Judge in Walmart case finds Hoffmann family did not violate gag order: court in recess
Hoffmann says he believes Rodriguez wanted to use his family for his own benefit.
— Dylan McKim KVIA ABC-7 (@DylMcK14) November 30, 2022
He also says he felt threatened by Rodriguez.
He says Rodriguez opened his jacket and showed he was carrying a gun while at a restaurant.
He said he used it against his "enemies."
UPDATE: Judge Medrano has found family of Walmart victim did not violate gag order.
EL PASO, Texas -- The presiding judge in the alleged Walmart shooter case will likely decide if a gag order was violated in a hearing on Wednesday afternoon.
Honorable Judge Sam Medrano of the 409th District Court has ordered embattled District Attorney Yvonne Rosales, along with the family of Walmart victim Alexander Hoffmann, to appear in the courtroom at 1 p.m.
The hearing will deal with an email that was sent to media outlets in El Paso, including KVIA, back on August 4. That email went after Judge Medrano and former Assistant District Attorney Amanda Enriquez, who spoke about the case on an ABC-7 segment the day before.
The problem with the email is it came after the judge issued a gag order in the case on July 1. That gag order prohibits anyone involved in the case, including the victims' families, from talking to the media about the case.
The email came from the address of Rosa Maria Valdez Garcia, the widow of Hoffmann.
A bombshell report from Justin Underwood, who was assigned to represent the Hoffmann family by Judge Medrano, alleged that Roger Rodriguez, a Vinton municipal judge, impersonated the family and sent that email along with his wife, Anne.
Underwood alleges in his report that Rodriguez also threatened the family and claims Rodriguez did all of this while acting as a representative to Rosales and her office.
The report came with translated transcriptions and audio tapes of three alleged conversations between Rodriguez and the Hoffmann family in August.
That report will be a topic of discussion at Wednesday's hearing.
ABC-7 has tried to reach out to Rodriguez, even going to his home on several occasions, but has not been able to contact him.
This hearing comes two days after Rosales said she would resign from her position in a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday. It is unknown if Rosales will appear in court on Wednesday.
ABC-7 will provide updates on the case throughout the day.
