Vicki Hoffman, a 33-year-old single mother from Tallahassee, FL, was tragically killed on August 28, 2016. Hoffman, who was of Caucasian descent, was shot multiple times with a semi-automatic handgun at her apartment in north Tallahassee. The incident occurred shortly before 9 p.m. on a Sunday night. Her 10-year-old son made the 911 call, alerting officers to the scene. Despite being rushed to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, Hoffman succumbed to her injuries the following morning.
The news of her death deeply affected her friends, neighbors, and the community at the Plantations at Pine Lake apartment complex.
The investigation into Hoffman's death revealed that she had been arguing with her roommate, Steve G. Lincoln, moments before the shooting. Lincoln, who was 63 years old at the time, was apprehended three days later in southern Michigan by U.S. Marshals. Hoffman's son provided crucial information to the investigators, stating that Lincoln and his mother were arguing before the shooting. Hoffman, while going in and out of consciousness, was able to identify Lincoln as the shooter to the officers. The Tallahassee Police Department found three spent shell casings in the kitchen of the apartment, and a firearm located in Lincoln's vehicle matched the shell casings and projectiles recovered from Hoffman's body during surgery and autopsy.
Lincoln was charged with first-degree murder and testified in his own defense, claiming that Hoffman had threatened him and that he shot her in self-defense. However, his testimony conflicted with the physical evidence and witness statements. A Leon County jury convicted Lincoln after a two-day trial, and he was sentenced to life in prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Savannah Jacobs, with Senior Circuit Judge William Gary presiding. Hoffman's death left her son, who was a student at Gilchrist Elementary School, to be cared for by family members, as he faced life without his devoted mother.
