3rd grade teacher’s 911 call led to dead husband, NM cops say. Now she’s charged

A teacher has been charged in connection with the 2020 killing of her husband, New Mexico police said.

In November 2020, Heather Fernandez-Hoefer, 51, called Farmington police and said her husband, 49-year-old Robert Hoefer, was unconscious, but she gave officers conflicting statements, the department said in a Facebook post.

Fernandez-Hoefer told officers he “must have stabbed himself in the computer room, unbeknownst her,” according to the arrest affidavit obtained by the Tri-City Record.

She also told police he might’ve died other ways, including in an overdose, the outlet reported, citing the affidavit.

The affidavit obtained by KRQE said the majority of the blood was on the floor and the autopsy revealed three deep puncture wounds to the lungs and a severed artery, “which would have killed him in minutes.”

A next-door neighbor had heard the two fighting the night of his death, KRQE reporting, citing the affidavit.

Fernandez-Hoefer was listed as a third grade teacher at McCormick Elementary School, but her profile has been removed from the school district’s website.

McClatchy News reached out to the school district for a statement on April 3 and was awaiting a response. The district told KRQE that she was placed on administrative leave.

She was charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call 505-599-1068.

Farmington is about a 180-mile drive northwest of Albuquerque.

This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 1:33 PM with the headline "3rd grade teacher’s 911 call led to dead husband, NM cops say. Now she’s charged."