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Search warrants: Suspect confessed to murder-for-hire scheme

Posted at 9:49 PM, Feb 06, 2013
and last updated 2013-02-06 21:51:40-05

Search warrants recently filed in Chesapeake Circuit Court reveal new information about an alleged murder-for-hire plot involving two sailors, including a confession from one of the suspects.

Last month, Marcus Hofferber and Cory Abshire were arrested for the murder of Abshire's estranged wife, Rachel Abshire.

The 26-year-old mother of two, was found stabbed to death inside her apartment in January.

In one search warrant, a detective wrote that Hofferber became a suspect through their investigation and confessed to the crime.

The detective also wrote that Hofferber told investigators he and Abshire had been planning the murder for a while.

It does not specify exactly how long.

Police say the two suspects know each other through the Navy and that Abshire made an agreement to pay Hofferber to kill his wife.

According to police, Hofferber went to Rachel Abshire's home at Kingsbridge Apartments early on Saturday, Jan. 19 and stabbed her.

In another search warrant filed for Hofferber's truck, the detective writes that Hofferber told him he used the truck to drive to the scene of the murder and dispose of evidence afterwards.

Among the items police seized from the truck: a paper with directions and a green folding knife.

Investigators also filed search warrants to obtain the cell phone records for both men for the month of January.

They are charged with First-Degree Murder, Conspiracy and Armed Burglary.  Abshire is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing in a few weeks.  Hofferber is due back in court in late March.

Related: 

Husband arraigned in murder-for-hire case