Crown prosecutor Romana Robins speaks to media following the sentencing hearing for Robert Hoefman.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
A far more composed and steady-handed Robert Hoefman showed up to court Friday to complete his sentencing for first-degree murder and extortion at Medicine Hat Court of Queen’s Bench.
The convicted murderer of James Satre and extortionist, who attempted to shakedown $1 million from a victim who can’t be identified, appeared for proceedings that lasted less than 10 minutes.
Sentencing was delayed after the 59-year-old collapsed as he was asked to stand to receive his life sentence for the 2017 murder and extortion on Thursday.
Medicine Hat chief Crown Ramona Robins told the News this murder trial differed in the staggering amount of evidence the prosecution had and credited her staff’s hard work in being able to shift through it all.
But it was the randomness of how Hoefman picked his murder target which resonated with her.
“Satre was doing yard work in his yard, talking with neighbours about a trip he had coming up and then he was killed for no reason,” said Robins. “And that could have been any of us.”
As part of the extortion plot, Hoefman threatened to kill dozens more Medicine Hatters if his demands for money weren’t met.
“The fear in the community was that the letters said there would be 43 more and who was it going to be. So it certainly was terrifying. And the police put everything they had into it,” said Robins.
Defence counsel did not provide comment following the proceedings.
When given the opportunity to address the court on Thursday, Hoefman, through counsel, communicated he was invoking his right not to say anything.
In addition to the life sentence with no eligibility for parole for 25 years, Hoefman received a five-year concurrent jail term for extortion.
