The Girl in the Leaves (19 page)

TWENTY-NINE

Thoughts and Prayers

The first Sunday after the news broke about the discovery of Tina’s, Kody’s and Stephanie’s
bodies was like no other in living memory in Mount Vernon. All the local churches
addressed the news in one manner or another.

At the Trinity Worship Center, which Sarah Maynard had attended with a friend only
weeks before the crimes, Reverend Donald Matolyak told a reporter before the service,
“What do you say to people, in the midst of what’s perhaps the most terrible evil
that’s been perpetrated in this community? I want to present a picture of hope.”

During his address to the congregation, Reverend Matolyak declared that Matthew Hoffman
was just one person, and they did not have to live in fear. He pointed out how the
community had embraced the victims while they were still “missing” and volunteered
in droves to find them. “Into the darkness we shine. Out of the ashes we rise.” Matolyak
even asked the congregation to pray for the “forgotten victims”—Matthew Hoffman’s
family members—reminding people that they were not part of what Hoffman had done.

Brenda Renshaw, who was a member of the church and knew Sarah, related, “For young
people, we want them to believe that God loves all of us, even if that’s hard to believe
at a time like this. It’s going to take a long while, but it’s going to get back to
where we feel normal like before.”

* * *

Late on Monday, November 22, a fire was reported on the deck of the house on King
Beach Drive where Tina, Kody and Stephanie had been killed. A fire crew was sent and
they easily put out the fire, but just who was responsible for starting it or why
it had been set was not apparent. Some people in the community thought that it was
a message to Greg Borders not to move back into the house. Others thought that someone
wanted the house to burn down to erase the memory of what had happened there.

The next day, November 23, an investigation into the fire was begun. On that same
day, Matthew Hoffman and his attorneys waived the scheduled court hearing. And the
families of Tina Herrmann, Kody Maynard and Stephanie Sprang were receiving friends
and family at public visitations, with private funerals to follow the next day.

* * *

That Tuesday at Flowers-Snyder Funeral Home up in Mount Vernon, people were saying
good-bye to Stephanie Sprang. Stephanie’s mother, Pat Cullins, had written a statement
to the community at large. It read, “I want to thank everyone who has been supporting
our family at this time of crisis. It makes you realize how many caring people there
are in such a wicked world. It makes me proud to say I live in Mount Vernon because
the community support has amazed me.

“I wish I could thank everyone personally, but I just know I am talking to each one
of you when I express my deepest thanks to each of you. I know that Stephanie thanks
you all. I want to also thank the Sheriff, FBI and all Law Enforcement who worked
long and hard to find my daughter, at times with little sleep. You have my sincere
thanks.”

Cars were parked for blocks around the funeral home. Inside, a photo montage documenting
Stephanie’s forty-one-year life was projected on a screen, the photos fading in and
out. There were photos of Stephanie as a young girl—as a toddler in a winter coat,
a little girl in a frilly dress, a teenager nearing high school graduation—and later
photos, depicting her in a long white wedding gown, or with family members around
a Christmas tree. There was also a large memorial photo of Stephanie, with her portrait
on the right side of the frame, and a lighthouse on an oceanside cliff on the left.
Below it were the words, “In Loving Memory Stephanie L. Sprang. Born on Saturday,
November 1, 1969. Died on Wednesday, November 10, 2010.”

A poem titled “Tomorrow” was printed on handouts distributed during the visiting hours.
The poem expressed that when a person woke up in the mornings and began crying, Stephanie
wished that the person wouldn’t do so. She wanted to let the person know that she
knew they loved her, and she loved them as well. She also wanted them to know that
whenever that person thought of her, she wasn’t far away at all, but right there in
their heart.

Sheriff David Barber paid his respects and attended the memorial service, as did many
friends and members of the community, including Randall Alcie, who knew Stephanie
from frequent karaoke nights. Randall told a reporter that Stephanie was a good singer
who especially liked rock and party songs, and that “she was always smiling. Always
having a good time. I never saw her down. She was a character, a real character. Full
of life and enjoyed living.”

Another person who attended the memorial said, “She was a beautiful person inside
and out. It’s unreal that somebody could do something like this to her, to a family.
A whole community is hurting and pulling together.”

Other friends showed up from the golf course where Stephanie had once worked. Shannon
Beheler, who had been one of Stephanie’s golfing partners, said, “Her laugh was unmistakable.
Just loud and always full of joy. You always knew what hole she was on because you
could hear that laugh.”

* * *

Also on Tuesday, November 23, 2010, public visiting hours were held for Tina Herrmann
and Kody Maynard at the Peace Lutheran Church in Gahanna, about forty miles from Apple
Valley. Lines of mourners entered the sanctuary. Incredibly, Sarah Maynard was there,
surrounded by family, greeting one person after another, including Sheriff David Barber.
As the
Mount Vernon News
noted, “No child should have to say goodbye to her mother and her brother in the same
day. But that’s what Sarah did, just nine days after she was freed and brought home
to other family members.”

A longtime friend related later about the Herrmann and Maynard families, “They’re
surrounded by family and they’re doing the best that they can. I’m sure tomorrow at
the funeral it’s going to be a lot worse, but they’re keeping their heads up.”

Larry recalled, “I was in a daze most of the time. It didn’t seem real. It was like
this was all a bad dream and I’d wake up at some later time. All I could think about
was Kody and Tina.”

In a written statement at the memorial, Larry expressed, “We wish to take a moment
to thank the nation for the outpouring of love, prayers and support that you all continue
to provide. To the residents of Knox County who grieve with us as well, we would like
to share that all of you who were touched by this tragedy, whether directly or indirectly,
are in our hearts and prayers.”

There was also soon a statement to the media: “Tina Rose Herrmann, age 32, and Kody
Alexander Maynard, age 11, were unfortunately taken away from us on Wednesday, November
10, 2010. Tina was a courageous and energetic woman whose greatest joy in life was
being a mother. She worked at Dairy Queen in Mount Vernon and had the ability to connect
with some of the simpler things in life, like blooming sunflowers or her dolphin collection.
Her beloved son, Kody, a gentle child with an enormous heart, was a 5th grader at
East Knox School. He enjoyed all sports, especially baseball.

“Tina and Kody will be missed by many loving friends and family,” the statement continued,
giving a long list of family members and friends and then ending with: “In lieu of
flowers, contributions may be made at any Fifth Third Bank to the Sarah Maynard Benefit
Fund. The Herrmann and Maynard families would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you
to all those in the community who reached out in love and concern during this very
difficult time.”

Despite the request for no flowers, there were mounds of blooms at the visitation;
the two closed caskets were surrounded by them. Friends walked out of the church with
sunflowers, Tina’s favorite flower, and paper baseballs inscribed with Kody’s name,
birth date and death date. Well-wishers could write their thoughts directly onto the
baseballs.

Dee Hall, whose grandson had attended school with Kody, said, “It’s part of the healing
process for this community. We don’t experience stuff like this every day here. I’d
like to believe that something this horrific has brought the community closer together.”

Valerie Haythorn, the Dairy Queen manager where Tina had worked, and who had been
the first person not only to report Tina missing but also to see the interior of the
house and call the police, closed the restaurant for the day so that all employees
could go to Gahana for the visiting hours.

Eleven-year-old Keisha whose mother was a coworker of Tina’s, told a reporter, “I
wrote [on the baseball], ‘We miss you, and will always miss you.’” And Keisha’s mother,
Teresa said, “When I pull in to work, I expect to find [Tina’s] truck there. She was
a joker and full of life. Sarah was being very, very strong. I couldn’t imagine being
that strong. She would flick rubber bands at work and sing ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane.’
It’s like a really bad nightmare that I haven’t woken up from. We don’t understand
why something like this happened. It just doesn’t make sense.”

Friends also signed an online guestbook in remembrance of Tina and Kody. One person
wrote, “As the holidays approach, I will keep you Sarah, and your dad Larry in my
thoughts and prayers. Just remember that your mom and brother will be with you always
when you look up in the sky.”

Another person wrote, “Just sending you love and support in this very difficult time.
I am forever changed and want you to know that you will be in my thoughts and prayers
for the rest of my life.”

All around Apple Valley, purple ribbons hung from mailboxes and light posts. At the
home where Tina and the kids had lived on King Beach Drive, the memorial around the
tree in the front yard kept growing and growing. It contained purple balloons, white
crosses, stuffed animals, candles and a wind chime. A handwritten note on the tree
proclaimed, “Watch over the Maynard Family.”

THIRTY

The Grand Jury

Even though Matthew Hoffman had signed a confession, the investigators were not through
gathering evidence against him. He and his attorneys had waived his scheduled court
hearing, but Hoffman still awaited sentencing, and both the investigators and Knox
County District Attorney’s Office wanted as much physical evidence as possible to
support the case against him.

Another search warrant was requested for Hoffman’s residence on Columbus Road, which
stated the desire “to enter and search the residence and any outbuildings for certain
evidence and trace evidence including shoes, blood evidence and stolen property.”
Judge Paul Spurgeon signed the request at 9:06
AM
on November 24, 2010.

From this second search came an array of new items seized from Hoffman’s house, including
a set of fifteen golf clubs and bag, a metal jewelry box, a signed baseball, an Ohio
State football and a flash drive. The items also included two chain saws, a bow, a
green bag containing gas can and oil can tools, a blue plastic tub and items that
had been burned and melted in a backyard fire pit. The investigators believed that
some items were stolen from houses other than Tina’s house, and other items came from
her house on King Beach Drive.

Detective Craig Feeney went with a helicopter pilot of the Ohio State Highway Patrol
and took aerial photos of the scene where the three bodies had been found in the hollow
tree. These area photos were taken to KCSO as part of the evidence.

The actual charges against Matthew Hoffman now comprised ten felony counts: the aggravated
murders of Tina Hoffman, Stephanie Sprang and Kody Maynard (“aggravated” because the
murders had occurred while engaged in a burglary); the aggravated burglary of Tina
Herrmann’s residence; the kidnapping and sexual assault on Sarah Maynard; tampering
with evidence; and three charges concerning the abuse of corpses.

The prosecution was doing everything possible to make sure that all the charges would
be factored in by a judge at sentencing. BCI&I sent a report to the Ohio Attorney
General’s Office detailing all of the items and DNA evidence they had collected. There
were fifty items submitted by Detective David Light, ranging from the duct tape and
ropes used to bind Sarah, to the blanket she had been sleeping on in Hoffman’s basement.
They also contained Sarah’s clothing collected at the hospital, a leather sap, a SOG
brand knife, and two pairs of Hoffman’s boots and shoes from his residence.

Items recovered from Tina Herrmann’s home included a pair of cloth gloves Hoffman
had used, and numerous swabs containing blood samples as well as swatches of blood-soaked
carpet.

As far as DNA evidence went, there were samples from Tina, Kody and Stephanie. There
was also a sexual molestation kit pertaining to Sarah. Prosecuting Attorney John Thatcher
compiled a lengthy potential witness list and submitted it to Judge Spurgeon. For
KCSO, the list contained the names of Detective David Light, Sheriff David Barber,
Lieutenant Gary Rohler, Detective Sergeant Roger Brown, Captain David Shaffer, Detective
Tom Durbin, Detective Doug Turpen and Deputy Charles Statler. From BCI&I there were
Special Agents Joe Dietz, Ed Lulla, Ed Carlini, Daniel Winterich, Gary Wilgus, Mark
Kollar and George Staley. Forensic scientist Brenda Gerardi was listed, as well as
FBI Special Agent Kristin Cadieux. From the Mount Vernon Police Department there were
Sergeant Troy Glazier and Detective Craig Feeney. Dr. Jennifer Ogle of the Knox County
Coroner’s Office was listed as was Dr. Jeffrey Lee of the Licking County Coroner’s
Office. As far as civilians went, there was Valerie Haythorn, Tina’s friend and manager
at Dairy Queen, and Sarah Maynard.

For his part, Hoffman’s public defender Bruce Malek felt “there is no need for a preliminary
hearing in this case. Under these circumstances, we don’t feel that he [Prosecutor
Thatcher] has any reason to go forward with a hearing.” The defense reasoning was
that Hoffman had already confessed to his crimes and written out a statement.

Malek, moving in a different direction, added that Hoffman had recently been taken
off a suicide watch and that “he’s doing about as well as someone could be expected,
who has just come off a suicide watch. He has not been released into the general population
at the jail.” The reason for that was the concern that some inmates would be more
than happy to inflict “jailhouse justice” upon Hoffman.

Victim Assistant Director Diana Oswalt from the Knox County Prosecutor’s Office was
keeping in constant contact with Sarah and Larry Maynard, willing to provide counseling
or simply to listen. Her office stated that the mission of the Victim Assistance Program
was “to provide crime victims with information and emotional support necessary to
make their way through the process of seeking justice.” Oswalt said of her job, “Mostly
I would just listen to victims, about their concerns. Some want to talk a lot, and
others are very quiet. Either way is all right. People deal with the situation they
were in, in their own way.”

The other important aspect of Oswalt’s job was to let Sarah and Larry know what they
could expect from the upcoming case against Matthew Hoffman as it went through the
judicial system; as its mission statement stated, the Victim Assistance Program sought
to “ensure that the victim’s rights are enforced and protected by making every effort
to personally and promptly inform the victims about charges filed, hearings scheduled,
the outcomes of those hearings, and dealing with the aftermath of those procedures
to move forward with their lives.”

Oswalt also let the Maynards know that they had a right to the reasonable return of
property that was stolen, the right to communicate with the prosecutor and the right
to freedom from intimidation. They also had the right to make a statement at sentencing
and the right to receive information about the perpetrator after sentencing. There
was even a schematic illustrating at which proceedings Sarah might be called upon
to testify; these included the preliminary hearing or grand jury setting, and the
actual trial. In Sarah’s case, the prosecution was going the grand jury route, which
would bar the news media from attending the proceedings.

On days when Sarah would not be called to testify, Oswalt could attend the proceedings
and inform Sarah and Larry afterward of what had occurred; this would save the Maynards
from having to appear personally in court, where they would undoubtedly be besieged
by reporters. Neither Sarah nor Larry wanted to be in the limelight. As much as possible,
they were trying to reconstruct normal lives, especially for Sarah.

* * *

The actual grand jury indictment of Matthew Hoffman didn’t come until after the new
year, on January 3, 2011. Part of the document read, “The indictment alleges that
Hoffman purposely caused the deaths of Tina R Herrmann, Ms. Herrmann’s son Kody Maynard,
and her neighbor Stephanie Sprang on November 10, 2010. He committed the murders while
he was committing the offense of Aggravated Burglary in Herrmann’s residence.”

Prosecutor John Thatcher said that he had called the special session of the grand
jury because of the seriousness of the crimes. Grand juries in Knox County usually
met only once a month, but this situation had demanded a response far beyond the routine.
Thatcher added that the grand jurors listened to six hours of testimony before coming
back with the indictment. In essence this grand jury hearing was Matthew Hoffman’s
trial pertaining to guilt, not sentencing, which would come later. The grand jurors
returned a bill of indictment that found Hoffman guilty of all charges. John Thatcher
wanted to make sure that all the i’s were dotted and all the t’s crossed in the legal
proceedings.

Most family members were waiting until actual sentencing to speak to the press, though
Stephanie Sprang’s father, Steve Thompson, did make a short statement after the indictment,
saying simply, “We don’t want to say anything that might affect the outcome of the
arraignment. We want to see Hoffman get everything he deserves.”