Dakota Van Patten, Cedar Rapids, Iowa man on trial for the murder of Melody Hoffman is alleged to have taken over 200 selfies wearing her glasses within 24 hours of helping his friend murder his girlfriend.
An Iowa teen standing trial for murder for allegedly helping his friend kill his girlfriend is purported to have taken over 200 selfies wearing the victim’s glasses after mercilessly beating and stabbing her before strangling her to death.
Dakota Van Patten, 19, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was arrested on Feb. 21, 2024 and charged with first-degree murder in connection to the death of Melody Hoffman, 20, who was found dead three days earlier, according to an affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.
Iowa man joined his friend to help kill his ‘on and off’ girlfriend
Prosecutors claim that Van Patten helped Hoffman’s on-again-off-again boyfriend, McKinley Louisma, plan and carry out her murder, CBS2 Iowa reports.
In Nov. 2024, Louisma was convicted of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony in connection with Hoffman’s death. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Van Patten was allegedly a passenger in Louisma’s car when he picked up Hoffman at 11 p.m. on Feb. 17, 2024, according to the affidavit.
Louisma told authorities that he and Van Patten bound Hoffman’s wrists with duct tape when they were at Morgan Creek Park, before putting her in the trunk of his car and driving to Lily Lake in Iowa County, the affidavit alleges.
The two allegedly beat her while she begged for them to let her go, the affidavit states, before leaving the 20 year old woman to die at the pond.
Louisma told police he had been in an ‘intimate relationship’ with Hoffman as well as another woman at the time according to the affidavit.
Hoffman was overly trusting and had an ‘intellectual disability,’ according to Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks, who said she was mentally closer to a 14-year-old girl than a 20-year-old woman, the Gazette reported.
On Tuesday in court, Associate State Medical Examiner Dr. Kelly Kruse testified that the main cause of death for Hoffman was strangulation by something other than hands, CBS2 Iowa reports.
Dakota Van Patten is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in the death of 20-year-old Melody Hoffman. #CourtTV What do YOU think? ⚖️ https://t.co/V8NgaK0zRk pic.twitter.com/ppp3ut86Ff
— Court TV (@CourtTV) September 22, 2025
Iowa man alleged to have taken over 200 selfies wearing the victim’s glasses within hours of her slaying
Rope found in Louisma’s car matches paracord found in Van Patten’s house that investigators believe was used to strangle Hoffman, prosecutors allege.
Kruse said Hoffman likely died within minutes of being strangled with a paracord, The Gazette reported.
Hoffman also suffered blunt force injuries to her head, five stab wounds, serrated knife cuts, six cutting wounds to her right hand and various abrasions and bruises on her face, Kruse said, KCRG reported.
Kruse also said that Hoffman may have been pregnant when she was killed, as lab tests came back positive for hormones indicating pregnancy in her body.
Investigators allegedly recovered evidence from Louisma’s car, including a pocketknife with blood stains on it, machetes, a rope, a roll of duct tape, pink HeyDude shoes, and a cut up pink shirt with duct tape wrapped around it, CBS2 Iowa reports.
Photos on Van Patten’s phone allegedly show him wearing what investigators believe are Hoffman’s glasses, which were found in his room.
Van Patten is alleged to have snapped over 200 selfies while wearing Hoffman’s clear-framed glasses between the hours of 2:30 p.m. on Feb 18 and 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 19, 2024.
The selfie-tranche found on Van Patten’s phone included pics of the suspect shirtless in bed, wearing the sweatshirt he is accused of donning the night of the killing, and vaping — all while equipped with the eyewear of the woman he allegedly strangled to death, prosecutors alleged in court.
A witness who saw Van Patten with a machete afterward asked who he killed and he said, ‘Melody,’ the affidavit alleges.
A third suspect, Logan Kimpton, is charged with conspiracy and willful injury in connection with Hoffman’s death. His trial is expected to begin in November.
