Murder of Girly Chew Hossencofft

Victim

Girly Chew was born on August 27, 1963, in Tanjung Bungah, Penang, Malaysia, to Malaysian Chinese parents. She met Diazien Hossencofft at SeaWorld during a visit to the United States in the early 1990s, and the two married in 1993. The couple lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Girly worked as a bank teller. In January 1999, following a domestic violence incident in which Diazien threatened to kill her, Girly moved out and filed for divorce. She told co-workers she was afraid of her husband after discovering he had lied about his career as a doctor and was living under a false name.

Perpetrators

Diazien Hossencofft was born Armand Chavez in Houston, Texas, on March 5, 1965. He falsely claimed to be a thoracic surgeon with degrees from the University of Tokyo and Cornell Medical College; in fact he had doctored his transcripts and was expelled from medical school. After changing his name, he posed as a geneticist, claimed to have leukemia, and sold fraudulent cancer treatments and anti-aging injections to clients. In 1999, while still married to Girly, he was simultaneously engaged to three women, including Linda Henning, a former fashion model and designer born October 10, 1953, in Hollywood, California. Henning and Diazien shared an interest in government conspiracy theories and UFOs.

Crime and Investigation

Girly Chew failed to appear for work on September 10, 1999, and her co-workers reported her missing that day. Diazien Hossencofft, the prime suspect, had left for Charleston, South Carolina, that same day. Investigators found the smell of bleach and, using luminol, substantial blood evidence in Girly's apartment. Linda Henning, questioned as Diazien's personal reference, denied knowing Girly, but investigators proved this false, showing Henning had banked at Girly's branch and been served by her. Henning was charged with perjury in October 1999 for lying to a grand jury. A ninja sword purchased the morning of the murder was recovered from Henning's attic, and Girly's clothing was later found on a tarpaulin in Belen, New Mexico, along with duct tape bearing Henning's hair. Both Henning and Diazien were indicted and charged with murder.

Trial and Verdict

In January 2002, Diazien pleaded guilty to murder to avoid the death penalty, receiving life plus 61 years at Wyoming State Penitentiary. Henning's trial began in September 2002 and was televised on Court TV; she was the first woman in New Mexico history to face capital punishment. Diazien testified for the defense, claiming he masterminded the murder and that a man named Bill Miller was the true killer. Bill Miller was charged only with five counts of tampering with evidence. On October 25, 2002, Henning was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, conspiracy to kidnap, tampering with evidence, and four counts of perjury. She was sentenced on April 18, 2003, to 73 years in prison. Miller received one year of probation.

Aftermath

In 2010, the New Mexico Supreme Court overturned Henning's perjury convictions while affirming all other convictions and her sentence. In January 2020, Diazien requested a judge vacate his sentence, alleging prosecutorial misconduct; his attorney was granted a six-month extension to gather evidence.