CEDAR RAPIDS — A Hiawatha man accused of torturing and killing 20-year-old Melody Hoffman in February had a photo on his cell phone that showed his face with duct tape over his mouth, a bleeding nose and apparently crying, a police investigator testified Thursday.

Marion Sgt. Thomas Peterson, continuing his testimony on Wednesdaysaid a piece of duct tape with strands of hair was found in the trunk of the car of 23-year-old McKinley Louisma, who is on trial this week in Linn County District Court. The photo, shown to the jury, also appeared to have strands of hair taped to it.

Peterson said Louisma accessed this photo around 4:05 a.m. on February 18. In previous testimony, investigators said Hoffman died around midnight on Feb. 17, based on information from a location app and evidence from health data on her phone, and likely in Morgan Creek Park. west of Cedar Rapids.

Louisma is charged with first degree murder, first degree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit a felony by force. His accused co-conspirator, Dakota Van Patten, 18, of Cedar Rapids, is also charged with kidnapping and killing Hoffman, who lived in Marion. She died by strangulation, according to court documents.

Peterson testified that an analysis of Louisma’s phone showed her Internet search history, which included several items available online at Walmart, such as face masks, ski masks and rubber gloves, after 9:30 p.m. and before 10 p.m., February 17. Morgan Creek Park and Lily Pond in Amana, where Hoffman’s body was found, were also searched on the phone’s maps app.

According to earlier testimony, Hoffman left the residence after 11:00 p.m. that night with Louisma and Van Patten.

The Wi-Fi connection Louisma used on Feb. 17 and 18 was from Van Patten’s hot spot on his phone, Peterson testified.

Louisma’s phone history also showed a selfie of Van Patten taken at 8:01 p.m. Feb. 18 wearing Hoffman’s glasses, with text added to the photo that read, “Anyone around Cedar Rapids got some studs on their noses.” , Peterson said.

Also on Louisma’s phone was a photo that was from Snapchat of another Van Patten selfie, which showed him sitting on a bed, shirtless, wearing Hoffman’s glasses and smoking a pen. This was taken at 21:59, February 18.

Peterson said a Snapchat photo of “5917” typed on a blurred background was found on Van Patten’s phone at 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 17. That was the passcode for Hoffman’s iPhone, he said.

A machete displayed on Walmart websites was deleted from Louisma’s phone around 9:45 a.m. on February 19.

According to testimony, Louisma, Van Patten and Logan Kimpton, also charged in connection with the murder, bought two machetes and covered rubber gloves on Feb. 17 at a Walmart.

In other testimony, Karlee Schneider, a forensic investigator with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, testified about possible DNA found on items found in Louisma’s car. None of the items identified Louisma’s DNA. Several pointed to Hoffman as the major contributor to a DNA profile, and many of the articles had two or three minor contributors—but the samples were insufficient to determine their profile.

Schneider identified numerous tested samples. The blood found on the trunk lid of Louisma’s Honda Accord belonged to Hoffman. Two of the coated rubber gloves indicated a three-person mix, with Hoffman being a major contributor, but no minor contributors identified. And the inside of a glove showed a mix of three individuals, with Van Patten as the main contributor.

The DNA on the back of Hoffman’s T-shirt matched Hoffman’s profile; the blood on a piece of duct tape was a mixture of two individuals, but only Hoffman was identified as a major contributor.

Schneider said blood was found on a paracord, pocket knife and knife handle. It showed a mix of two or three individuals, but only Hoffman’s profile was identified.

The machetes showed no blood, but investigators found a mix of DNA for two individuals, with only Kimpton being identified.

It was a roll of duct tape that tested the blood. The contributors were Hoffman and Van Patten, Schneider testified.

The prosecution will continue its case on Friday. The trial is expected to continue next week.

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