Judge issues gag order
(Albuquerque) An arranged meeting this morning between police, convicted murderer Diazien Hossencofft and his attorneys unfolded inside the secrecy of a locked jury room in Judge John Brennan’s courtroom on the third floor of State District Court.
Sources say Judge Brennan agreed to sign an Order for Nondisclosure which forbids the parties involved in today’s meeting from making any comments about the proceeding. This reporter attempted obtain a copy of the Order for Nondisclosure at 4:50 P.M. today, but a clerk in the court’s criminal division said the Order had not yet been filed.
At approximately 11:15 this morning, this reporter caught a brief but clear glimpse of Mr.Hossencofft inside the jury room as his attorney Vera Ockenfels opened the door to enter that room. Hossencofft was wearing a blue jail uniform and was seated at a table.
In an unusual move at the conclusion of the meeting, all parties involved chose not to exit through the courtroom as is the standard. Instead, presumably to avoid the media, everyone exited through a passage near the judge’s chambers.
Contacted at his office, prosecutor Paul Spiers, abiding by the gag order, declined to comment on whether or not Hossencofft provided a statement to police today. Efforts to contact Hossencofft attorneys Ockenfels and Marc Robert were unsuccessful.
Previous negotiations aimed at obtaining a statement about the murder from Hossencofft have been extremely delicate. That history, coupled with Thursday’s fireworks in court (please see article below) appear to have resulted in a tenuous moment–today’s secret meeting–with the dual aim of 1) providing investigators with details of the murder, and 2) allowing Hossencofft to meet his plea obligation of providing such a statement which, in turn, facilitates his much desired transfer to a Wyoming prison.
Why does Hossencofft want out of New Mexico? And why Wyoming? His attorney Marc Robert Thursday said it would be inappriopriate to comment on such questions. An article in Thursday’s Albuquerque Journal suggests Hossencofft is very concerned about his safety here in New Mexico.
As for the Wyoming question, a former Hossencofft girlfriend told the Albuquerque Tribune last week that Hossencofft has friends in Wyoming. In her January 10, 2002 article, Tribune reporter Joline Gutierrez Krueger wrote:
(Julie McGuire) said Hossencofft has a more devious reason for selecting Wyoming, a place he often spoke of and where he claimed to have powerful allies.
“This is not just a whim of him wanting to go there,” she said. “He’s got some people there that could very well help him. He could actually get loose there.”
The question of whether-or-not Hossenccoft provided a statement to police which satisfies the court should soon be answered–if not directly–then indirectly. That’s because, if he did cooperate, Hossencofft would soon be transferred to a state prison in Los Lunas, New Mexico. The Los Lunas facility would be a temporary “transitional” residence for Hossencofft as the State prepares to move him to Wyoming.
The Los Lunas prison is often used for transitioning inmates. The judge also acknowledged in court earlier this week that if the Wyoming transfer were to take place, Hossencofft would first be moved to Los Lunas.
No doubt many of you are asking questions: “If Hossencofft did provide information today concerning the murder, will search crews be out looking for the body soon?” “Did Hossencofft make statements which incriminate his co-defendants, Linda Henning and William “Bill” Miller”?
You are not alone in asking those questions.