A teacher in New Mexico has been taken into custody in connection to the death of her husband, who was found stabbed in their home over four years ago. Heather Fernandez-Hoefer, 51, has been charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in relation to the 2020 death of her husband, Robert Hoefer, aged 49. The Farmington Police Department made the announcement of her arrest on April 1 via a Facebook post.
According to the police, officers responded to a report of an unresponsive individual in a Farmington, N.M. residence on November 29, 2020, and discovered Robert with three stab wounds. Heather, who reportedly made the 911 call, provided conflicting statements during the initial investigation.
Heather initially claimed that her husband had stabbed himself in the computer room while she was in another part of the house. She alleged that she cleaned him up and that they slept separately that night. The following morning, she said she found him on their bedroom floor. However, authorities noted discrepancies in her account, such as most of the blood being on the bed rather than the floor and the absence of blood outside the bedroom.
Text messages between the couple discussing money and a previous relationship just before Robert’s death were also mentioned in the investigation. Following a thorough review of the case, the decision to press charges was made in collaboration with the district attorney’s office.
The couple, who met in 2019 and got married in September 2020, was described as deeply in love in Robert’s obituary. Heather was a third-grade teacher, while Robert was a proud stepfather who had served in the Navy for nine years and enjoyed reading.
The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is urged to contact the Farmington Police Department at (505)-599-1068.
