A 40-year-old North Carolina man on trial for attempted murder for shooting two La Honda residents in the face and attempting to shoot at a sheriff’s deputy in 2016 is facing a lengthy prison term after he was found guilty by a jury of several felony charges Wednesday, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.
Convicted of premeditated and attempted murder, car theft and battery on a police officer, among other charges, James Bernard Hofler has been in custody on $10 million bail and is next expected to appear in court Dec. 23 for sentencing, according to prosecutors.
Then 36 years old, Hofler was found walking on Highway 1 in Pacifica four days after he is said to have shot two men he didn’t know in the face the morning of March 12, 2016. He was spotted by a Pacifica police officer at about 1 a.m. March 16, 2016, on the coastal highway and is believed to have attacked the officer before firing a shot that missed the officer, who was able to take him into custody, according to prosecutors.
At 7 a.m. March 12, Hofler allegedly approached a 75-year-old man who was on the deck of his home in La Honda and shot him in the face without saying anything. He allegedly fired another shot in the man’s head and walked to a cottage on the property, where he fired several shots at another male victim before driving away from the scene in the first victim’s car, according to prosecutors.
The second man was also shot in the face, and the two men were transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, where they were treated and survived, according to prosecutors.
After 11 days of trial and two days of deliberations, jurors returned verdicts of guilty on all counts and allegations Wednesday, according to prosecutors.
Hofler’s defense attorney Paul DeMeester said he plans to file an appeal once Hofler is sentenced and hopes he has another chance to try the case. Because he challenged the selection of five of the jurors due to concerns about their impartiality, DeMeester said he felt he had a viable appellate issue.
Wasn't DeMeester involved in the selection of these jurors? Oh course he was ! (“If the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is against you, argue the facts. If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like h*ll”)
P.S. Another fine example of outstanding detective work by the Sheriff's Office.
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Wasn't DeMeester involved in the selection of these jurors? Oh course he was ! (“If the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is against you, argue the facts. If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like h*ll”)
P.S. Another fine example of outstanding detective work by the Sheriff's Office.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.