Kinnelon teen charged with first-degree murder of dad
An 18-year-old Kinnelon man was arrested Sunday and charged with the shooting death of his father in their family home, according to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.
Travis J. Hofstetter, 18, was charged with one count of first-degree murder after his father, James E. Hofstetter, 57, was found dead in his home from an apparent gunshot wound.
According to the prosecutor's report, Kinnelon police responded to a call for an unknown medical emergency at about 4:15 p.m. Sunday and found the elder Hofstetter dead in his residence at 15 Wedgewood Drive. Travis Hofstetter was later arrested about 14 miles away from the home, near the Skylands Ice World on Route 23 in Stockholm, by officers with the Hardyston Police Department.
Travis Hofstetter was charged on Monday with one count of first-degree murder, one count of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon.
He was remanded to the Morris County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail set at $750,000 cash only, with additional conditions.
News of the crime was a shock to Pequannock Mayor Cathy Winterfield, who said Hofstetter had worked for the township for most of the past two years as a contact employee, performing duties as a code-enforcement officer, in part assuring affordable-housing codes were being followed in the township.
"I was shocked," Winterfield said. "I asked our manager, 'Is this a hoax?' But we were able to verify it through the police department."
Winterfield said she met Hofstetter only on a few occasions, in the course of business, but said "He was very good at his job. People liked him, even when he was inspecting for violations. He had very good people skills. I'm just in shock that this could happen."
Tax records list the owners of the 3,809-square-foot home at 15 Wedgewood Drive as James E. and Linda Hofstetter. The property and home, built in 1995, are assessed at $664,700. The address is also listed as the address of Hofstetter Construction Corp. Calls to the company's phone number were not answered.
Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp and Kinnelon Borough Police Chief John Schwartz announced the arrest, adding that other law-enforcement agencies assisting in the investigation included the Major Crimes Unit of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, the Kinnelon Police Department, the Morris County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Section, the Hardyston Township Police Department and the Morris County Medical Examiner's Office.
Hardyston and Kinnelon police referred inquiries to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.
Anyone with information about the alleged crime is asked to call the Morris County Prosecutor's Office at 973-285-6200, the Kinnelon Borough Police Department at 973 838-5400, or Crimestoppers at 973-267-2255.
Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-428-6627; wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com.