First-degree murder charges laid
Police allege 55-year-old Robert S. Hoefman, also charged in extortion case, killed James Satre in a ‘deliberate, premeditated attack’
A Medicine Hat man has been charged with first-degree murder over the death of 64year-old James Satre, whose body was found near his Mill Street home on the morning of Oct. 11.
The homicide charge against Robert S. Hoefman goes hand-in-hand with an extortion charge previously laid against the 55-year-old who has been in custody since November.
“It is our assertion that the accused, Mr. Hoefman, was attempting to extort a local victim and killed Mr. Satre in a deliberate, premeditated attack,” said Insp. Brent Secondiak with the Medicine Hat Police Service at a Wednesday press conference.
“We believe it (the homicide) was used to strike fear into the victim of the extortion,” said Secondiak.
“Mr. Satre appears to be a victim of circumstance and location, and does not appear to be connected to the accused in any manner,” said Secondiak, saying the victim lived an isolated lifestyle and was not involved in criminal activity. At this point, police do not have any information that links the accused with Satre, said Secondiak, nor is there a connection established between Satre and the extortion victim, whose identity is protected by a publication ban.
Police began investigating the extortion on Oct. 10. Then, on Oct. 11, Satre’s body was found in an alleyway near his home by the intersection of Mill Street and Smelter Avenue. Police announced the two investigations were possibly linked in mid-October, and on Nov. 9 arrested Hoefman on a single count of extortion.
He has been in custody since then, completing psychiatric evaluations in Calgary.
Police have also had “very limited contact” with Hoefman in the past that are non-criminal, said Secondiak.
“It’s completely possible there could have been more victims if our investigators were not more swift and decisive,” said Secondiak when asked if there had been the potential for more victims had there not been an arrest.
“A first-degree murder charge is extremely complex and it requires a substantial amount of proof,” said Secondiak, including proof that the homicide was “deliberate, planned and premeditated.”
It’s also one of the few charges in the criminal code which requires the approval of the Crown, he said, with the local prosecutor’s office having reviewed the investigation and authorizing the charge.
The investigation required a “massive amount of resources and time by investigators,” said Secondiak, with multiple divisions within the MHPS involved.
Several search warrants were executed as part of the investigation for electronic devices, residences, storage facilities and local businesses, said Secondiak.
Police are limiting information being shared by them about the homicide and extortion, said Secondiak, to protect the integrity of the investigation.
At a Wednesday court appearance, defence counsel on the extortion charge told the court he anticipates being retained on the homicide charge, adjourning the charges to Jan. 24.