Terri Hoffman investigation

Dear Jennings Brown,

RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST of October 20, 2020, Reference # D000196-102320

Dear Jennings Brown,

The Dallas County Criminal DA received a public information request from you on October 20, 2020. Your request mentioned:

“Pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
Any and all records relating to or mentioning Dallas County District Attorney’s investigation into Terri Lee Hoffman and her organization called Conscious Development (aka Conscious Development of Body Mind, & Soul Inc.)—including but not limited to collected files of related police investigations, autopsy reports, financial records, journals, audio tapes, and video tapes. The investigation, led by Dallas County Assistant District Attorney Cecil Emerson, began in Fall or Winter of 1989 and lasted at least four years.
The investigation came after ten people associated with Conscious Development and/or Terri Hoffman died by suicide or apparent accidents. Those deaths include Sandra and Devereaux Cleaver, Robin Otstott, Mary Levinson, Glen Cooley, Richard Donald Hoffman, and David and Glenda Goodman. The Goodman deaths immediately preceded the investigation.
Terri Hoffman died in 2015. Dallas County Assistant District Attorney Cecil Emerson spoke to the press about the investigations on multiple occasions.
These investigations into Hoffman and Conscious Development have been widely described in media reports:
https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19900304&slug=1059149
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-02-13-mn-22283-story.html
I am a member of the news media and request classification as such. I have previously written for Esquire magazine, Popular Mechanics magazine, and Gizmodo. My articles have been widely read, with some reaching over 1 million readers. As such, I have a reasonable expectation of publication and my editorial and writing skills are well established.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Jennings Brown”

This email is to notify you that no records exist.  Your request has been closed.

If you have any questions, please contact my office at 469-385-4063. Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,

Ricardo Vela
Assistant District Attorney
Criminal DA

To view the full details of this request please log into the Dallas County Public Records Center. (CUST_ISSUES_HREF)

I apologize for the delay in responding to your request. I was unable to located any responsive investigative files concerning Terri Lee Hoffman or the organization Conscious Development. Because this office cannot disclose records we do not possess or cannot locate, we are unable to disclose that specific information responsive to your request. See Economic Opportunities Development Corp. of San Antonio v. Bustamante, 562 S.W.2d 266, 268 (Tex. Civ. App.-San Antonio 1978).

If you have any questions or if I can be of further assistance, please contact me at (214) 653-3625.

Sincerely,

Rick Vela
Assistant District Attorney
Appellate Division
Dallas County District Attorney's Office
133 N. Riverfront Blvd., LB 19
Dallas, Texas 75207
214-653-3625 (Phone)
214-653-3643 (Fax)
ricardo.vela@dallascounty.org<mailto:ricardo.vela@dallascounty.org> (Email)

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--- Please respond above this line ---

I apologize for the delay in responding to your request. I was unable to located any responsive investigative files concerning Terri Lee Hoffman or the organization Conscious Development. Because this office cannot disclose records we do not possess or cannot locate, we are unable to disclose that specific information responsive to your request. See Economic Opportunities Development Corp. of San Antonio v. Bustamante, 562 S.W.2d 266, 268 (Tex. Civ. App.—San Antonio 1978).
If you have any questions or if I can be of further assistance, please contact me at (214) 653-3625.
Sincerely,
Rick Vela
Assistant District Attorney
Appellate Division
Dallas County District Attorney's Office
133 N. Riverfront Blvd., LB 19
Dallas, Texas 75207
214-653-3625 (Phone)
214-653-3643 (Fax)
(Email) (mailto:ricardo.vela@dallascounty.org) ricardo.vela@dallascounty.org CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE This e-mail message is intended only for the named recipient(s) above. It may contain confidential information that is privileged or that constitutes attorney work product. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and any attachment(s) is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please immediately notify the sender by replying to this e-mail and delete the message and any attachment(s) from your system.
To monitor the progress or update this request please log into the Dallas County Public Records Center (https://u4037834.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=NsSD9AJ7NC1Zn9x435-2BIaLzeunv-2B7TTkJuzwkBSZdfv9BUMH9RHC6AO5XFF2ooNqGV0lpGHSApVq8AjX0snd-2Bmmr6zZqNlDNZJHhMuqQr-2FrsYG6QHwEDLiinkkkE4RUAftWZ_hQoD4SsZzljgg7Nr2TFHLMdltUwDyXWlk0y2imtxbdtqljpNL5oRBRyWopdA68dDkYbdjGmYRl93ROBhy5j9dHNGaGDmcljqwnfl2FnuO1JmkhSVAGU3UYyy8be11QFppGCNb6aYMYc8PzciXTzIP4G6QPFqzkLjsfoUlDnPwMqjUR6OkhylkWkUbh-2BDm8f8c0Zgs7BndFIY2vJXIHFHxWgRA7EbQTGLapF2K7E8thB5ouMKCsnQzRNgLSMkqMiP)