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Background: The Farmington, N.M. neighborhood where police report Heather Fernandez-Hoefer allegedly stabbed her husband in 2020 (Google Maps). Inset: Heather Fernandez-Hoefer (San Juan County Adult Detention Center).
A New Mexico woman who reported that her husband stabbed himself has now been charged — with allegedly stabbing her husband.
On April 1, the Farmington Police Department revealed on Facebook that after an extensive investigation into the death of 49-year-old Robert Hoefer, his wife, Heather Fernandez-Hoefer, 51, faces murder charges.
According to police, officers went to the Hoefer home on November 29, 2020, following a 911 call from Fernandez-Hoefer, who claimed to have found her husband unresponsive. Initially, during police questioning, she allegedly stated he had stabbed himself. She reportedly repeated this claim numerous times, as detailed in an affidavit obtained by KRQE, a CBS affiliate in the area.
Her story, according to police, eventually fell apart due to her own conflicting statements.
According to KRQE’s reporting on the affidavit, Fernandez-Hoefer allegedly repeatedly said her husband stabbed himself in the chest in the home’s computer room while she was in another room and that she then helped him clean himself up afterwards.
The next morning, after they went to bed at different times, she reportedly said that she found him lying face-down on the bedroom floor.
However, the affidavit stated that aside from a washcloth, blood evidence was only found in the bedroom. It further stated that the majority of the blood was found on the bed, not on the floor, where Fernandez-Hoefer reportedly claimed to have found her husband.
Cell phone evidence cited in the affidavit also revealed that the couple reportedly had arguments over money and past relationships — a neighbor also reportedly heard a man and a woman fighting in the early morning hours leading up to Hoefer’s death.
KRQE reported that Fernandez-Hoefer’s explanations were inconsistent where the alleged incident’s timeline was concerned. The affidavit reportedly includes several alleged versions of her story, 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 San Juan County Adult Detention Center and released on bond on April 2.
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