Bail denied for man accused of first-degree murder, extortion
By Jeremy Appel on December 1, 2018.
jappel@medicinehatnews.com @MHNJeremyAppel A man accused of murdering 64-year-old James Satre in suspected connection with an extortion charge was denied bail Friday. Robert Hoefman, 56, appeared in person dressed all in black at the Court of Queen’s Bench, waving to his family members in attendance. The evidence presented at the hearing is subject to a publication ban so as to not prejudice the jury that is mandatory in a murder trial. Police began investigating the alleged extortion on Oct. 10, 2017. The identity of the extortion complainant is also protected by a ban. Satre’s body was found in an alleyway near his residence at the intersection of Mill Street and Smelter Avenue on Oct. 11. In mid-October 2017, Medicine Hat Police Service Insp. Brent Secondiak said police believe the homicide “was used to strike fear into the victim of the extortion.” MHPS has no information linking Hoefman with Satre, nor is there any established connection between Satre and the extortion victim, he added. Secondiak called Satre an apparent “victim of circumstance and location.” Hoefman has been in custody since Nov. 9, 2017, when he was arrested on the extortion charge. Shortly after, he was sent to the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre Calgary for a psychological assessment. Hoefman was charged with first-degree murder on Jan. 10. He will next appear Dec. 6 in provincial court. 15
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