A woman from New Mexico, initially claiming her husband’s death was self-inflicted, has been charged with his murder. Heather Fernandez-Hoefer, 51, was charged with the murder of her husband, Robert Hoefer, 49, following an extensive investigation by the Farmington Police Department. The department made the announcement via a Facebook post on April 1.
The investigation began on November 29, 2020, when police officers were dispatched to the Hoefer residence. Fernandez-Hoefer had dialed 911, alleging that she had discovered her husband unresponsive. At the time, she told the police that her husband had stabbed himself, a narrative she maintained consistently, according to an affidavit.
However, inconsistencies in Fernandez-Hoefer’s account led to the unraveling of her story. The affidavit, as reported by local CBS affiliate KRQE, revealed that Fernandez-Hoefer claimed her husband had stabbed himself in the chest in their home’s computer room while she was elsewhere in the house. She further stated that she had assisted him in cleaning up afterward.
The following morning, she claimed to have found him lying face-down on their bedroom floor, having gone to bed at different times. However, the affidavit contradicted this account, stating that apart from a washcloth, blood evidence was only discovered in the bedroom. Moreover, the majority of the blood was found on the bed, not on the floor where Fernandez-Hoefer claimed to have found her husband.
Additional evidence from cell phone records indicated that the couple had been arguing over financial issues and past relationships. A neighbor also reported hearing a man and a woman arguing in the early morning hours leading up to Hoefer’s death.
Fernandez-Hoefer’s explanations regarding the timeline of the alleged incident were inconsistent, according to KRQE. The affidavit included several versions of her account, concluding that the “inconsistent and unlikely statements are signs of deception.”
Fernandez-Hoefer was charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. She was taken into custody at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center and was released on bond on April 2.