Fort Lauderdale Man Suspected Of Preying On Gay Men Gets 15 Years

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - A man suspected of preying on gay men, and charged with the March 2001 murder of a Fort Lauderdale warehouse manager, was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison for violating his probation.
Kevin Hoffman, in jail awaiting trial for the killing of Michael Sortal, has been charged with having marijuana in his cell and of falsely accusing a Broward Sheriff's deputy of striking him with a tear-gas can.
Hoffman, already serving probation on an unrelated attempted murder conviction, was sentenced Tuesday by Broward Circuit Judge Susan Lebow to 15 years in prison and 15 years' probation for violating his probation.
Broward prosecutor Howard Scheinberg said Hoffman had a small amount of marijuana in his cell in the spring. The pot was found after jail officials read a letter in which Hoffman complained to a friend that he had a ''doobie but no match.'' Hoffman was also found guilty of falsifying a report that accused a Broward Sheriff's Office sergeant of striking him. Two inmates later said Hoffman tried to bribe them to lie about the incident.
The 29-year-old Hoffman is awaiting trial after being charged with fatally beating Sortal in March 2001.
Police discovered the body of Sortal, 47, a manager at A Advantage Storage Warehouse, in his apartment, with a plastic bag over his head. He had been robbed, beaten and strangled with a belt.
Police arrested Geoffrey Kennedy, 31, and Hoffman, both of Fort Lauderdale. Detectives believed the two men, who were roommates, targeted gay men, robbing them in their homes.
Kennedy was convicted in January 2002 and sentenced to life. After his sentencing, Kennedy agreed to testify against Hoffman. But in February, Kennedy changed his story and said he was alone at the time of the murder. Kennedy's recantation, along with the contaminated DNA evidence, led prosecutors to drop the case. Hoffman was released from jail June 23, 2003.
But after Hoffman's release, new witnesses came forward. Hoffman had told several people about the murder, authorities said, and new DNA evidence placed Hoffman at the scene of the homicide.
Police collected genetic evidence and several prints in the home and, using new technology, detectives were able to recharge Hoffman with Sortal's murder in July 2003.
from The Miami Herald