Paul Hoffman was a 51-year-old pharmacist from Cliffside Park, New Jersey, who owned Farmacia San Jose in Union City. In spring 1982 he sought to buy a large quantity of stolen Tagamet for $25,000, arranging the purchase through Richard Kuklinski. Hoffman repeatedly contacted Kuklinski to complete the deal and brought the cash when they met on April 29, 1982 — the last confirmed time he was seen alive.

Kuklinski later admitted he lured Hoffman to a garage in North Bergen that day. His initial attempt to shoot Hoffman failed when the gun jammed, and Kuklinski said he instead beat Hoffman to death with a tire iron. According to Kuklinski’s account, he placed the body in a 55-gallon drum and left it outside a motel in Little Ferry; the drum later disappeared and Hoffmans body has never been recovered. Kuklinski was the primary suspect because he was the last known person to see Hoffman alive and later confessed to the killing as part of a plea bargain.

Did anyone have contact with Hoffman in late April 1982 or remember seeing him after April 29?