Ricky (4:09)

She also had big ideas. She originally planned to go into counseling. Then she started thinking differently. She told her dad she wanted to apply to culinary school to combine both food and therapy. She imagined working with kids who hated sitting on the couch and talking about their feelings. And she thought, well, maybe these kids would want to open up if they were baking cakes or making spaghetti.

Ashley (4:35)

And that's an amazing idea. And that right there really paints the picture of who she was as a person. She was always thinking of ways to help people that felt genuine. Her mother, Margie once joked that Rachel was conceived on a windjammer sailboat during her tropical honeymoon in the Caribbean, like one of those big pirate like sailboats. Margie later shared photographs from that trip. Ones that showed sun soaked, carefree people wrapped in each other's arms, blissfully in love. But this chapter didn't last. Within a year and a half of Rachel's birth, Margie and her husband Irv separated. It seems like they had their differences. Margie was more of a free spirit. She wore long flowing skirts, burned sage smudge sticks in the living room and believed in intuition and energy. While Irv, on the other hand, was what Margie described as a straight arrow. He was the son of Hungarian, Czech Holocaust survivors and and he valued structure, routine and stability. Together they represented two very different ways of moving through the world.

Ricky (5:38)

Growing up between those two worlds made Margie wonder if it took a toll on Rachel, whether that constant shift between freedom and structure shaped how she coped as she got older.

Ashley (5:49)

By the end of high school, Rachel had been voted party animal of her senior class. It was meant to be funny, but for her parents, it came with real anxiety as she prepared to leave home and attend Florida State. Before Irv drove Rachel to college, Margie left Rachel a five page letter on the kitchen counter. And it was equal parts of reassurance and humor with her writing that if Rachel was ever lonely or bored or just missed her wonderful mother, the phone was just a few feet away. She promised Rachel would be just fine. During her time at fsu, Rachel was building towards the future she had always imagined. She earned admissions to a master's degree program in mental health counseling and submitting an application essay that reflected both her empathy and her family history. And in it, she wrote about her grandparents who witnessed the murder of their family and who were severely and emotionally scarred. She wrote about how their experiences taught her the importance of family, hard work and survival. It was deeply personal and it showed how seriously she took the idea of helping others heal.

Ricky (6:56)

At the same time, Rachel was living very much like a college student. She smoked marijuana, something that many of her friends knew about. And she sold it occasionally in small quantities to people that she knew. And this is where things started to snowball, because a single encounter with police ended up defining everything that came next.

Ashley (7:20)

On February 27, 2007, Rachel was pulled over for speeding. And during the traffic stop, police found an ounce of marijuana in her car. As a result, Rachel was required to enter a drug misuse rehabilitation program, which included strict conditions and periodic drug testing. A year later, In March of 2008, Rachel missed one of those required drug tests. She had traveled out of Tallahassee to attend a funeral, something she didn't think would derail her life. But that missing test counted as a violation. So in early April of 2008, Rachel spent a weekend in jail for failing to appear. By this point, Rachel was still dreaming about graduate school, about counseling, about helping people find healthier paths forward. She had no way of knowing that these minor charges and the pressure surrounding them were leading to something bigger. In May, police arrived at Rachel's apartment after neighbors reported smelling marijuana and suspected that drugs were being sold from her home. And when the officers searched the apartment, they seized about 5 ounces of marijuana along with Valium and Ecstasy pills. The amount of marijuana was far beyond what the law considered personal possession at the time. And the volume in ecstasy pills, even in small quantities, significantly escalate drug charges. Legally, that combination put Rachel in serious jeopardy, regardless of how she actually used or shared those substances. So Rachel was Now facing felony charges, including possession of cannabis with intent to sell and maintaining a drug house. Charges like that carried the possibility of prison time. And for someone who had been accepted into a master's program and dreamed of working in mental health, that was devastating.

Ricky (9:07)

Law enforcement had leverage. According to court records and later reporting, Ryan Pender, the senior officer with the Tallahassee Police Department, offered Rachel what was presented as a way out. He told her that she could help herself by providing what he called substantial assistance to. To the city's narcotics team. So in other words, cooperate, and her charges could be reduced or dropped entirely.

Ashley (9:34)

Yeah, and substantial assistance can mean a lot of things, especially to someone who's scared, young, and desperate to protect her future. It seems like Rachel could have been left with the impression that if she did what they asked, this nightmare could just go away. There was no formal immunity agreement or clear boundaries, but Rachel agreed. So, at first, Rachel's work as a confidential informant appeared to go exactly the way police had led her to believe that it would. Her early assignments were described as smooth sailing. With undercover officers nearby as backup, Rachel made controlled buys from low level dealers, and those individuals were quickly arrested. Her boyfriend at the time, Ben Reeves, later said that police gave Rachel very specific expectations. They told her and if she got guns and bad drugs off the street, she would only have to do one or two stings. So she was supposed to do these busts and get off scot free of her charges. But that promise was shifting.

Ricky (10:37)

Now, according to a deposition from one of Rachel's friends, law enforcement made it clear that small marijuana cases wouldn't be enough to work off her felony charges. Instead, they wanted high value targets like large quantities of heroin, cocaine, crack, ecstasy, and guns. And those things are so much different than the things that she was actually in trouble for.

Ashley (11:01)

And that's a lot of pressure for someone who had such big plans and goals for her future and doesn't even align with what she's familiar with as far as substances. But surely Rachel wanted to do everything she could to get these charges to go away. And she already had a connection. A fellow Florida State University student told her about a man. He had been seen dealing drugs at a car detailing shop near campus. And he only knew him as Dre, but he believed that he might have access to Ecstasy and cocaine, possibly more. Rachel had recently had her Volvo serviced at the same shop, and Dre had even joked with her about the strong smell of marijuana in the car. Soon after, Rachel was wired with a recording device and sent back to the shop. So using her friend's connection, she reached out not to Dre directly, but to his brother in law, Donello Bradshaw. Rachel requested a stash of cocaine, 1500 ecstasy pills, and in her own words, a small and pretty handgun. She told Bradshaw the drugs were for friends visiting from Miami. And when it came to the gun, she tried to keep it light, even joking as police were listening in through the wire.

Ricky (12:15)

But this request was massive and risky. But police encouraged Rachel to carry out this task, negotiating a major drug and arms transaction. And this was supposed to be her last one.

Ashley (12:35)

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Ashley (15:50)

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Ashley (16:00)

50% off regular price for new customers. Upfront payment required $45 for 3 months, $90 for 6 months or $180 for a 12 month plan. Taxes and fees. Extra speeds may slow after 50 gigabytes per month when network is busy. See terms On May 7th of 2008, Rachel reported to the Tallahassee Police Department for what she had been led to believe would be one of her last assignments inside the department. She met with Ryan Pender, who walked her through the details of the operation, like who she would be meeting, what she would be buying and how the exchange was supposed to go. Rachel was wired with a recording device and given approximately $13,000 in cash, which officers instructed her to carry in her purse during the interaction. And the plan was for her to meet two men in the parking lot of Forest Meadows park and purchased a firearm, two and a half ounces of cocaine and 1,500 ecstasy pills. The targets were identified as Danello R. Bradshaw, who was 23, and Andrea Dre Jabber Green, who was 25, and both of them were described in later reporting as known drug dealers.

Ricky (17:12)

According to local news sources, this was the biggest buy bust in department memory and because of that, 18 law enforcement officers were assigned to the oper and Ryan Pender was tasked with overseeing the deal as it unfolded and police.

Ashley (17:28)

They also arranged for additional surveillance from above. A drug enforcement administration plane was scheduled to circle overhead, providing aerial support and monitoring the scene. It seemed like Rachel would be closely watched and supported. But from the outset, the operation did not go as planned. The original meeting location had already been changed twice earlier that day, and by around 6:40pm Rachel was driving north on Meridian Road. Her destination was Forest Meadows park. And as she drove past the Georgia peach stands and Tupelo honey vendors, Rachel sent a text message to her boyfriend, asking him to wish her luck. Her boyfriend replied telling her to call him to let him know what happened. And she responded saying, it's about to go down. And as Rachel drove, she stayed in contact with one of the men that she was supposed to meet. But the plan continued to shift. The meeting location was changed again, first to a plant nursery and then to Gardner Road, A quiet dead end street in north Tallahassee. And when Rachel called officer Pender to report, the suspects had chosen yet another new location, According to him, he warned her that following them was unsafe and not to go to the new location. But after this interaction, the call unexpectedly dropped. And to this day, Pender doesn't know what happened next. After that, Rachel Hoffman vanished as officers lost track of her vehicle and access to her wire.

Ricky (19:03)

Now, apparently the first thought from officers was that Rachel decided to go rogue, taking off with either the money they had given her or the drugs she would buy from the suspects. But to me, if 18 officers were supporting Rachel and a DEA aircraft was flying overhead, the fact that they lost her is just insane to me.

Ashley (19:24)

I know, right? But according to them, that's what happened. So they began searching for Rachel, but they had lost all signs of her. Later that night, police went to Rachel's boyfriend's home looking for her, who was confused and alarmed. He hadn't heard from Rachel since her last text, and he had no idea where she was or what happened. As the hours passed, Rachel's parents began to feel the same dread that so many families described in the earliest moments of a disappearance. That sinking sense that something was wrong. At around 2:30am Margie received a phone call at her home in suburban Safety harbor, where a police officer simply told her that her. Her daughter was missing. A few miles away in Palm Harbor, Irv received a similar call asking whether he'd heard from Rachel or knew where she might be.

Ricky (20:14)

What police did not tell either of them was that she was just part of a failed drug sting or mentioned that Rachel had been Working as a confidential informant, Margie and Irv had no idea that she had been following suspected drug dealers into a dead end street that evening. So they were completely in the dark here.

Ashley (20:35)

Exactly. So later that morning, the Tallahassee Police Department called again, urging both parents to come to Tallahassee immediately. Rachel still hadn't been found. And within the hour, Margie and Irv were driving in separate cars racing toward Tallahassee. Their rabbi, Gary Klein, followed closely behind them to support. And when Rachel's parents arrived at the Tallahassee Police Department headquarters, something immediately felt off to them as they weren't taken to the missing person's unit, but the narcotics unit. And inside, they met with Police Chief Dennis Jones, who repeated that Rachel was missing. A victim's advocate had already warned them that there was a possibility that Rachel wouldn't be found alive. But Chief Jones assured them that an aggressive search was underway to locate their daughter. Then he instructed them to go to Rachel's apartment and just wait there, wait for more updates. So in other words, they'll get ahold of them when there's an update.

Ricky (21:34)

And according to reports here, there's still no mention of the sting or what was going on prior to her disappearance. So I can't even imagine what they were thinking in that moment.

Ashley (21:45)

Right. And Margie and Irv, they went straight to Rachel's apartment as they were told, which was filled with scented candles and posters on the wall of John Lennon and Johnny Depp. They sat down, they turned the TV on, scanning the news for updates on her case. And that's when they learned the truth. According to a report by the New Yorker, they heard on the TV that Rachel had provided assistance during a police operation the day before and that authorities suspected foul play in her disappearance. A departmental release named two suspects, Andrea Green and Donello Bradshaw.

Ricky (22:23)

Imagine finding out that your daughter was involved in a dangerous police operation from the evening news and not the police that you just finished talking to. Like, what the hell?

Ashley (22:35)

I don't even know what they were feeling at this point. You think that the police would tell them directly what was happening? The reports continued saying that Rachel's silver Volvo had been found abandoned in Perry, nearly 50 miles east of Tallahassee. The car was empty, parked beneath a tree outside the welding shop with no sign of Rachel. And the reports continued saying that Rachel's silver Volvo had been found abandoned in Perry, nearly 50 miles east of Tallahassee. The car was empty. It was parked beneath a tree outside of a welding shop with no sign of Rachel. Rachel's phone had been discarded along the roadside, which Irv reported gave him an immediate, dark, ugly feeling. He thought about how he gave that phone to her as a gift, and he knew that someone would have to pry it away from her to get it. He knew something had gone terribly wrong by that point. The reality was impossible to avoid, that Rachel hadn't simply disappeared. Her car was abandoned, her phone was gone, and police were openly stating that foul play was likely involved. Just after dawn the next morning, Margie and her husband, Mike Wise, who had arrived overnight to be with her for support, drove out to grab some coffee and bagels. As they waited to be updated, Margie was standing alone in a parking lot of a grocery store when she got a phone call from Irv Hoffman. He told her that she needed to come back to the apartment.

Ricky (23:59)

She said later that she knew immediately that Rachel had been found. So she ran back into the store, frantically searching the aisles for Mike, screaming to the cashier, to strangers, to anyone who would listen, asking for her husband, saying, my daughter was just murdered, and.

Ashley (24:18)

This is so chilling. She knew. I can't even imagine what kind of feeling that is. It's every parent's worst nightmare. Back at Rachel's apartment, their rabbi, Gary Klein, confirmed what Margie already knew, that Rachel's body had been found. She was lying in a dry creek bed near Cabbage Grove Road outside of Perry. She had been shot multiple times, five gunshot wounds to her chest and head. Rachel was just 23 years old. And later that morning, journalists. They gathered in a forest clearing near where Rachel's body was still laying as the Tallahassee Police Department held a press conference. By then, the two suspects, Andrea Jabber Green and Donello Bradshaw, had been apprehended. And at around 6:30am they led police to Rachel's body.

Ricky (25:06)

And even though they had already arrested her attackers, Officer David McCraney made a statement before the cameras that haunted Rachel's family for years. He said that they had established protocols to ensure Rachel's safety and that at some point during the investigation, Rachel chose not to follow those instructions. McCraney said that she met Greene and Bradshaw on her own, and the meeting ultimately resulted in her murder.

Ashley (25:36)

And if we go back to what happened, we know that at some point during the operation, police lost sight of Rachel and of her vehicle. With the aircraft flying overhead and 18 officers on backup, the surveillance that was supposed to keep her safe had failed. Rachel was shot and killed by the two men she had been sent to meet. And according to the Hoffman family's Attorney. The situation escalated the moment the suspects discovered Rachel's wire. Once it was found, one of them went into a rage and shot her with the same gun she had been sent to buy. By the time police finally arrived at that location, which, remember, Rachel had called to tell them that location before she went there, the only thing that was left behind was a single flip flop.

Ricky (26:21)

Right, and that's another thing that doesn't make sense here. If Rachel wanted to disregard the instructions and run off, she probably wouldn't have called to inform officers of the updated location that she got from the suspects. It just honestly doesn't make any sense to me.

Ashley (26:39)

Yeah, that's a good point. And during the initial investigation, Officers recovered a spent.25 caliber shell casing, live rounds, cigarette butts, and one of Rachel's flip flops that we mentioned. And this is the only physical trace left behind after police lost visual contact with her. They also examined Rachel's abandoned silver Volvo and her discarded phone. They identified the suspects quickly through surveillance footage, phone records and communications tied directly to the sting operation. And both the men were convicted felons and had been recently fired from a car detailing job, which matched with their earlier intelligence gathered during the sting operation.

Ricky (27:18)

Both provided information that confirmed where Rachel's body and vehicle had been disposed of. One of them also revealed that the original plan wasn't even to sell her drugs or a gun. He admitted that they intended to hand Rachel a bag of aspirin and run off with the money. But when they searched her purse and found the recording device, everything changed. Rachel didn't die because she made a reckless choice. She died because the safeguards that were promised to her collapsed when she needed them. So the question now wasn't who killed Rachel. It was who was responsible for putting her in harm's way in the first place.

Ashley (28:00)

In the Tallahassee Police Department, they wanted to make it very clear that they were not responsible. Rachel's parents, they sat in her apartment. They watched the news coverage unfold on television. In the hours and days after Rachel's murder, police statements and front page headlines began to frame their daughter as a villain. Irv said it felt like Rachel was being rewritten in real time from a bright, compassionate young woman into a horrible drug dealing monster. Rachel's friends started coming by the apartment, and many of them later said that the media coverage shocked them almost as much as Rachel's death itself.

Ricky (28:37)

One of her childhood friends even said that she was devastated by it, saying that the first story she saw on the news tried to paint Rachel as a low life druggie and died dealer, not someone who had just graduated with a bachelor's degree and who had dreams of being a counselor.

Ashley (28:54)

Two months later, that framing was reinforced on national television. During a segment on ABC News. Correspondent Brian Ross interviewed Police Chief Dennis Jones, who called Rachel a criminal and said that it was his job to find criminals and take them off the street. When asked about the department's accountability in what happened, Jones doubled down, saying that in the question of if the police department felt responsible, they're responsible for the safety of the community. So to him, Rachel was the problem. New Year, new me. Cute. But how about New Year, new Money? With Experian, you can actually take control of your finances. Check your FICO score, find ways to save and get matched with credit card offers, giving you time to power through those New Year's goals. You know you're going to crush start the year off right. Download the Experian App based on FICO Score 8 model offers an approval not guaranteed. Eligibility requirements and terms apply subject to credit check which may impact your credit scores. Offers not available in all states. See experian.com for details. Experian I'm Mandy. And I'm Melissa. And this is Moms and Mysteries. We're two Florida moms obsessed with true crime. From infamous cases like Ellen Greenberg to shocking Florida stories like the Dan Markell killing. 55 million downloads. We bring you new deep dives every Tuesday and Thursday. Listen to Moms and Mysteries on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Oh please, not that music. That music gives me nightmares from my childhood.

Ricky (30:24)

Could we get something a little bit lighter? Some lighter music here?

Ashley (30:28)

Are you a fan of true crime TV shows?

Ricky (30:31)

And what about Unsolved Mysteries, the show that jump started all of our love of true crime?

Ashley (30:36)

I'm Ellen Marshall.

Ricky (30:37)

And I'm Joey Taranto.

Ashley (30:38)

And we host I Think Not, a true crime comedy podcast covering some of the wildest stories from your favorite true crime campy TV shows all the way to Unsolved Mysteries.

Ricky (30:49)

Baby, you will laugh, you will cry. You'll think about true crime in a whole new way. And you'll also ask yourself, who gave these people mics.

Ashley (30:56)

New episodes of I Think not are released every Wednesday, with bonus episodes out every Thursday on Patreon.

Ricky (31:02)

And every Monday you can listen to our True Crime rundown where we go over the top true crime headlines of the week.

Ashley (31:09)

So come and join us wherever you listen to your podcasts. And so as for the autopsy, it confirmed what investigators would later state Public publicly. Rachel Hoffman had been shot five times, with the injuries being consistent with the suspect's accounts that Rachel was killed after they discovered the recording device connected to the police operation. There were no defensive wounds reported and no signs of a prolonged struggle at the scene. Rachel's body was discovered in rural Taylor county, which, similar to the final meeting location, was dense with vegetation, like thick tree cover and uneven terrain, which is why aerial surveillance had initially failed to locate her from above. The ravine was concealed almost completely. Once the body was found, the Tallahassee Police department coordinated with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and local sheriff's offices to secure the scene and conduct preliminary forensic examinations. This, in combination with the testimonies from Greene and Bradshaw, led to the indictment of both men on first degree murder charges.

Ricky (32:27)

Yeah, I mean, some of the hardest parts for these cases is the family never knowing what actually happened. So at least that part was clear and that wasn't a factor here.

Ashley (32:39)

Yeah, I mean, if her body was never discovered, who knows what the family would be left with. Donella Bradshaw went to trial first in Leon county in December of 2009. After a couple weeks and several days of deliberation, Bradshaw was found guilty of first degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, along with concurrent 15 year sentences for armed robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. Andrea, also known as Dre Jabbergreen, who seemed to be the main seller based on Rachel's intel at the beginning of the operation, entered a no contest plea the following year in November of 2010 to second degree murder and robbery with a firearm. That plea allowed him to avoid a trial, but it still sentenced him to life in prison without parole. But again, for Rachel's family, these convictions were only part of the story. The men who killed Rachel were held accountable, but the decisions that placed her in that situation weren't. Almost immediately after Rachel's murder, the Tallahassee Police Department came under intense public scrutiny. As details of the sting operation became public, it emerged that the United States Department of Justice had issued formal guidelines back in 2005 governing the use of confidential informants. And those guidelines stressed one thing above all else, which was informant safety. They emphasized proper training, clear limits on risk, legal counsel, written agreements, and constant protection. But in Rachel's case, it seemed that those safeguards weren't followed right.

Ricky (34:23)

And Rachel didn't have any formal training or a written immunity agreement or any legal counsel before agreeing to cooperate. And she was sent to a high risk sting. I don't know what they expected to happen in that situation.

Ashley (34:38)

In those weeks after Rachel's death, her father found himself unable to sleep. It would be around 2 in the morning. Night after night, he would wake up and replay every decision that led to his daughter being placed in that operation. One night, he began writing, typing out questions that wouldn't leave him alone. Why was Rachel used in such a high risk sting when she had no training, when she couldn't even find her own socks in the morning? Why was she sent to buy a semiautomatic pistol when she had never fired a gun in her life? And why was she pressured into cooperating before ever consulting a lawyer? At first, Irv didn't know what to do with those questions. He wrote them down, threw them away. He would start over again and again, and eventually those questions began to turn into a list of things that he felt should never have happened and should never happen again. At the same time, Margie was thinking along the same lines. They were trying to prevent another family from getting the same phone call that they did. So together, they began working on Rachel's law, along with a lawyer, Lance Block, who happened to be the father of one of Rachel's friends. Across the country, law enforcement agencies were using informants in high risk narcotics operations with seemingly little regard for their safety. There are countless stories of informants finding themselves pushed deeper into danger, believing that each assignment would bring them closer to freedom. Legal scholars and civil rights advocates have since described informants as disposable pawns of the criminal justice system. They are people whose value ended the moment an operation went wrong. The truth is, is that Rachel and so many others, she is not reckless or a hardened criminal and she wasn't trained or protected. She was a 23 year old woman trying to save her future. As the grief settled, Lance Bloch threw himself into understanding the system that had failed Rachel. He studied informant policies in Florida and across the country, searching for anything that could serve as some kind of legislative template that might give structure to the questions that Irv and Margie were asking. Block later said that nearly every legal expert he spoke with had focused on how to impeach confidential informants or to challenge their credibility in court, not how to protect them. A lot of civil rights advocacy around informants, it seems to focus more on coercion and false accusations, not on protecting the people used undercover operations. And digging into it, it kind of feels like there is really no clear, consistent rules that actually keep informants safe at all.

Ricky (37:20)

California turned out to be one of the only states with meaningful restrictions and even Those applied mostly to minors. After a 1998 case where a 17 year old was murdered and his 15 year old girlfriend was sexually assaulted and shot in retaliation for his work as an informant, California barred the use of children under 13 and imposed limits on teenage informants. But for adults, Margie and Irv were in totally uncharted territory.

Ashley (37:53)

So they had to start from scratch. Together, Bloch, Irv and Margie outlined what Rachel's law should have guaranteed. First, the right to counsel. Informants are often pressured into cooperation before even speaking to a lawyer. Miranda and sixth Amendment protections don't always apply because informants may never be formally arrested or charged. Second, no juveniles. Third, offense parody. Nonviolent low level drug offenders should never be used to apprehend traffickers with histories of violence. Fourth, no informants in drug treatment programs. Rachel was actively in treatment, which made her especially vulnerable to coercion. And beyond that, there were dozens of other safeguards like written agreements, risk assessments, supervision requirements, which all were designed to close the gaps that Rachel had fallen into. So in August, just weeks after the work on the bill had begun, a grand jury reviewing the Hoffman case issued a condemnation of the Tallahassee Police Department. The grand jury discovered that Rachel had been deployed as an informant into a situation where she was way in over her head. She was untrained, unvetted, and sent into a rapidly changing operation with no clear details about deal terms, drug quantities or what she should do if equipment failed or locations changed, all of which ended up happening.

Ricky (39:18)

The jury said that the planning of the sting was unconscionable. She cried out for help as she was shot and killed and nobody was there to hear her. They said that Rachel wasn't only underprepared, she was completely misled. She thought that officers would be nearby, ready to intervene if something went wrong. Wrong.

Ashley (39:39)

The grand jury also highlighted deep supervision failures by the Tallahassee Police Department. An internal review identified 21 separate policy violations, including the lack of a meaningful risk assessment before sending Rachel alone to meet armed suspects. Despite Rachel's private text messages expressing fear, officers relied heavily on her outward confidence, which was never an adequate substitute for professional judgment. Along with the indictment of Danelo Bradshaw and Andrea Jabber Green, the jury issued a report focused entirely on law enforcement conduct, calling it ill advised, and said that her death was partially attributed to negligent conduct by the department. They said there was no real time surveillance during the transaction. There was no reliable tracking, no immediate backup, even after Rachel expressed concerns about the suspect's danger. And get this, officers they waited more than 90 minutes after her last contact before launching a search.

Ricky (40:40)

They even said that the department had effectively handed Rachel to Bradshaw and Greene to rob and kill her as they saw fit. But even with that, no criminal indictments were issued against any Tallahassee Police department personnel.

Ashley (40:55)

So instead, the grand jury made recommendations. Mandatory informant training, psychological evaluations, judicial oversight, and stronger safeguards. And these recommendations were amazing support for the legislation, reforms that Irv and Margie were seeking. And even better, the Tallahassee police department began to publicly acknowledge what Rachel's parents had been saying all along, that they had made mistakes. Chief Dennis Jones later told news outlets that he didn't think there would be so many policies not being followed by his officers. And he admitted that blaming Rachel was wrong, and he regretted it. So Rachel's parents stepped forward. With the help of Lance Block, Margie and Irv, they proposed Rachel's law to Florida legislature. Two lawmakers, Senator Mike Fazano and representative Peter Nair, agreed to sponsor the bill. Committee hearings were scheduled, and testimonies were prepared. For the first time, it looked like Rachel's death was might lead to change. But that's when the pushback came.

Ricky (41:59)

Unsurprisingly, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Sheriff's association, among other groups, aggressively lobbied against the bill. Committee meetings filled with more than 100 law enforcement officers. Like vice and narcotics agents, they were all there to oppose Rachel's law.

Ashley (42:20)

Vice officers argued that banning the use of juveniles as confidential informants would force police to ignore young people committing serious crimes. Expanded record keeping would increase the risk of informants identities being exposed. And the provision guaranteeing a right to an attorney would make it impossible to flip suspects on the spot. To them, their most effective tools were being destroyed by Rachel's law. Leon county sheriff Larry Campbell even said that if Rachel's law passed, it would be the end of law enforcement. Brian Sali from Narcotics enforcement training and Consulting said that there's no such thing as training an informant. He said, you direct them what to do, and if they follow those directions, then they'll be safer. He went on to say that there's always going to be a risk, but when things go bad, it's usually because they didn't do as they were told. They get themselves hurt, not the officers. The informants cause their own dilemma, and.

Ricky (43:19)

That'S crazy to me. No one's saying juveniles can't be questioned, investigated, or held accountable. The issue is sending minors into situations where retaliation is a real risk and where they don't have the resources that adults might. And juveniles are vulnerable to pressure. They're easier to manipulate and less likely to understand what they're actually agreeing to. If law enforcement's position is that we need kids to do this dangerous work, that's not a good argument from people who are responsible for public safety. That's a convenience argument. There's other investigative tools in less documentation.

Ashley (43:59)

It doesn't automatically mean more safety either. If something goes wrong, it becomes nearly impossible to prove what happened, who made what decisions, or whether protections were enforced. You can require documentation while also protecting identities through sealed records, limited access, redactions, or secure storage. I mean, court systems handle sensitive information all the time. Again, this just seems like a convenience argument.

Ricky (44:25)

And with the right to counsel, think about what that argument is actually admitting. They're saying that they need to move fast enough that a person doesn't have time to understand their rights. They're trying to preserve leverage. Having counsel doesn't mean nobody cooperates. It just means they actually understand what substantial assistance actually means and what it will get them.

Ashley (44:48)

And then there's the training. I mean, Rachel wasn't just told to go buy these drugs. She was put into this very dangerous situation with moving locations, equipment failure. I mean, she was set up to buy 1500 ecstasy pills and some cocaine and a gun with $13,000 of cash in her purse. Alone in the middle of nowhere, like this is scary for anyone. And the operation depended on her being able to make split second decisions under stress. It's really difficult to understand how to deal with these things if you don't have the proper training.

Ricky (45:23)

And if your entire safety plan is to do what you're told, then the safety plan immediately collapses. The moment that the informant doesn't clearly hear you, doesn't understand you, panics or loses contact somehow.

Ashley (45:37)

Oh, my gosh. Yeah. So basically, it seemed like these claims were saying that it was more convenient for things to stay the way that they were, which is just ridiculous in my opinion. In the end, Rachel's Law did not pass in the form Rachel's parents had originally envisioned. A compromised bill was introduced which stripped out some of the strongest provisions, including the right to legal counsel and ban on juveniles. But even in its revised form, the bill made important changes. Officers were now required to undergo specialized training before working with confidential informants. They were required to consider a recruit's age, emotional state and vulnerability, as well as the level of risk involved in a given operation. In all operations involving confidential informants, safety must be the first priority. Which sounds obvious, but the Bill made that enforceable. The bill passed both chambers of the Florida legislature unanimously. And on May 7th of 2009, exactly one year after Rachel's death, Rachel's law was signed into effect.

Ricky (46:45)

Even so, Rachel's parents have never claimed that the law goes far enough, but they're still grateful for the victory. In the years since, Irv and Margie have spoken out about other informant deaths, including the case of a 27 year old mother of two who was murdered after working as a confidential informant.

Ashley (47:05)

They've continued to lobby for stronger protections, for clearer rules, former boundaries, and real accountability. And Margie has found her own way to keep Rachel's story alive. Rachel loved music festivals. So now her mother often shares Rachel's story at the very kinds of events her daughter once loved, reminding people that there was still a real person behind the policy debates and legislative language. Critics, including legal scholars, have argued that the final version of Rachel's law didn't fully confront the deeper problems in the informant system. Some have said the stripped provisions would have actually made policing more efficient and equitable, not less. Clearer rules don't slow law enforcement down. They reduce chaos, inconsistency, and avoidable tragedy. Since the war on drugs, informants have become central to narcotics policing. Drugs are sold in closed networks and outsiders, they can't really easily penetrate them. So informants are how cases get built. So, I mean, we're not saying that informants should be removed altogether, but I mean, just more safety.

Ricky (48:14)

But not all informants are the same. There's paid informants, voluntary informants, and coerced informants. And Rachel was squarely a coerced informant who was vulnerable, operating without a written agreement or judicial oversight. So the pressure to flip was informal and probably scary.

Ashley (48:35)

And that's the main criticism. The system treats coerced informants as if they're freely choosing to cooperate, when in reality they're acting under a threat. That's why scholars argue that the provisions stripped from Rachel's law should be restored and adopted nationwide. They say giving informants access to counsel, limiting who can be used, and formalizing protections wouldn't hinder investigations, but standardize them. It would reduce reliance on fear based cooperation and make outcomes more consistent across race, class, and jurisdictions. Not to mention the fact that without written documentation, there's no guaranteed legal protection. Informants who are harmed by police negligence rarely succeed in court. That makes early access to legal counsel even more important. And to add to that, I mean, the secrecy to that, being told not to tell your friends, your family, or anyone else what you're doing, you're creating an environment where people are isolated, pressured, and unable to actually process what they're being asked to do.

Ricky (49:40)

So the final version of Rachel's Law, agencies only have to offer access to counsel if the informant asks, and there's no guarantee it'll be funded. And even though it says that safety should be a priority, there's really not any explicit requirements to prioritize or measure that.

Ashley (49:59)

Exactly. So having counsel involved means that the informant understands what they're being asked to do, and it takes away the fear of coerced informants. They can slow the process down. Ask if the operation is proportional to the charges, if the informant is being pushed beyond their capacity, or if someone who is actively in a treatment program is being put back into harm's way. And to touch on this again, legal scholars point out that transparent, informed agreements lead to better cooperation with law enforcement, since informants understand the risk and are more likely to stick with the operation, follow instructions, and provide reliable information. When agreements are clear and informed, departments are less exposed to lawsuits, public backlash, and catastrophic failures, which would all strengthen investigations. But anyway, this just opens your eyes to what Rachel's parents are still fighting for. In the light of this, the Tallahassee Police Department spokesperson, Damon Miller, he said that what happened to Rachel is something they don't ever want to happen again with any law enforcement agency. Miller also stated that in addition to the following requirements of Rachel's Law, the department had made additional changes. They said that confidential informants are now required to sign written agreements acknowledging the rules and risks involved. Their work is also limited to the types of drugs informants typically buy, rather than being escalated into unfamiliar or more dangerous transactions. TPD also now requires additional training for investigators who handle confidential informants. And unlike before CI operations, must now be approved by the entire chain of command, including the police chief.

Ricky (51:47)

TPD declined to say anything on camera regarding Rachel and the new bill. And they also declined to say how many informants it currently uses. And the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said it doesn't trust track informant use statewide.

Ashley (52:03)

Right. And as public attention on Rachel's case continued, Lance Block said that while the city had initially acknowledged their negligence policy violations and even apologized for what happened to Rachel, the tone had changed completely once legal accountability entered the picture. Margie and Irv had opened a lawsuit against the city of Tallahassee seeking accountability for the negligence that led to Rachel's death. And Block said that since the lawsuit had been filed, the city was refusing to accept any responsibility. They Started to blame Rachel over again, and they tried to put Irv and Margie right back to where they started. But the city couldn't backpedal. By 2012, the lawsuit was ready to go to trial, and the city finally conceded. They settled with Irv and Margie, Introducing Florida Senate Bill 44. It explicitly laid out the circumstances of Rachel's death, including that she was urged to act as an informant without being advised of her right to counsel. Police violated their own procedures and failed to notify drug court officials of her informant status, meaning that if anything were to happen, the only people that knew of her alleged substantial assistance to get her charges dropped were a few selected people at the Tallahassee police department. The legislature formally adopted the factual findings, and the city of Tallahassee was authorized and directed to compensate Irv and Margie for Rachel's death using state funds. That compensation was intended to be the sole remedy for all present and future claims related to the case. That settlement was over $2 million.

Ricky (53:46)

I don't think the police department can argue with that anymore. And even though it was a victory, Lance Block, the family attorney, said that Irv will never walk his daughter down the aisle. Margie will never get to hold a grandchild in her lap. All the dreams and expectations they had as parents were wiped out by what he called a lot of stupidity up there in Tallahassee. Even with the payment, you can't undo what was taken from them.

Ashley (54:16)

And Irv Hoffman said that it's time for him to move on. He said he's tired, he's exhausted and happy to be finished. He said it feels painful and hurtful, and he still puts everything on Ryan Pender, saying God will even the score with him, and he has no business being a police officer. Ryan Pender was the only officer who was fired after Rachel's death. He later regained his job and returned to duty, now patrolling the college town area near Florida State University, where Rachel had just graduated from. And that has never stopped haunting Rachel's father. Every year on the anniversary of Rachel's murder, Irv calls Pender's work phone. And every year, he leaves a message reminding him of what happened on that date. And every year, he asks for the same thing, For Pender to call him back. Pender has never called him back or spoken publicly about the incident. In 2018, 10 years after Rachel was murdered, the passage of time hadn't softened the loss. Rachel's mother described it as a nightmare, saying, it went by really fast, and in some ways, it still feels like it happened yesterday. On the anniversary, Margie planned to do what she often does when grief resurfaces. She visits Rachel's grave and sorts through boxes of old photographs. Only within the previous year had Margie visited the dead end road where Rachel was killed.

Ricky (55:41)

She said it was overgrown and unkempt, with a narrow path leading down towards a lake. She brought Sage with her and smudged the area, trying to reclaim a place that only represented violence to her. But she did say that she was hardened by the sound of children laughing nearby.

Ashley (56:00)

On the 10th anniversary, WTXL also sat down with former State Attorney Willie Meigs to reflect on the case where he prosecuted Danela Radshaw and Andrea Jabber for the killing of Rachel. And from his perspective, they were confident early on that they would secure convictions, mostly because of the money, since police had recorded the serial numbers of every bill that Rachel had. When Bradshaw and Jabber began to freely use the money, officers were able to track them quite easily. By the time the trial began In December of 2009, prosecutors came in with several stacks of evidence that included multiple binders, surveillance footage, financial tracking, and witness testimony. What they couldn't prove was which of the two men actually pulled the trigger. An expert testified that no usable fingerprints or DNA were recovered from the gun. But according to Meigs, that didn't weaken the case because they were both equally guilty.

Ricky (57:02)

Meigs also pointed out what he called a bunch of mess ups from law enforcement, confirming lost surveillance, audio failures and officers losing sight of Rachel, including the fact that the wire in the car went dead. And this just shows that Rachel wasn't intentionally disregarding police orders.

Ashley (57:23)

And there's that. So during the trial, the state called 25 witnesses, while the defense only called two inmates of Andrea Greene, who testified that Andrea was the one who had confessed to shooting Rachel and pressured Bradshaw not to say anything. And this was 10 years later when the public finally found out who pulled the trigger and that Rachel didn't bring this onto herself. Meigs said that after 50 years in law enforcement, the death of Rachel especially impacted him, saying that it never should have happened. Rachel never should have been there, which is now why we have Rachel's Law. In September of 2019, Rachel's mother returned to the campus of Florida State University. As an advocate, she was there to hand out flyers promoting a documentary about Rachel's life, her death, and the law that's named after her. It was her first extended time on campus since moving Rachel into college, and Margie said she hoped students would see the film and walk away understanding their rights, especially how vulnerable they can be when law enforcement pressures people. She didn't want anyone else to get in over their head the way that Rachel did.

Ricky (58:33)

And Margie also said that she wants lawmakers to watch the film because she believes that Rachel's Law could and should be stronger. She wants every confidential informant to have access to legal counsel, especially when cooperation can put their life at risk.

Ashley (58:50)

In the documentary, it's called Rachel's Law. It's screened on September 22, 2019 at the challenger center in Tallahassee. You can actually find it on YouTube, as well as on its dedicated Facebook page called Rachel's Law. And speaking of Facebook pages, Margie also started a Facebook page called the Rachel Morningstar foundation, which educates the public on the current use of and the risks for confidential informants. With the help of cinema, music, journalism and legislators, they believe that they can create a stronger Rachel's Law nationwide. Rachel Hoffman was 23 years old. She loved music, festivals, cooking for friends, and the idea of helping people heal. Cooperation should never cost someone their life, and safety should never be optional.

Ricky (59:40)

If this case moved you, we encourage you to learn more about Rachel's Law in the ongoing efforts to strengthen protections for confidential informants.

Ashley (59:50)

Thank you so much for listening to Crime Salad. If you would like to support the show or hear more cases like this, please follow us. Subscribe wherever you're listening, Leave us a review. Maybe check out our Patreon if you'd like. Ad free listens and share this episode with a friend. We will see you next time.

Ricky (60:29)

Right now on the infamous America Podcast. The disappearances started with a mother and daughter. They were followed by two sisters from Texas and then three children from the same family. And in between, according to the lore, there were dozens more. During a sensational murder trial, the legend of H.H. holmes grew from sleazy con man to one of America's most notorious and prolific killers. But how much was true? The story of H.H. holmes is happening now on the infamous America podcast.

Sponsor/Ad Voice (61:00)

Oh, the Regency Era. You might know it as the time when Bridgerton takes place or the time when Jane Austen wrote her books. But the Regency era was also an explosive time of social change, sex scandals, and maybe the worst king in British history. And on the Vulgar History podcast, we're going to be looking at the balls, the gowns, and all the scandal of the Regency era. Vulgar History is a women's history podcast, and our Regency Era series will be focusing on the most rebellious women of this time. That includes Jane Austen herself, who who is maybe more radical than you might have thought. We'll also be talking about queer icons like Anne Lister, scientists like Mary Anning and Ada Lovelace, as well as other scandalous actresses, royal mistresses, rebellious princesses and other lesser known figures who made history happen in England in the Regency era. Listen to vulgar history wherever you get Podcasts.

Ricky (61:57)

The world of Sonic the Hedgehog has been thrust into a not so d dark, not so stormy, hard boiled detective story that probably nobody saw coming. Follow Sonic and the intrepid Chaotix Detective Agency as they take on their biggest case yet. This high flying, action packed adventure will take them across the world fighting for every clue they can find. It's one heck of a tale, which is good because because this story might be the only thing that can save their lives. Well, if that's all I can just dispose of you.

Ashley (62:36)

Wait, what.

Ricky (62:41)

All will be revealed in Sonic the Hedgehog Presents the Chaotix Case Files. Coming soon to wherever you get your podcasts.

Ashley (62:50)

When the Chaotix are on the case.