In the 48 Hours episode “A Brother’s Mission,” Erin Moriarty investigates the murder of 43-year-old decorated military pilot Karl Hoerig. On March 15, 2007, Hoerig was found shot dead in his Newton Falls, Ohio home. Five days earlier, Hoerig’s wife (his second wife) Claudia Sobral Hoerig (a native of Brazil who was also known by her middle name Cristina) bought a .357 Magnum revolver and went to a target range to practice shooting. Before his death, Karl Hoerig told friends he was planning on leaving his wife. They’d been married just 20 months. By the time his body was found (about three days after being shot) and Claudia Hoerig was charged with aggravated murder, Claudia had fled the U.S. and returned to Brazil. According to the affidavit, Claudia left “more than 900 personal items, including 77 pairs of shoes, 59 dresses, 19 business suits, 12 coats and more than 69 sweaters.”
48 Hours cameras follow Moriarty and Karl Hoerig’s brother as they travel to Brazil to track down the accused killer. Karl Hoerig’s family, and with the help of Representative Tim Ryan (D-Ohio, 13th District), are working to get Claudia Hoerig extradited to the U.S. to stand trial for her husband’s murder. In 2016, the country of Brazil revoked her citizenship, arrested her, and are holding her in custody as the Hoerigs await the extradition process. 48 Hours airs Saturdays at 10pm on CBS.
