CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The courtroom fell silent Thursday as forensic evidence, digital trails and images of fractured relationships converged asMcKinley Louisma is on trial, charged with murder. Louisma isaccused of the February murder of 20-year-old Melody Hoffman.

Prosecutors shared more evidence in court Thursday, from DNA profiles and GPS data to social media exchanges and photos. However, Louisma’s DNA has yet to be traced to any of the evidence.

A broken relationship: Facebook messages and horrific photos

The judge ruled that Facebook messages exchanged between Hoffman and Louisma were relevant to show Hoffman’s state of mind leading up to her death.

In one conversation, Hoffman suggested he knew Louisma was in a relationship with another woman named Nikiya Sobovita “I don’t even want to be around you because (because) you do too much,” according to a message from Hoffman in January. 27. Then he blocked Louisma on Facebook.

Other evidence has added gruesome details to what we know about Hoffman’s final moments in life. Sergeant Thomas Peterson presented a photo found on Louisma’s phone that showed Hoffman bound, with duct tape sealing her mouth, her hair tangled in glue and blood on her face. “She looks like she’s crying,” Peterson testified.

Another phone photo of Louisma’s co-defendant, Dakota Van Patten, appeared to show Van Patten wearing Hoffman’s clear glasses. The same glasses would later be found in a search of Van Patten’s home.

DNA and fingerprints: The evidence is mounting

Forensic evidence became a central narrative in the fourth day of testimony, as Karlee Schneider, a forensic scientist with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), gave an account of the DNA findings.

Hoffman’s DNA appeared on numerous items – duct tape, gloves, a machete and paracord – all key evidence linking her to a violent end. Schneider’s testimony revealed complex mixes of DNA on gloves, knives and machetes, each bearing traces of multiple people, including Van Patten, Hoffman and Logan Kimpton, another co-defendant in the case accused of helping procure the weapons before pretending to give up murder. Conspicuously absent, however, was Louisma’s DNA.

One notable discovery involved a pair of Ozark gloves found in Hoffman’s car. The exterior bore Hoffman’s DNA, while the interior included a mixture, suggesting at least three individuals, one of which matched Van Patten’s DNA.

The digital traces also outlined a timeline of Hoffman’s last night. Sergeant Peterson mapped a precise GPS route, starting with Hoffman’s Life360 app recording a round trip from Cherry Hill Park to Morgan Creek Park, where she was allegedly first attacked. Data on Hoffman’s heart rate increasing and then stopping around midnight suggests moments of intense stress and potentially her final breaths.

Hoffman’s body would eventually be found at Lily Lake in Amana, Iowa. To cement the sequence of events, Peterson retraced the steps from the parking lot and pond pavilion to the shore where her body was found, closely mirroring the steps recorded on Louisma’s phone health app.

A forensic puzzle

Among the many items analyzed, the green paracord found in Hoffman’s trunk emerged as significant. “The DNA profile developed from the knot area and adjacent frayed end of the paracord indicated a mixture of two individuals,” Schneider said, identifying Hoffman as the primary contributor but unable to identify secondary DNA. Detectives say the cable was used to strangle Hoffman and may have also been used to tie her up. Investigators found a spool of cord matching the color of the bloody piece of cord found in Louisma’s trunk at Van Patten’s home.

Dash cam footage from Marion Police Officer Aaron Stark added another layer to the timeline. At approximately 1:17 a.m. on February 18, Officer Stark’s patrol vehicle passed Louisma’s car in close proximity to Hoffman’s residence.

Another item of interest was a Snapchat photo on Van Patten’s phone. That photo had “5917” written in large text, a number that matched Hoffman’s phone’s access code.