Background: The Farmington, N.M. neighborhood where police say 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.
In a Facebook post on April 1, the Farmington Police Department announced that following a years-long investigation into the death of Robert Hoefer, 49, his wife, Heather Fernandez-Hoefer, 51, has been charged with his murder.
Police said that on November 29, 2020, officers responded to the Hoefer residence after Fernandez-Hoefer called 911 after she allegedly claimed she found her husband unresponsive. When questioned by police at the time, she allegedly said he had stabbed himself, repeating the story several times, according to an affidavit obtained by KRQE, a local CBS affiliate.
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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