Woman Claimed Husband Died After Stabbing Himself -- Now She's Charged with Murder

News By TooFab Staff |
San Juan County Adult Detention Center

She allegedly claimed he stabbed himself in the chest, before she helped clean his wounds, they went to bed, and she woke to find him unresponsive on the floor. Police, however, found "signs of deception."

A New Mexico woman is facing a second-degree murder charge ... this after allegedly claiming her husband died after he stabbed himself in another room of their home.

In addition to the murder charge, 51-year-old Heather Fernandez-Hoefer was charged with tampering with evidence, both in connection to the 2020 death of her husband, Robert Hoefer, 49.

Authorities were called to Hoefer's home after she called 911, claiming she found her husband unresponsive, face-down on the bedroom floor. First responders, per the Farmington Police Department, found him deceased from three apparent stab wounds -- before Fernandez-Hoefer provided "conflicting statements during the initial investigation."

Per an affidavit obtained by KRQE, Fernandez-Hoefer said her other half stabbed himself in the chest while he was in their computer room; she said she was in another room at the time. The suspect said she then helped him clean up his chest before the pair went to bed separately, and she woke up to find him unresponsive.

There was no blood evidence found in any room other than the bedroom, however, said police -- the majority of it being located on the bed itself. An autopsy, meanwhile, determined the stab wounds punctured his lungs and severed his coronary artery, which would have killed him in minutes.

A neighbor also allegedly heard the pair arguing in the early morning hours of Hoefer's death, while cell phone evidence pointed to what KRQE characterized as a "a recent argument concerning money and Hoefer’s prior relationship."

Authorities, per the affidavit, said they believe Fernandez-Hoefer's "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," police said in a statement.

Fernandez-Hoefer was arrested on April 1 and released on bond the following day.

Hoefer's obituary said he "met the love of his life," Fernandez-Hoefer, in September 2019, before they married one year later. His death was nearly three months after the pair said "I do."

"Robert was so very proud of his wife Heather, a 3rd grade teacher, and of becoming a stepdad," read an obituary for Hoefer, who was remembered as a nuclear reactor operator for the Navy and someone who "had a special concern for the rights of women and children and especially those individuals with Autism and Asperger's."

Before his death, his goal was to "become a history teacher to pass on his knowledge."