A New Mexico woman has been charged with the murder of her husband after insisting that he killed himself for years, police said.
Heather Fernandez-Hoefer, 51, was charged with the 2020 murder of her husband, 49-year-old Robert Hoefer.
Law enforcement responded to a call from Fernandez-Hoefer on November 29, 2020, during which she claimed she had found her husband unresponsive and that she believed he had stabbed himself in the chest, according to an affidavit obtained by KRQE.
She stated that he had done this while she was in another room and that she had discovered him and helped him clean up afterwards. The next morning, she reported finding him lying face-down on their bedroom floor.
However, police discovered most blood evidence on the couple's bed instead of on the floor, where Fernandez-Hoefer claimed to have discovered her husband. Neighbors stated that they heard a man and a woman fighting in the early hours of the morning, leading up to Hoefer's death.
Fernandez-Hoefer's explanations for the series of events leading to her husband's death did not match up with the scene, according to law enforcement, who determined that her statements were "inconsistent and unlikely statements are signs of deception."
"After a thorough and ongoing investigation by detectives and working with the district attorney's office, a thorough review of the case was conducted, and the decision to proceed with criminal charges was made," the Farmington Police Department said on Facebook. "A warrant was issued to charge Heather Fernandez-Hoefer. She was taken into custody without incident on April 1, 2025."
Fernandez-Hoefer was charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. She was taken into custody at San Juan County Adult Detention Center, but later released on bond on April 2.
