真实恐怖案件(4)—迷恋树叶的杀人犯（Matthew Hoffman）

翻译：青草泥蚂@writingllamaa／来源：综合

摘要

美国俄亥俄州男子马修．霍夫曼（Matthew J Hoffman）跟踪一名女孩和其家人。他待女孩和其弟由学校返家时，潜入他们的住居和谋杀女孩的母亲、弟弟和母亲的朋友，绑架了女孩并把她困在自家的地下室里。他肢解了死者的遗体，把遗骸藏在城北的自然保护区。数天后，警察在地下室找到这名女孩，女孩当时被绑在一张由树叶造成的床上。经过数天的审问，荷夫曼终于透露了弃尸天龙八部之宿敌地点，他将尸块塞进一棵空心树中。他有迷恋树木和树叶的心理。

受害者包括：

蒂娜．赫尔曼（Tina Herrmann），32岁（被棍棒击中）科迪．梅纳德（Kody Maynard），11岁（赫尔曼的儿子）斯蒂芬妮．斯普朗（Stephanie Sprang），41岁莎拉．梅纳德（Sarah Maynard），13岁（赫尔曼的女儿，被绑架和俘虏，遭多次明史十讲性侵犯，四天后被救出）

案情

2010年11月10日，霍夫曼随机选中了维农山庄苹果谷（Apple Valley, Mount Vernon）居民蒂娜·赫尔曼的房子犯案，因为房子地点隐蔽，而且车库的门总是微微打开。他睡在附近的树林中静待时机。

待住客离家后，霍夫曼潜入屋中，在里面逗留了一小时后，蒂娜和她的邻居斯蒂芬妮突然回来。令人惊讶地，霍夫曼谋杀了两人，也袭击遇见这一幕的两名孩子——13岁的莎拉和11岁的科迪，杀了科迪和他们的大声吠叫的狗。霍夫曼后来供称，他原本没有计划杀人，但他还是携带了恐吓用的刀和棍棒。他将莎拉掳走并将几具尸体带到他位于维农山庄的家中，把莎拉捆绑在地下室的一片以树叶堆成的床上，反复性侵她四天之久。接下结婚堵门游戏来，他肢解了受害者的尸体，隔天到布谷鸟鸣野生动物保护区（Kokosing Wildlide Area）弃尸，利用爬树工具将尸块丢在一棵60英尺高的空心树中；同一天，命案的调查人员在看到霍夫曼坐停车场中，死者蒂娜的农夫车就在那个停车场被发现，当时霍夫曼声称正在等待女友下班，所以调查人员放他走。

调查当局最终将霍夫曼列为案件的嫌疑犯，并于2010年11月14日突入他的家中递捕他，当时他正躺在沙发上睡觉，也在地下室找到莎拉。两名维农山庄警员步入霍夫曼家，看到屋内树叶堆积如山时，曾一度怀疑树叶下可能埋着尸体，其中一位向哥伦布新闻报（美国俄亥俄州的本地报章）复述： 「我当时疑怀会否有人藏在那堆树叶之下？或者，会不会那堆叶树就是凶手埋尸之处？」

霍夫曼在被捕期间，写了一份长达四页的认罪供词，并向警察透露埋尸地点，声称当初只打算爆窃住宅，并为莎拉获救感到高兴，指期间有善待她，为她烹调汉堡包、让她玩电子游戏鲁米诺和看电影、以树叶和毯子堆成床，他说：「女孩喜欢那张床，因为它非常舒服，我也想睡在上面。」根据他的供词，他在挟持女孩期间给她看书籍《金银岛》，并和她一起看电影《钢铁侠》第一、二集。后来莎拉否认他的说法，令公众震惊。霍夫曼承认强奸过这名女孩，女孩获救时，身上穿着「白色塑料袋，上头有两个给腿部穿过的开孔，像一块临时尿布」。据女孩的供词，霍夫曼恐吓以刀切断她的手指，并经常堵住她的口，说他会在圣诞节前释放她。女孩被救出后，要求警方带她上学，因为她快要迟到了；也在不知道母亲和弟弟被杀的情况下，向警察透露她担心她家的狗被杀，因为霍夫曼告诉她因为狗不停吠叫，所以杀死了它。

关于霍夫曼的犯案动机，外界普遍认是随机的暴力行为，但莎拉的父亲拉里（Larry）并不相信。霍夫曼被指控严重谋杀和强奸等十项罪名，他因透露藏尸地点而免去死刑，尸体已被寻回，最终在2011年1月6日被判处终身监禁，期间不获假释，他至今仍被监禁。

凶手背景

由于缺乏详细的消息来源，故没有太多关于霍夫曼早年生活的讯息被揭露。他出生于1980年11月1日，早年似乎发生过一起事件引发他患上精神病，邻居形容他的行为不稳定和奇怪，会杀死并吃掉松鼠、在院子捕捉小动物、在草坪上放小火和坐在树上。他被补时发现他的家堆满大量树叶，亦揭露了他对树叶的痴迷。大约在此案前十年，霍夫曼曾放火烧毁科罗拉多州斯廷博特斯普林斯（Steamboat Springs）一幢公寓大楼，以掩饰入屋盗窃和抢劫痕迹，他在2001年以普通盗窃、入屋盗窃、一级纵火的罪名被判处八年监禁。

凶手对树叶的痴迷

诺克斯郡检察官约翰·撒切尔（John Thatcher）指出，在霍夫曼家中发现的数百袋树叶与谋杀案无关，他说：「诺克斯郡过去未有同类案例，这宗案件必须在俄亥俄州历史上列为最严重的凶杀案之一。」

法医心理学家说，霍夫曼对树叶和树木的痴迷是精神病和妄想症的表现。美国东北大学的詹姆斯．艾伦．福克斯博士曾写过五本关于连环杀手的书，他说：「如果树木给了霍夫曼安全感并令他感觉熟悉，就能解释为什么他会把尸体丢到树中bl校园小说。」

纽约神经心理学和法医行为科学中心主任伯里尔博士表示，对比起其他谋杀犯，霍夫曼对字幕网树叶的痴迷是奇异和独特的，「这无疑证实霍夫曼可能患有精神疾病，与其他连环杀手和精神病患出现在新闻中。但是，从专业的角度出发，连环杀手没有患上精神疾病，他们只有人格障碍，知道自己的所作所为是错的，但因为过谋杀过程中他们获得太多乐趣、太多满足而无法停下来。」伯里尔说博士说，「要与霍夫曼细谈才能知道树叶对他的意义，他对树叶相关或由之带来的妄想非常仔瓶颈期细，妄想发生在树叶旁边，让他将尸体放到树中。」只有霍夫曼本人才能解释为何他要储存树叶。

霍夫曼是一名失业的树木修剪工。邻居珍妮特·科尔伯恩说他家附近只有两棵树，「他不可能从那两棵树上获得到那么多叶子，那些树叶是从其他地方运来的，但我从来未看过他耙过树叶。」另一名邻居亨德森·布彻形容他和霍夫曼的关系友好，「他常常在树旁玩耍……往树上垂下绳子，在那处有一个像吊床的东西。」邻居卡拉．福勒说：「因为他没有上杂货店，他会杀死松鼠并吃掉它们。」事实上，在霍夫曼的冰霜里只有冰棒和松鼠。

调查文件显示，警方与霍夫曼的录几个小时口供，但他几乎没有说话，直至他告诉调查人员，他造了个跟食物加工厂有关的恶梦，「霍夫曼说，他在食品加工厂里打开了一个垃圾袋，里面装有人体残肢，他随即感到反胃并勾起他的回忆。」霍夫曼要求调查员让他将尸体位置写在纸上，假装逃走让调查人员射杀他（按：他是不想活了）。警方拒绝他的要求，他随即闭口不言，两天后才告诉警察藏尸地点。

根据法庭记录，那间铺满树叶的房屋已被银行收回，富国银行于1月28日启动了相关法律程序。

与本案相关的图片

30岁的霍夫曼现因三起谋杀案，以及绑架和强奸青少年而被判处终身监禁。图片展示马修．霍夫曼铺满了叶子的家。浴室内放置了超过100袋的叶子，而冰箱内只有几根红色冰棒和两只松鼠尸体。调查照片展示了马修．霍夫曼在维农山庄的家中的照片，浴室的墙边全放满装着树叶的塑料袋。当局仍在调查树叶的目的，其中一个原因已指这些树叶可能用作为助燃料。 （由诺克斯郡检察官办公室提供）警方在霍夫曼家的地下室找到赫尔曼13岁的女儿，她手脚被绑在一张以树叶临时搭成的床上。霍夫曼把女孩注塑机螺杆关在地下室数天并绑在这张由叶树和毯子铺成的床上。 （图片由美国诺克斯郡检察官办公室提供）马修．霍夫曼的厨房的满布涂鸦，门上有一个巨型和平标志。空心树：警方指凶手使用系带将尸体吊到树顶，并将盖洛普测试尸块丢进里面。Summar网盘直链yIn Mount Vernon, Ohio, a guy, Matthew J. Hoffman, stalked a young girl and her family. He waited until the girl and her brother were home from school, went into the house and murdered the girl’s mom, brother, and a family friend. He then kidnapped and locked her in his basement. He chopped up the bodies of the family members and hid them in a nature area north of town. The cops found the girl after a few days, in his basement, tied up on a bed of leaves. It took days of interrogations before Hoffman finally admitted where he hid the bodies of the family members. Hoffman found guilty of holding a 13-year-old girl hostage after kil给女朋友的道歉信ling her family and stuffing their dismembered bodies in a hollow tree had an obsession with trees and leaves, police documents show.Known Victims: Tina Herrmann, 32 years old (was also struck with a blackjack)Kody Maynard, 11 (Herrmann's son)Stephanie Sprang, 41Sarah Maynard, 13 (Herrmann's daughter; abducted, held captive, and sexually assaulted repeatedly; was rescued four days later)The caseOn November 10, 2010, he randomly selected the Apple Valley, Ohio house of Tina Herrmann because it was more secluded and the garage door was always left slightly open. Hoffman bade his time, sleeping in the nearby woods.Finally, he sneaked into the home after the residents left, remaining inside for an hour until Tina and neighbour Stephanie Sprang unexpectedly returned. Surprised, Hoffman murdered both, and then attacked Tina's two children, 13-year-old Sarah and 11-year-old Kody, when they stumbled upon the scene. He also killed a dog that was in the house because it barked loudly. He later claimed that he hadn't planned to kill anyone but had brought the knife and blackjack[1] he used fo语音icr intimidation purposes. Killing Kody, Hoffman then held Sarah captive and took her and the bodies to his Mount Vernon home, tying Sarah to a bed of leaves in the basement. Next, he dismembered the bodies of his fatal victims, taking and disposing of the parts the next day into a hollow, 60-foot tree in the Kokosing Wildlife Area using his tree-climbing equipment. That same day, he was approached by deputies as he sat in the same parking lot where Tina Herrmann's pickup truck was discovered. However, Hoffman was let go when he claimed that he had a girlfriend and was waiting for her to get off of work. For four days straight, he kept Sarah tied to the bed and sexually assaulted her repeatedly.Investigating authorities eventually classified Hoffman as a suspect of the Herrmann home invasion and abductions, raiding his home on November 14 as he slept on his couch. He was arrested, and Sarah was safely recovered from the basem漫画派对ent. The two police officers from Mount Vernon, Ohio, who first entered Hoffman's home in November 2010 discovered mounds of leaves so high they feared that bodies could be buried underneath them."So much runs through your mind: What if someone is hiding under that pile? Or in this case, I thought, 'Is that where he's hiding the bodies,'" Mount Vernon Police Detective Craig Feeney told the Columbus Dispatch.In his incarceration, Hoffman wrote a four-page confession letter about his crimes and revealed the location of his victims' bodies to police. He also made claims that he intended to rob Tina Herrmann's house, was happy when Sarah was rescued by authorities, and treated her nicely, cooking her hamburgers and letting her play video games and watch movies, specifically Iron Man and Iron Man 2. The latter claim was proven false by Sarah and was also greeted with horrified shock from the general public. He confessed to investigators that he had made the bed of leaves and covered it with blankets. He told investigators that the little girl "liked that bed, it was extremely comfy and I wanted to sleep on it." While holding the girl hostage, he gave his victim the book "Treasure Island" to read and watched the movie "Iron Man" with her, according to his confession. He also admitted raping the girl, who was found by police wearing "a white plastic bag that had holes cut out for her legs that she was wearing like a makeshift diaper," according to case files. Moments after her rescue, the girl told police that she was late for school and asked if they could take her to school. Unaware that Hoffman had murdered her mother and brother, the girl told police that she feared Hoffman had killed her dog. Hoffman would later confess to killing the dog because it would not stop barking.The girl also told police that the "suspect cut her finger with a knife, usually gagged her and that he was going to release her before Christmas," according to the records.As for his initial motivation to rob the Herrmann house, it is disbelieved by Sarah's father Larry, and it is widely believed that the crimes were mere acts of random violence. He was charged with 10 counts that included aggravated murder and rape, eventually found guilty, and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on January 6, 2011. He had been able to avoid the death penalty by revealing where the bodies of his victims were located. Hoffman remains incarcerated to this day.Murderer’s backgroundDue to the lack of sources detailing him, not much information about Hoffman's early life has been revealed, other than that he was born on November 1, 1980. It also appears that an event in his life shaped him into a psychopath. Neighbours later described his behaviour as erratic and strange. According to one of them, he would kill squirrels and eat them. Others say he also used to trap small animals in his yard, set small fires on the lawn and sit in his trees. When his home was searched after his arrest, he also turned out to have had an obsession with leaves, keeping huge piles of them in his house. In 2001, he was convicted of theft, burglary, and first-degree arson after he set a Steamboat Springs, Colorado condominium complex ablaze to cover up a burglary and robbery. He was sentenced to eight years in prison.Obsession With LeavesKnox County Prosecutor John Thatcher said that the hundreds of bags of leaves found in the home were not connected to the murders. "Knox County has never seen a case like this before. It has to rank there in Ohio history as one of the worst homicide cases," Thatcher said.Forensic psychologists said that Hoffman's obsession with leaves and trees were indications of mental illness and delusion. "If trees gave him comfort at all and were familiar at all, that would explain why he would put the bodies in the tree," said Dr James Alan Fox of Northeastern University who has written five books about serial killers.Psychologists called the obsession with leaves bizarre and unique from other convicted murderers. "It certainly suggests that he is likely to be mentally ill, mentally ill as compared to other killers who show up in the newsmpacc分数线 like serial killers or psychopaths," Dr N.G. Berrill, director of New York Center for Neuropsychology and Forensic Behavioral Science. "Serial killers, from a professio阿拉巴马nal point of view, they are not mentally ill. They have character disturbances, but they know what they're doing is wrong. They take too much pleasure, too much gratification to stop." Berrill said that only Hoffman could explain why he appeared to stockpile leaves. "It would take talking to him to find out what it means," Berrill said. "[Hoffman's delusions are] very elaborate delusions related to trees, what trees produce, being in and around on trees, putting people in trees."Hoffman was an unemployed tree cutter. Neighbours said that there were only two trees near his home. "He couldn't have possibly got that many leaves from that tree so he had to haul leaves from somewhere. I never saw him raking," neighbour Jeannette Columber said. Neighbor Henderson Butcher described his interactions with Hoffman as friendly."He used to play around the trees around there a lot...throw ropes in trees and had like a hammock on there," Butcher said. Other people said that Henderson （參考前文後理，應該是Hoffman而非Henderson，可能是文章之誤）would shoot squirrels to eat. "He was killing the squirrels because he doesn't grocery shop," neighbour Kara Fowler said. "He would actually kill the squirrels and eat them." Matthew Hoffman's Freezer contained only popsicles and squirrels. The released documents show that police taped hours of graffconversations with Hoffman saying little. It was a bad dream that prompted him to confess. Hoffman told an investigator that he'd had a dream about being at a food processing plant. "Hoffman said he opened a trash bag at the food processing plant and saw cut up body parts and he got a knot in his stomach and it all came back to him," according to the case files. Hoffman asked an investigator to allow him to write the location of the bodies on a piece of paper and then shoot him in a faked escape attempt. When police said they wouldn't agree to his terms, he shut up for two more days before telling police where to find the bodies.The home full of leaves is in foreclosure, according to court records. Wells Fargo Bank initiated the proceedings Jan. 28.Crime scenePicture: Hoffman, 30, is serving a life sentence for three murders and for the kidnapping and rape of the teen.Pict欧米伽小队ure: Pictures of Matthew Hoffman's home reveal a living room stuffed with leaves, a bathroom lined with more than 100 bags of leaves, and a freezer that contained only a couple of red popsicles and two dead squirrels.Picture: A teenage girl held hostage in Hoffman's basement for days was found bound on this makeshift bed of leaves and blankets. (Courtesy of Knox County Prosecutor's Office)Picture: Police found Hermann's 13-year-old daughter in the basement of Hoffman's home. She was bound hand and foot and was confined to a makeshift bed of leaves.Picture: A detective's photo shows the walls in the bathroom of Matthew Hoffman's home in Mount Vernon, covered with plastic bags filled with leaves. Authorities still specul南通地铁ate about the leaves' purpose, but at least one suggests that they might have been meant for use as a fire acceler什么是指标股ant. (Courtesy of Knox County Prosecutor's Office)Picture民教网: Surfaces in Matthew Hoffman's kitchen were covered with doodles, including a giant peace sign on the door.Picture: 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 insideLink | Link | Link | Link