Matricide suspect Marie Hefner has made bond.
She’s charged with first-degree murder in the death of her mother, Bertha Lorraine Schrum Lodewegen.
Hefner was arrested on April 25. She waived her right to a preliminary hearing in the case on April 30 in exchange for an agreed bond with conditions.
“The defendant’s bond is set at $100,000 by agreement of the parties,” the order signed by General Sessions Court Judge Terry Stevens said. “This agreement is a result of the defendant waiving her preliminary hearing for an agreement on bond.”
Hefner, 50, bonded out of the Roane County Jail the same day the agreement was reached. The judge’s order requires her to wear a GPS ankle monitor.
The case against Hefner can now proceed to the Roane County grand jury with her preliminary hearing being waived. The grand jury meets again in June. It could review the case against Hefner at that meeting.
Brinks Security logs and a neighbor’s security video are mentioned in the first-degree murder warrant filed against Hefner.
“On April 21, 2024, Bertha Lodewegen’s body was found in her basement at 109 Circle Drive, Rockwood, TN, with a wound to its neck,” the warrant said. “Bertha’s daughter, Marie A. Hefner, arrived on scene and stated that she had been at the house with her mother alone on April 20, 2024, and drove her silver Jeep Patriot.”
Lodewegen lived at 109 Circle Drive. The warrant said Hefner stated that she left her mother’s house between 12:30 and 1 p.m., but added that she wasn’t paying attention to the time.
“Security video from 108 Circle Drive, Rockwood, showed on April 20, 2024 at 9:26 a.m. what appeared to be a silver Jeep SUV arrive at 109 Circle Drive,” the warrant said. “The same vehicle then left the residence at 9:36 a.m. What appeared to be a silver Jeep SUV returned to 109 Circle Drive at 12:03 p.m. and an individual was seen unloading bags.”
The warrant said the same individual walks back to the vehicle at 1:34 p.m., gets inside the vehicle and leaves.
“A review of Mrs. Lodewegen’s Brinks Security event log on her Iphone recovered from the scene showed that at 12:04 p.m. on April 20, 2024, the side door to 109 Circle Drive was opened, then movement into the dining room, then a dining area glass break alert at 12:18 p.m.,” the warrant said. “Brinks Security event log then showed the basement door opening and closing between 1:02 p.m. and 1:04 p.m., and then at 1:25 p.m. recorded a glass break alert in the basement of the home.”
A man identified as Michael Nelson discovered Lodewegen’s body on April 21.
“The system recorded no activity between 9:34 a.m. and 12:04 p.m. on April 20, 2024, and after the 1:25 p.m. basement glass break on April 20, 2024, there was no activity noted until 9 a.m. on April 21, 2024, when witness and 911 caller Michael Nelson arrived at the residence to check on Mrs. Lodewegen and discovered her body,” the warrant said. “According to 911 call records, Mr. Nelson called 911 at 9 a.m.”
Lodewegen was 75.
