On the stand, her husband claimed he was a thousand-year-old alien capable of being in multiple places at once. A jury still managed to convict two people of murder without ever finding a body.
Girly Chew Hossencofft, 36, disappeared from Albuquerque, New Mexico, on September 9, 1999. Her husband, Diazien Hossencofft, and his girlfriend, Linda Henning, were both later convicted of her murder in a case that became infamous for its bizarre conspiracy theories about aliens and reptilian world leaders. Her body has never been found.
A Marriage Built on Lies
Girly met Diazien Hossencofft, then going by the name he'd invented after abandoning his real identity as Armand Chavez, while visiting the United States in the early 1990s; they married in 1992 and settled in Albuquerque. Hossencofft claimed to be a thoracic surgeon and geneticist, selling wealthy clients expensive anti-aging injections and fabricated cancer treatments. Girly eventually learned he was a con artist who had fathered a child with another woman and was engaged to multiple women simultaneously. She reported domestic abuse to police, moved out of their home in January 1999, and filed for divorce, telling a coworker and an FBI agent that if anything ever happened to her, they should look at her husband.
A New Girlfriend, and a Shared Obsession
That summer, Hossencofft met Linda Henning, a former fashion designer, at a conspiracy theory seminar. He told her he was a doctor and former CIA operative, and, according to court testimony, claimed to be an immortal alien. Henning broke off her own engagement within two weeks of meeting him and began telling friends she was destined to become a "reptile queen" as part of a coming alien takeover.
Disappearance
Girly left work on September 9, 1999, and was never seen again. She failed to show up for her shift the next day, prompting coworkers to report her missing. Investigators searching her apartment found bleach stains and, using luminol, extensive cleaned-up blood evidence. Items belonging to Girly — clothing, a washcloth, gauze, duct tape — were later found wrapped in a tarp along a nearby highway, containing blood and hair from both Girly and Henning.
Arrests and a Guilty Plea
Diazien Hossencofft became the prime suspect and had already left for South Carolina by the time Girly was reported missing. In January 2002, he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, kidnapping, and related charges, avoiding the death penalty. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 61 years.
Henning's Trial
Linda Henning pleaded not guilty and went to trial in the summer of 2002. Hossencofft testified in her defense, claiming to be a shape-shifting reptilian capable of being in multiple places simultaneously, and stated he had let a third man, William "Bill" Miller, kill Girly. He claimed he later planted Henning's blood in the apartment specifically to frame her. Prosecutors and investigators didn't believe Miller was responsible, and he was ultimately charged only with tampering with evidence. On October 25, 2002, a jury found Henning guilty of first-degree murder, kidnapping, conspiracy, evidence tampering, and perjury. She was sentenced in 2003 to 73 years in prison — a life sentence plus 43 years under New Mexico law. In 2010, New Mexico's Supreme Court overturned her perjury convictions on appeal but upheld everything else, including her sentence.
A Later Attempt to Overturn His Sentence
In 2020, nearly two decades after his conviction, Hossencofft asked a court to vacate his guilty plea and life sentence, alleging prosecutors and police had colluded to withhold evidence that would have exonerated both him and Henning. The judge granted his attorney additional time to gather evidence; no reporting has since indicated this effort succeeded.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Girly Chew Hossencofft's body ever been found?
No. Despite extensive searches, including cadaver dogs and helicopters, her remains have never been located.
Are Diazien Hossencofft and Linda Henning still in prison?
Yes. Both remain incarcerated — Hossencofft serving life plus 61 years, and Henning serving 73 years — as of the most recent public reporting.
Was the third man, Bill Miller, ever charged with murder?
No. Investigators didn't believe he was responsible for the killing itself; he was charged only with tampering with evidence.