Boyfriend pleads guilty to murder of Norfolk teacher

NORFOLK

A Virginia Beach man pleaded guilty Wednesday to killing his girlfriend, an English teacher at Booker T. Washington High School.

Frederick T. Hoskins was found guilty of second-degree murder and grand larceny in the March slaying of Karen R. Hoffman. The couple had been dating for about three months, according to court records.

Hoffman, 41, was found stabbed to death in her home in the 8300 block of Chesapeake Blvd. Hoskins, 38, was arrested in Jacksonville, Fla., several days after the slaying. Hoffman's vehicle was also found in Florida, according to police.

Friends and family told Norfolk detectives that Hoffman and Hoskins had dated and had recently discussed marriage, according to a stipulation of facts filed with the court. During dinner with Hoffman and her landlord, Hoskins bragged that he worked for the former defense contractor Blackwater and the CIA as an "operative," court records state, and killed people for a living. Hoskins never worked for either organization, court records state.

A few days later, Hoffman's landlord, who also lived in the house, found his tenant lying on the floor in her bedroom, lifeless and wrapped in a comforter, court records state. An autopsy found about 70 stab and cut wounds across Hoffman's body.

Investigators searched for Hoskins, but he was gone, along with Hoffman's 2005 Dodge Stratus, court records state.

Norfolk police charged Hoskins with car theft and issued a nationwide alert. Law enforcement officers in Jacksonville found Hoskins asleep inside Hoffman's car, parked in a shopping center, according to court records. He was arrested and extradited to Norfolk in May.

Hoffman taught English at Booker T. Washington and coached the school's scholastic bowl team.

Robin Ford, Hoffman's sister, said the teacher cared deeply for her students. Hoffman had taught for 15 years in several different states, her sister said. She felt like she had found a home at Booker T. Washington, Ford said.

The family awarded two scholarships to students from the high school this year to honor Karen Hoffman, Ford said. "We've got to do something positive."

On Wednesday, family members wept as they viewed evidence in the courtroom. Hoskins is scheduled to be sentenced in December.

Louis Hansen, (757) 446-2341, louis.hansen@pilotonline.com