MARCH 15, 2024:
MINOT, N.D. (AP) — A judge sentenced a North Dakota woman to life in prison without parole after a jury convicted her last year of murder in connection with the death of her ex-boyfriend, who was the father of her child.
State District Judge Gary Lee sentenced Heather Hoffman, 27, of Minot Air Force Base, on Friday (March 15, 2024). In September, a Ward County jury convicted her of murder in the April 2022 shooting death of Alex Eckert, 22.
In making his sentencing decision, the judge called the killing “an intentional, premeditated, planned attack on Alex Eckert and that attack ultimately took his life.”
Prosecutors had said Hoffman and Eckert were in the midst of a child custody dispute, according to KMOT-TV. Hoffman shot Eckert in the entryway of his apartment in Minot during a confrontation related to child custody.
Hoffman said she was innocent and that others were responsible for Eckert’s death. Her lawyer said she plans to appeal her conviction.
SEPTEMBER 13, 2023:
MINOT, N.D. (AP) — A jury in North Dakota on Tuesday (Sept. 12, 2023) convicted a woman of murder in connection with the shooting death last year of her child’s father.
Heather Hoffman, 26, of Minot Air Force Base, could be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Prosecutors alleged she fatally shot 22-year-old Alex Eckert in a doorway at his apartment in Minot, N.D., in April 2022 during a confrontation with him regarding a child custody dispute, KFYR-TV reported.
Hoffman’s defense attorney questioned the prosecution’s timeline of events on the night of Eckert’s death, and who possessed the murder weapon at that time.
The trial began Sept. 6 in Minot. The jury reached its verdict after deliberating for about two hours, the station reported.
Hoffman remains in jail, pending her sentencing. A state district court judge called for a presentence investigation.
Hoffman’s sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 1, 2023, according to a court docket.
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