MEDICINE HAT, AB– Following days of testimony, more information is being revealed about the accused Robert Hoefman.
This afternoon, Hoefman’s mother-in-law Janet Smithson and daughter Christina Hoefman took the stand.
Both told the court that in the months leading to his arrest, Hoefman’s health was in decline.
The daughter testified that in the summer before his arrest she was concerned that he may have suffered some kind of stroke or early-onset Alzheimer’s.
Smithson testified that the accused would go for walks near her home to enjoy the wildlife and take pictures, but there were concerns that he wouldn’t be able to find his way back, citing confusion.
Smithson said she would regularly text with Robert Hoefman’s wife as a safety protocol when Hoefman was out for his walk.
The pair also testified that Hoefman had mobility issues and required the use of a cane. He also wasn’t able to drive and relied on his wife to get around.
The court also heard about a mental breakdown Hoefman suffered towards the end of his employment.
“He was shaking, he shook a lot, but that’s all I could notice,” daughter Christina Hoefman said.
Also on the stand Tuesday afternoon was Sgt. Kirt Murray of the electronic surveillance unit.
Sgt. Murray testified that he deployed five cameras in various parts of the city as part of the undercover investigation.
He also installed a trail cam inside the bag containing the fake money on Oct. 17.
Investigators captured a man on camera the following day.
Sgt. Murray told the court that on Nov 7, 2017, he became aware of another letter was sent.
Through the contents of the letter, he believed there was possible countersurveillance, so he drove to a nearby building, and saw a man.
“ I immediately recognized him as the person in the trail cam,” Sgt. Murray testified, noting the similar attire and that the man was walking with a cane.
Sgt. Murray also told the court about a path of foot impressions that he believed were similar to an earlier foot impression taken by police and markings of what appeared to be a cane.
Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Dallas Miller later declared that evidence inadmissible at trial because Sgt. Miller was not an expert at foot impressions. The jury was then instructed to ignore the evidence given about the footprints and their similarities.
Police in the hot seat
Earlier in the day, whether or not evidence was handled properly by the Medicine Hat Police became the focus of testimony.
Defence lawyer Ian Mackay grilled Staff Sgt. Stacey Fishley, who was in charge of the Forensic Identification Unit at the time of James Satre’s death.
Satre was found stabbed to death outside his home on Mill Street on Oct 11, 2017.
Mackay questioned why a chain of custody of exhibits was never used in this case to show that cross-contamination didn’t take place.
“ You are the head of this department the buck stops with you doesn’t it ?” Mackay asked
The court heard that a chain of custody of exhibits is a document that details who handled the exhibits, from the time it was seized and how and where it was stored.
Staff Sgt. Fishley told the cour,t police used their own notes and the police service’s records management system for the investigation.
During cross-examination, Mackay pointed to the lack of detailed notes taken by officers. He also called Sgt. Fishley out on the way he put his gloves on while handling a piece of evidence to show to the jury.
Sgt. Fishley’s training was also put under the microscope. He admitted to the court that he didn’t complete the full forensic identification course at the time of Satre’s death. Instead, his training consisted of a DNA course that took one week to complete.
Testimony in the first-degree murder trial of Robert Hoefman continues tomorrow.
The jury is set to hear from Sgt. Klick, another MHPS officer involved in the investigation.
