. Tina Herrmann's body was found in a tree

Killed: The bodies of Kody Maynard, 10, and 41-year-old family friend Stephanie Sprang were found wrapped in garbage bags

Malek and Knox County prosecutor John Thatcher said they weren't sure why Hoffman killed the other three but not the girl.

'I don't think he gave any other reason other than he couldn't bring himself to do it,' Thatcher said.

The girl said the crimes have changed her life, but she's no longer scared of Hoffman.

Seven more relatives of the victims gave their own statements in court, sharing memories and wiping away tears.

Prosecutors decided not to pursue the death penalty in exchange for Hoffman agreeing to plead guilty and telling authorities the location of the remains, which otherwise would have been difficult to find, Thatcher said.

'He knew the families needed closure, that they deserved to have their families back and properly buried,.' Mr Malek said.

Police  launched an investigation into the attack after Ms Herrmann failed to turn up for work and a co-worker who went to check on her at home found the place spattered with blood.

Three days later, the 13-year-old girl was found bound and gagged in the basement of the attacker's home.

Hollow tree: Police suggest that the killer used a harness to raise the bodies to a hole at the top of the tree and dump them inside

Grisly discovery: The beech tree in the Kokosing Lake Animal Preserve shows the square cut that police made to find the bodies