For more than 30 years, mystery swirled around the death of an 85-year-old California man who was found slain inside his burning home.
But now, thanks to advances in DNA testing, Joseph Foster, 65, has been convicted and sentenced for the death of Alwin Schoefer, the Placer County District Attorney’s Office said in a Tuesday, May 5, Facebook post.
On April 30, Foster was sentenced to more than 75 years to life in prison in connection with the 1992 death of Alwin Schoefer after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in March, according to Placer County deputies, who described Foster as a “cold case serial killer” with three prior murder convictions.
“Justice delayed is never justice denied, and this outcome reflects the unwavering commitment to victims — no matter how much time has passed,” prosecutors said.
What deputies say happened on Aug. 6, 1992
When firefighters arrived at the Weimar home to put out the fire on Aug. 6, 1992, they found padlocks secured on the exterior doors, according to deputies. Upon entering the home after dousing the blaze, firefighters discovered Schoefer had been beaten, stabbed, and shot.
Through an investigation, detectives determined the fire was intentionally set inside the home before the doors were locked. Deputies said they started a homicide investigation and collected evidence in Placer and Nevada counties.
Among the evidence detectives located was a bag “along a road in Nevada County containing Schoefer’s wallet, identification, coin purse and clothing items,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Despite an investigation, the case went cold.
Breakthrough in 2025
Then, in 2025, the sheriff’s office cold case unit took another look at the case and found evidence suitable for DNA testing.
Soon after, a breakthrough came: “DNA developed from evidence collected in 1992 linked Foster to Schoefer’s murder,” deputies said.
“Investigators believe Foster was familiar with Schoefer and lived within walking distance of his home,” deputies said, adding that they believe robbery may have been a motive for the slaying, “as Schoefer was known to carry large amounts of cash instead of using banks.
After the DNA hit, officials issued a warrant for Foster’s arrest, and he was transferred to Placer County on March 18, 2025.
Foster pleaded guilty a little more than a year after his arrest, according to deputies.
Foster’s previous murder convictions
At the time of his arrest, Foster was already serving multiple life sentences, deputies said.
Foster was convicted in the 1991 slayings of a man and woman in Weimar, “a case the Placer County Sheriff’s Office solved through DNA in 2017,” deputies said. Foster was also convicted of voluntary manslaughter in connection with the 1980 shooting death of another man near Weimar.
“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,” Sheriff Wayne Woo said in a statement. “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.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: DNA linked ‘serial killer’ to 1992 California slaying. He’s sentenced
Reporting by Daniella Segura, USA TODAY NETWORK / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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