In late spring 2009, Florida State University students in Tallahassee, Florida, were wrapping up finals when 23-year-old Rachel Hoffman became the center of a police operation that would end in tragedy. In this episode of Crime Salad, we break down the Rachel Hoffman case, focusing on how a “controlled” and “by-the-book” confidential informant (CI) operation unraveled and why officers reportedly waited more than 90 minutes after her last contact before launching a search.

Rachel Hoffman was a college student with big plans, described as driven and fearless, working toward her future when she was asked to assist law enforcement as an informant during a drug sting in Tallahassee. What happened next raised serious questions about informant safety, police procedures, and accountability when undercover operations go wrong.

We cover the timeline, the decisions made leading up to that night, and the broader issue of how confidential informants are used in drug investigations, especially when the informant is young, vulnerable, or under pressure. This is the story of Rachel Hoffman and the failures that followed.

Keywords: Rachel Hoffman, Rachel Hoffman case, Rachel Hoffman murder, Tallahassee Florida, Florida State University, confidential informant, CI, police informant, drug sting, controlled buy, undercover operation, law enforcement negligence, informant safety, true crime podcast, Crime Salad.

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Listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussion of domestic abuse and sexual violence.

In September 2017 in Poughkeepsie, New York, a routine traffic stop led police to Nicole “Nikki” Addimando, a shaken mother of two who said she acted in self-defense. Hours later, her partner, Christopher Grover, was found dead, and Nikki was arrested. As investigators uncovered years of documented domestic violence, sexual assault, coercive control, and disturbing evidence of abuse, the case became a flashpoint for how the justice system treats criminalized survivors.

In this Crime Salad episode, Ashley and Ricky break down the Nikki Addimando case, the trial, what the jury was and was not allowed to hear, the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act, and the advocacy that helped bring Nikki home.

Nikki advocacy links

• We Stand With Nikki (website): https://westandwithnikki.com/
• We Stand With Nikki (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/WeStandWithNikki/

• National Domestic Violence Hotline (24/7): https://www.thehotline.org/
• Call: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
• Text: START to 88788

If you are in immediate danger, call 911

Listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussion of domestic abuse and sexual violence.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In May 2002, 28-year-old Jennifer Harris of Bonham, Texas, vanished on Mother’s Day weekend. The next morning, her green Jeep was found abandoned near the Red River in rural Fannin County. Days later, Jennifer’s body was recovered from the river. With no clear cause of death and no arrests, her case remains unsolved more than twenty years later.

Follow to support this case:

https://www.facebook.com/justiceforjenniferharris

​​https://www.facebook.com/R4Justice/

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.