Roxine Belle Foster, a 59-year-old female, was fatally shot on the afternoon of October 23, 2019, while operating a tractor on the ranch she shared with her husband in Grand Junction, Colorado. Her husband, Mark Anthony Foster, placed a 911 call to report the incident, claiming that his wife had been shot by an unknown person. Upon their arrival at the property located in the 2200 block of I Road, deputies from the Mesa County Sheriff's Office discovered Roxine deceased.
In the ensuing investigation, Mark Foster suggested to authorities that his wife could have been the victim of a stray bullet or that she was targeted by individuals with whom he had previous conflicts. He offered several potential suspects for the investigators to consider. However, the focus of the investigation eventually shifted to him. The prosecution's theory emerged that Mark Foster, motivated by marital and financial problems, had killed his wife and then tried to misdirect the investigation to conceal his culpability.
On March 31, 2020, Mark Anthony Foster, then 61 years old, was taken into custody. He faced charges of first-degree murder, attempt to influence a public servant, and domestic violence. A key piece of evidence in the case was a. 22 caliber rifle that was recovered from his vehicle. Following a jury trial, Mark Anthony Foster was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, along with two counts of attempting to influence a public servant. His conviction was later the subject of an appeal.
