Adoptee Accused of Murdering Four

“Donald Hoffman came from a good family.

As Hoffman, who is accused of murdering four city residents, and his attorneys, Robert and Rolf Whitney, prepare for his pretrial Monday, one of Hoffman’s relatives, Judy Hoffman, spoke to the Telegraph-Forum this week.

“He had two of the best parents anyone could ask for,” said Judy of Donald’s parents, Pat (Patricia) and Raymond Hoffman.

Judy said Hoffman was adopted as a boy, grew up on the family farm and was a nice kid, until high school.

“That is when he fell in with the wrong crowd and became addicted to drugs. He changed. All the things that go along with drug addiction, he did, such as stealing and lying,” Judy said.

Early years

Judy said Hoffman’s father died in 1999 and things really went downhill after that.

“Donald treated his mother badly and spent her money. She ended up selling the farm, which was located near the county line between Marion and Crawford counties, and moved to a small apartment in Bucyrus,” Judy said.

Records show that Pat, and sometimes Donald, lived at Bucyrus Plaza, the same apartment complex where one of the murder victims, Darrell Lewis, resided.

Pat worked for several years as a Telegraph-Forum newspaper carrier.

“You can ask anyone. Pat was one of the sweetest people ever. She did not deserve the way Donald treated her. I think she gave so much to him and tried to get him straightened out because she loved him and because he was adopted,” Judy said.

Judy said Pat and her husband also adopted a daughter, Betty, who does not live in the area.

Judy said Donald had lived in the city of Marion when he was younger.

Hoffman has a history of criminal activity in Crawford and Marion counties, including felony theft and burglary convictions in 2009 and 2010 in Marion.

Hoffman’s routine

The Telegraph-Forum has learned that Donald lived on a monthly income of around $1,200 he received because of a disability. He had his driver’s license revoked and he was seen frequently around town riding his bicycle.

One person described Hoffman as a loner whose only close friend was one of his victims, Gerald “Smitty” Smith. The two resided in the same apartment building at …

On Sept. 8, Donald Hoffman was indicted and charged with 21 counts, including eight counts of aggravated murder, in the deaths of Billjack Chatman, Jerald Smith, Freelin Hensley and Darrell E. Lewis.

Employees of Smokey’s Tobacco and Brew in Bucyrus waited on Hoffman almost daily.

“He would come in and purchase beer and cigarettes for two of his friends, Billjack Chatman and Jerry Smith. He normally used cash for their purchases but would sometimes use his own card to pay,” said Wendy Meggitt, owner of the business.

One employee said that on Aug. 31 Donald came into the store to purchase items for Chatman.

“He used Billjack’s card, which was unusual but I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I couldn’t get past his face. He had been beat up and his face looked like something from a horror movie. He bought a 30-pack of beer and cigarettes, which I thought was normal because he was clearly having a bad day. He drank with Billjack so it did not seem that unusual that he used Billjack’s card,” the employee said.

A different employee waited on him on Labor Day.

“I was waiting on someone in the drive-thru when he came in and had just been told that Billjack was found beaten to death. I told Donald what I had heard and the blood drained from his face. He left without purchasing anything, which he had done in the past if he was short money, but he always came back. He did not come back that day,” the employee said.

Meggitt said she didn’t think Hoffman would be someone accused of multiple killings.

“You see people that come in to the business on a regular basis and you would never think they are capable of something like this,” Meggitt said.

Since his arrest in early September, Hoffman has been held at the Crawford County Justice Center on a $10 million bond.

“He is being held in the cell block and has the same privileges as other inmates,” said Crawford County Sheriff Scott Kent.

Kent said the inmates get one hour of recreation time outside per day and are allowed out of their cells during the day into a common area where they have access to a telephone, television and shower area.

“He has not been in any trouble in the jail and is eating properly,” Kent said.

Hoffman could face the death penalty, or life in prison, if convicted.

Judy said he should not expect family support during his trial.

“Pretty much everyone in the family washed their hands of him because of the way he treated his mother and how he is accused of these horrible crimes. There will no family members in court to support him that I know of,” Judy said.”

Hoffman ‘fell in with the wrong crowd’[Marion Star 10/5/14 by Kimberly Gasuras]

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