Ohio triple-slaying killer wanted to save tree

Published November 20, 2014

Authorities say a central Ohio man who killed three people and stuffed their bodies in a hollow tree made a deal with prosecutors to disclose where they were hidden if they saved the tree.

The Columbus Dispatch reported Friday (http://bit.ly/IRK2BQ ) that 31-year-old Matthew Hoffman made the deal as prosecutors tried to find the bodies of two women and a boy.

Knox County Sheriff David Barber and Detective David Light disclosed the information at an annual victims' assistance conference.

Hoffman was an unemployed tree cutter. He killed the three people in November 2010 and kidnapped a 13-year-old girl after a botched robbery. The girl was found alive.

The tree was in a wildlife area north of Fredericktown. Authorities say they cut it down days after recovering the bodies.

Hoffman pleaded guilty and is serving life in prison without parole.

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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com

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