Serial killer sentenced in 34-year-old cold case

Joseph Foster, 65, was sentenced to more than 75 years to life in state prison on April 30 in relation to the murder of Alwin Schoefer. Schoefer, 85, was found dead in his Weimar home after it was set on fire on Aug. 6, 1992. According to the Placer County Sheriff's Department, firefighters found padlocks secured on the exterior doors upon arrival. Once the fire was extinguished, it was discovered Schoefer had been beaten, stabbed and shot. The Sheriff's Office confirmed it was determined the fire was intentionally set in the home before the doors were locked. Evidence was collected in Placer and Nevada counties, including a bag with Schoefer's wallet, identification, coin purse and clothing items that was recovered along a road in Nevada County. When the investigation was re-examined by the Cold Case Unit, DNA suitable for testing was identified. The Sheriff's Office confirmed a breakthrough in the case came in 2025 when DNA developed from evidence collected in 1992 linked Foster to Schoefer's murder. After the link was confirmed, a murder warrant was issued and Foster was transferred into custody in Placer County on March 18, 2025. The Sheriff's Office reported Foster pled guilty to first-degree murder on March 30. "The Placer County District Attorney's Office prosecuted the case and secured Foster's conviction, bringing the decades-old homicide to sentencing and ensuring he will remain accountable for the murder of Alwin Schoefer," the Sheriff's Office said Tuesday. According to the Sheriff's Office, the recent conviction marks Foster's fourth murder conviction, as he was was already serving multiple life sentences for the Jan. 7, 1991, murders of a Weimar man and woman, and was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in 1982 for 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," Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo said. "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." As of Tuesday afternoon, Foster remained in Placer County custody. Before the recent conviction, Foster was serving his sentence at Wasco State Prison in Wasco.