3rd Grade Teacher Claimed She Found Husband Dead in Home: Years Later, Why Do Police Think She's the Killer?

A teacher in New Mexico who initially told police she’d found her husband stabbed to death in their home more than four years ago is now charged in connection with his death. 

On April 1, Heather Fernandez-Hoefer, 51, was arrested on charges of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence, the Farmington Police Department announced in a Facebook post. 

The charges are related to the 2020 death of her 49-year-old husband Robert Hoefer. It’s unclear if Heather has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on her behalf.

On Nov. 29, 2020, officers responded to a Farmington, N.M. home on a report of an unresponsive person and found Robert dead with three stab wounds, per the post. Heather, who police said made the 911 call, allegedly provided “conflicting statements during the initial investigation.”

According to an affidavit obtained by local news station KRQE, Heather claimed to police at the time that her husband stabbed himself in the computer room while she was in another area of their home. She added that she helped clean him up and the two went to bed separately that night, police alleged.

The next morning, Heather claimed she found her husband face down on their bedroom floor, per the affidavit cited by the station. Authorities noted in the affidavit that most of the blood at the scene was found on the bed rather than the floor, and that no blood was found outside the bedroom, the outlet reports.

According to the affidavit cited by KRQE, authorities also referenced alleged text messages sent between the couple arguing about money and a previous relationship just hours before Robert’s death. 

“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 the post.

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According to Robert’s obituary, the couple met in 2019 and married in September 2020. Heather was described in Robert’s obituary as the love of his life and a third-grade teacher. 

Robert was remembered as a proud stepdad who served nine years in the Navy and loved reading, per the obituary.

Police said the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Farmington Police Department at (505)-599-1068.