EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – A recent e-mail sent to El Paso media brings up questions about who is posing as a family member of Alexander Gerhard Hoffman, one of the victims of the August 3 Walmart shooting, and for what purpose.

It began on August 3, 2022, when former Assistant District Attorney Amanda Enriquez, who assisted with the initial case filings under former DA Jaime Esparza, appeared on KVIA-ABC7 to discuss the status of the trial.

Enriquez’s statements during the segment seemed benign, only stating that she believed the trial would need to be held outside El Paso to avoid a tainted jury pool.

Attorneys close to the case cannot speak due to a gag order placed on the case on July 1, 2022.

On August 4, most local media outlets received an e-mail from an individual purporting to be Alexander Hoffmann Valdez, one of Mr. Hoffmann’s three children.

“In response to the statements made by Amanda Enríquez in the news articles on August 3 and 4, 2022, my family and I would like the media and the community to know she is using this case for political purposes. HOW DARE SHE,” the e-mail stated. Alexander Hoffmann Valdez signed the e-mail, but the e-mail address listed his mother’s name, Rosa Maria Valdez.

Enriquez has not been at the DA’s office since Yvonne Rosales took over in January 2021.

Among circles at the courthouse, it has long been rumored that she is eyeing a run at the DA’s seat in 2024, though Enriquez has not confirmed whether she is considering running against Rosales.

The e-mail said,

“We met Amanda Enríquez while she was working as an assistant district attorney, and she was unprofessional, inadequate, and cold. She was there during the July 1, 2022, hearing and is aware of the gag order, and despite this, she made several statements to influence the perspective of the community in a manner that is just not true. We waited for a response from the judge until 5 p.m. today. When the judge did nothing, my family felt it was necessary to file a State Bar complaint for Amanda Enriquez’s unprofessional conduct. It is my understanding that she may be called as a witness regarding her inappropriate conduct and by other attorneys of the former administration of Jaime Esparza.”

Enriquez is not a party to Medrano’s gag order.

Several elements of the e-mail stood out to KTSM immediately.

Alexander Gerhard Hoffmann was a German national living in Juarez, where most of his family still lives today. They are primarily Spanish speakers. The e-mail purporting to be Mr. Alexander Hoffmann Valdez appeared to be written in near-perfect English with an above-average knowledge of the legal system.

To verify the authenticity of the e-mail, KTSM contacted Elise V Hoffmann-Taus, the daughter of Alexander Hoffmann.

She confirmed that her mother or any other family member had never met Amanda Enriquez, and she also claimed the e-mail could not have come from her brother because he was mentally incapable of doing so.

My response to this diverting email is short:

The District Attorney in El Paso,  FBI and other authorities, from the get go were nothing but supportive and outstanding. I am appalled of this email, and I, the next of kin of Alexander Hoffmann, do NOT believe this was written by my brother, nor any of my family members. Not only is Alexander Hoffmann not fluent and eloquent in the English language, but he lacks the capabilities of writing such emails. 
 

Elise Hoffmann-Taus

Judge Sam Medrano issued a gag order on the case during a hearing on July 1, barring everyone, including defense and prosecution, along with witnesses and family members of victims, from speaking to the press.

“It is important to mention that multiple complaints have been filed regarding the July 1 hearing and the judge in the case, Judge Sam Medrano. The Court is currently under investigation. On the anniversary of my father’s death, Ms. Enríquez showed the community that she is only interested in preparing her political campaign and her behavior is offensive to the families and the murdered victims,” the closing of the mystery e-mail stated.

KTSM reached out to the State Bar, which says they do not disclose complaints filed against parties unless the allegations are found to be true. If there are allegations, only the parties involved — the reporting party and the party under investigation would know about any such complaint.

Those parties would have to waive confidentiality to make any complaints public.

After receiving confirmation that the family was not behind the August 4th e-mail, an unprovoked follow-up e-mail from the “mystery Hoffmann” was sent to all media in El Paso once again, requesting that their e-mail from the previous day be published in full.

This is a developing story, and KTSM is actively working to determine who is posing as Mr. Hoffmann’s family. Aaron Montes with KTEP Radio contributed to our reporting