Who murdered Jarl Hoffman in 1976?
In a quiet home in Colorado City, a tragic story unfolded involving a 76-year-old woman named LaVonne Hoff. On February 3, 2025, deputies responded to a call about an unconscious woman and arrived to a distressing scene. Inside the residence on Jefferson Boulevard, they found LaVonne Hoff unresponsive, with a number of dogs running loose throughout the house. Despite the efforts of first responders, she was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy would later confirm that her death was the result of a dog attack.
The investigation into her death brought to light a situation of severe neglect. Authorities discovered that LaVonne, who suffered from dementia and required constant care, had been left alone that day. Her daughter, 47-year-old Jessica Hoff, with whom she lived, had gone to run errands in Pueblo, some distance away. It was during this time that the fatal attack by the dogs occurred. The home was not just a residence but also housed a large number of animals. In addition to the dogs found loose, deputies discovered approximately two dozen other dogs and seven birds in cages.
As the investigation deepened, a second property owned by Jessica Hoff was searched, revealing the full extent of the animal hoarding situation. A total of 54 dogs and seven birds were found to be in her possession between the two locations. The animals were discovered living in unsanitary conditions, and many of them were in poor health. Consequently, all the animals were seized by Animal Law Enforcement. Following the investigation, Jessica Hoff was arrested and faced serious charges, including criminal negligence resulting in the death of an at-risk adult and 54 counts of aggravated cruelty to animals. She was subsequently booked into the Pueblo County Jail.
