Informants, ranging from juveniles to adults, have long been “the foot soldiers in the government’s war on drugs,” however, at the time of Rachel’s death, there were very few procedures that governed how law enforcement could use informants in their drug cases. One of the suspects later revealed that he intended to hand Rachel a bag of aspirin and run off with the money, but when they found the wire in her purse, they shot her. She suffered from five gunshot wounds to the chest from the firearm she was instructed to buy. Approximately two days later, Rachel’s body was found in a ravine fifty miles from Tallahassee in Perry, Florida. Later that night, police arrived at her boyfriend’s home looking for Rachel, but he was unaware of what happened or where she was. The police lost sight of her and her vehicle, and she was shot and killed by the men. As a result of technical issues with her audio surveillance, she did not hear Ryan state to not follow the men. Rachel spoke to one of the suspects she was on her way to meet over the phone, and he ended up changing the meeting location.

A Drug Enforcement Administration surveillance plane was also going to be overhead for added safety. According to the Tallahassee Democrat, this was the “biggest buy-bust in department memory” and as a result, many law enforcement officers were assigned to the case, including Ryan, the supervisory officer in charge, who was to watch the sale unfold. The plan was she was to meet two men in the parking lot of Forestmeadows Park to buy a firearm, two and a half ounces of cocaine, and fifteen hundred Ecstasy pills. He had her wired and gave her approximately $13,000 in cash to keep in her purse for the interaction. On May 7, 2008, Rachel went to the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) where she met Ryan who explained who she would be meeting and what she would be doing as an informant. He said that she could help herself by providing “substantial assistance” to the city’s narcotics team, leaving her with the impression that doing so could lead to her charges being reduced or dropped entirely. However, Ryan Pender, the head law enforcement officer, offered her a deal. Police seized more than five ounces of marijuana as well as valium and ecstasy pills, leaving Hoffman facing felony charges including possession of cannabis with the intent to sell and maintaining a drug house. Police arrived at her apartment after her neighbors reported smelling marijuana and voiced their suspicion that drugs were being sold from the home. Rachel Hoffman was a 23-year-old Florida State University graduate living in Tallahassee, Florida, with hopes of attending cooking school in Arizona. Criminal Defense, News & Announcements Social Share Rachel’s Background Rachel’s Law & What it Means for Confidential Informants

Confidential informant cases