, ▁and ▁that ▁he ▁copies ▁him ; ▁Hoff man ▁was ▁black ma iled ▁him ▁into ▁becoming ▁his ▁app rent ice . ▁He ▁works ▁with ▁John ; ▁he ▁helps ▁John ▁find ▁vict ims ▁and ▁set ▁up ▁several ▁of ▁the ▁games ▁seen ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁three ▁films . ▁ ▁Stra hm ▁began ▁to ▁purs ue ▁Hoff man ▁as ▁a ▁five - person ▁trap ▁set ▁up ▁by ▁the ▁latter ▁played ▁out . ▁Hoff man ▁plant ed ▁evidence ▁to ▁frame ▁Stra hm ▁as ▁the ▁last ▁J igs aw ▁app rent ice . ▁This ▁de ception ▁eventually ▁led ▁Stra hm ' s ▁superior , ▁F BI ▁Agent ▁Dan ▁Er ick son , ▁to ▁put ▁out ▁an ▁all - points ▁bullet in ▁for ▁Stra hm ' s ▁immediate ▁arrest ▁for ▁the ▁J igs aw ▁mur ders . ▁ ▁Meanwhile , ▁Stra hm ▁tra iled ▁Hoff man ▁to ▁a ▁dark ▁bas ement ▁with ▁the ▁hopes ▁of ▁finding ▁him ▁there . ▁Stra hm ▁instead ▁found ▁a ▁glass ▁box ▁with ▁a ▁c ass ette ▁t ape ▁from ▁Hoff man . ▁The ▁t ape ▁stated ▁that ▁Stra hm ▁would ▁need ▁to ▁trust ▁him ▁and ▁get ▁into ▁the ▁box ▁( filled ▁with ▁broken ▁glass ) ▁if ▁he ▁wanted ▁to ▁live . ▁Stra hm ▁chose ▁not ▁to ▁he ed ▁the ▁warning ▁and ▁instead ▁threw ▁Hoff man ▁into ▁the ▁box , ▁which ▁safely ▁lower ed ▁Hoff man ▁down ▁into ▁the ▁floor ▁while ▁the ▁walls ▁sl id ▁together , ▁cr ushing ▁Stra hm ▁to ▁death . ▁Hoff man ▁was ▁left ▁as ▁the ▁hero ▁from ▁the ▁J igs