Lyle "Ty" Hoffman, currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for killing his former domestic partner last year, pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Paul to robbing a TCF Bank in Blaine.
Hoffman, 45, was sentenced in March for the August 2014 shooting death of Kelly Phillips, 48, an attorney with Boston Scientific, in the parking lot of a gas station in Arden Hills.
After the shooting, Hoffman disappeared and was the subject of a several-week manhunt.
On Aug. 31, about three weeks after the killing, he entered the bank on County Rd. 10, pointed a handgun at a teller, and said something like, "Give me the money," according to the plea agreement. He was handed about $12,020 in cash, he acknowledged Wednesday in court.
Hoffman was captured Sept. 11 when he was spotted outside a fast-food restaurant in Shakopee.
On Wednesday, he stood beside his attorney, Manny Atwal, of the federal public defender's office, who asked Judge Richard Kyle if Hoffman would be allowed to remain at St. Cloud state prison to serve out his 25-year second-degree murder sentence. Kyle said yes.
Hoffman pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery. He could receive 70 to 87 months in prison under federal guidelines.
Kyle noted that he has the option of sentencing Hoffman to more or less time than the guidelines say. The maximum sentence is 25 years and a fine of up to $250,000
