New wanted poster offers $10K reward for man charged with murder of Boston Scientific chief counsel
More than a week after a chief counsel for Boston Scientific was shot to death at a gas station outside Minneapolis, authorities are stepping up efforts to find the missing suspect charged with murder in the case.
Commercial developer Lyle “Ty” Hoffman, 44, is identified as a former boyfriend and business partner of the victim, Kelly Phillips, 48. Hoffman was charged last week with second-degree murder in a sealed criminal complaint, according to KAAL and the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
A new wanted poster (PDF) being distributed by the Ramsey County sheriff’s department features additional photos of Hoffman and the offer of a reward of as much as $10,000 that is largely funded by family and friends of Phillips, KMSP reports.
The poster suggests that Hoffman may be using social media sites such as Craigslist to find shelter. A sheriff’s official has warned that those helping Hoffman could face felony charges but said anyone who has had contact with the murder suspect should come forward and can expect their assistance to be taken into account by authorities, the Star Tribune reported.
Meanwhile, a federal warrant for Hoffman’s arrest is being distributed to help alert jurisdictions throughout the country of the need to be on the lookout for Hoffman, KARE reports.
Hoffman’s sister, Dawn Gominsky, tells KMSP that his family has not heard from him. “We’re a very close family and have been talking daily. There’s been no contact with him at all, and no one in the family has helped him. We’re completely blindsided by this,” she told the station.
Gominsky also expressed sympathy for Phillips’ family and friends and publicly urged her brother to turn himself in, saying, “Please come forward. We’re here to support you through it. We love you. We’re family.”
Additional and related material:
ABAJournal.com: “Top lawyer for tech company is slain; ex-roommate who lost eviction case is sought as suspect”
Hogan Bremer Moore Colonial Chapels: “Obituary for Kelly L. Phillips”
Star Tribune: “Accused killer’s sister: Bar owner pushed her brother to the brink”
