Convicted serial killer pleads guilty to 1992 murder of elderly man found in burning home

PLACER COUNTY, Calif. (TCN) -- A convicted serial killer behind bars for the deaths of three people has been handed an additional sentence of 75 years to life for the 1992 murder of an 85-year-old man.

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office announced that on April 30, Joseph Foster, 65, was sentenced to 75 years to life in state prison for the murder of Alwin Schoefer, which went unsolved for 34 years.

On Aug. 6, 1992, police arrived at a burning home that had been padlocked shut. Schoefer was found fatally stabbed and shot inside the home, and investigators determined that the fire had been set on purpose after he was killed. Evidence was collected and investigation began; authorities working the case believed that the motive may have been robbery, because Schoefer was known to keep large amounts of cash on hand instead of using a bank.

The case went cold for decades, according to the sheriff’s office. Advances in DNA technology linked Foster to the killing and he pleaded guilty to murder on March 30, 2025. Foster was already behind bars for the 1991 murders of a man and woman and for the shooting death of a man in 1980, for which he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. The 1991 deaths were solved via DNA in 2017, according to KTXL.

Regarding cold cases, Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo said, “Our work isn’t done. If anything, cases like this strengthen our resolve to keep pushing forward and finding justice.” 

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