Joseph Foster, age 65, was sentenced on April 30 to more than 75 years to life in state prison for the August 6, 1992 murder of Alwin Schoefer. The sentencing brings closure to a homicide investigation that lasted nearly 34 years.
The case began when Schoefer, who was 85 at the time of his death, was found dead inside his home in Weimar after it had been set on fire. Firefighters arriving at the scene discovered padlocks on the exterior doors. After extinguishing the blaze, investigators found that Schoefer had been beaten, stabbed, and shot. They later determined that the fire had been intentionally set before locking up the house.
A bag containing Schoefer’s wallet and personal items was recovered along a road in Nevada County during the initial investigation. Despite efforts from law enforcement in both Placer and Nevada counties, the case eventually went cold until recent advances allowed DNA testing on old evidence. In 2025, DNA developed from material collected in 1992 linked Foster to Schoefer’s murder.
Detectives believe Foster knew Schoefer and lived nearby at the time of the crime. Robbery may have been a motive because Schoefer reportedly carried large amounts of cash instead of using banks. After DNA evidence connected him to the killing, authorities issued a warrant for Foster’s arrest and transferred him into Placer County Sheriff’s Office custody on March 18, 2025. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on March 30, 2026.
Foster was already serving multiple life sentences for two other murders committed in Weimar in January of 1991—a case also solved by DNA evidence—and he had previously been convicted of voluntary manslaughter for a shooting death near Weimar in 1980. With this latest conviction he has now been held responsible for four killings within that area.
“I applaud the hard work of our Cold Case Unit and investigators, who continue to meticulously comb through every cold case in our county and ensure every piece of evidence that could lead to a killer is tested,” said Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo. “Their expertise in these decades-old cases is paying off. Our work isn’t done. If anything, cases like this strengthen our resolve to keep pushing forward and finding justice.”
Officials say this outcome demonstrates ongoing collaboration between law enforcement agencies as well as persistent efforts by investigators assigned to unsolved crimes.
