Conviction, life sentence for Johnstown man upheld

Cambria County jury found Hoffman guilty of murdering Geistown man

The Pennsylvania Superior Court has upheld the conviction and life sentence of John E. Hoffman of Johnstown, who was convicted 26 months ago of murdering a 74-year-old man during a robbery in the victim's Geistown home.

A Cambria County jury convicted Hoffman, 56, of using a club or pipe to kill Anthony Profaizer on Nov. 25, 2019.

Hoffman, who denied committing the crime, was convicted in October 2021 following seven hours of deliberation.

In his appeal to the Superior Court, Hoffman argued that trial judge David J. Tulowitzki should have dismissed the case for lack of evidence.

The Superior Court, in an opinion written by Judge John T. Bender, last week concluded there was no abuse of discretion in the trial court's rejection of the defense argument that the jury verdicts (finding Hoffman guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated assault and robbery) were contrary to the evidence presented at trial.

Two inmates who were in the Cambria County Prison with Hoffman testified the defendant told them he went to Profaizer's home knowing that the older man had the habit of keeping prescription drugs in his pants pockets and in his wallet.

Hoffman had a long-term relationship with the victim and described him as "the gift that keeps on giving," meaning he would often sell the victim's pills.

In his statements to fellow inmates, he became angry on the night of the murder upon finding out the victim had no money or pills to give him.

The two inmates indicated Hoffman then confessed to harming Profaizer.

According to their statements, he beat the older man with a pipe, rolled him in a carpet and left him lying in his garage.

County detectives determined the pills that Profaizer normally carried with him were missing and swabs of the victim's front and back pockets found Hoffman's DNA.

Defense attorneys contended the jury's verdicts were against the "weight of the evidence."

Also, the defense claimed the investigation showed another person or persons had committed the murder.

The trial judge rejected the defense arguments and noted Hoffman's attorneys "fully probed the stories offered by the prosecution's (witnesses) through rigorous cross-examination."

The Superior Court opinion concluded, "Based on the record of the trial court's analysis, we conclude that (Hoffman) has not established that the court abused its discretion in rejecting his challenge to the weight of the evidence."

The Superior Court panel, which also included Judges Daniel D. McCaffery and Correale F. Stevens, rejected other defense arguments as being vague and undeveloped.

In addition, the appeals court dismissed a complaint that the trial judge had improperly permitted segments of a videotaped interview with Hoffman that included information of prior "bad acts" committed by the defendant.

The appeals court ruled the segments were permissible to show "motive and intent" as to why Hoffman needed money that night -- because he was being threatened with harm by others.

The defendant was represented in his appeal by attorney Richard M. Corcoran of Ebensburg.

Hoffman is incarcerated in the State Correctional Institution in Greene County.