Lauren Dovers, 28, of Waxahachie, Texas, was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole following a trial in Ellis County. The conviction stems from the March 2021 killing of 27-year-old Jordan Von Hoffman, whose body was found in a trash can on a rural property outside Ennis.
The Discovery of the Body
On March 24, 2021, Von Hoffman's sister and friends began to worry after he failed to show up for work or return home. They knew he had traveled from Mabank to meet with Lauren Dovers, who was involved with Trenton Adams. He had gone to return a truck to Adams, but no one had heard from any of them since that Saturday.
The group went to Adams' residence, located outside Ennis, and saw the truck parked there, but there was no sign of Von Hoffman, Dovers, or Adams. With the property owner’s permission, they searched the trailer and shed on the land and found Von Hoffman’s body hidden in a trash can. The body was wrapped in contractor plastic and covered with a tarp that had been splattered with paint. They immediately called 911.
Investigation and Cause of Death
When the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office arrived, they confirmed that the body was indeed Jordan Von Hoffman. An autopsy by the Dallas County Medical Examiner revealed that Von Hoffman had died from a combination of neck compression and blunt force trauma to the head, likely caused by being struck with a hammer. The medical examiner also noted severe trauma to Von Hoffman's head and body, and that he had been “hog-tied,” with both his arms and legs bound behind his body.
In a second trash can found near the body, investigators recovered a hammer, bloodstained gloves, and other items. The gloves were later determined to have Adams' DNA on the inside, while Von Hoffman's DNA was found on the hammer and the gloves.
Surveillance and Digital Evidence
Surveillance video from a Home Depot store showed Dovers and Adams purchasing trash cans, contractor plastic, gloves, and other materials on the day before and the morning of the murder. Phone records and Facebook messages between Adams, Dovers, and Von Hoffman showed that they had contacted him repeatedly, encouraging him to come over to their location on the day the supplies were bought.
Further investigation revealed that Von Hoffman was lured to the residence under false pretenses. Once there, he was attacked by Adams and Dovers.
The Flight and Arrests
After the murder, Dovers and Adams fled Ellis County. They traveled to San Marcos, Texas, where they stayed for several days before Adams went on the run. He remained elusive for weeks until he was arrested in Houston. Meanwhile, Dovers returned to Waxahachie, where she was later arrested for tampering with evidence.
While out on bond, Dovers sent an email to friends, admitting that she had known Adams planned to kill someone before they went to Home Depot. She explained that Adams was jealous and suspected she had been involved in an affair, telling her she would "help him kill someone." This email was pivotal in the case, further implicating Dovers in the crime.
The Trial
Dovers was charged with capital murder, and the trial began in Ellis County. The prosecution presented evidence that Dovers had not only assisted Adams in planning the murder but had also failed to intervene during the crime. Prosecutors argued that Dovers had the opportunity to stop the killing or at the very least seek help after the murder, but she chose to remain complicit, even supporting Adams afterward.
Lead prosecutor Cynthia Walker stated, “Time and time again, the evidence showed that Dovers could have warned Jordan, stopped the killing, or at the very least, asked for help after the murder. But she chose to continue to support Trenton Adams. This was a brutal crime, and the jury agreed that Dovers participated in the offense and should be held accountable for her actions.”
An Ellis County jury deliberated and found Dovers guilty of capital murder, determining that she had either intentionally killed Von Hoffman during the course of an attempted kidnapping or had assisted Adams in the killing.
Sentencing
Under Texas law, capital murder carries a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if the death penalty is not sought. Dovers was sentenced to life without parole by Judge Cindy Ermatinger of the 443rd District Court.
First Assistant Cynthia Walker and Assistant County and District Attorney Kayce Witt handled the prosecution, with assistance from County and District Attorney Investigator Joe Aguillar and lead felony clerk Karen Hendricks. The case was investigated by Sgt. Brian McIntosh of the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office, who led the investigation into the crime.
