I was at the court hearing in Indio yesterday, July 1, 2010, and this is Rachel Begley's statement that she read aloud to the court: (Rachel is the daughter of Ralph Boger, one of the victims of the Alvarez triple homicide that occurred in Rancho Mirage in 1981. Jimmy Hughes is accused of contracting to do the hit).
This is a link to the Associated Press story that ran nationwide on July 1 regarding the release of Jimmy Hughes yesterday.
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38046124/ns/businessThis is Rachel Begley's statement that she read to the court yesterday:
Statement to the Court and Honorable Judge Wells
July 1, 2010
Your Honor,
May I request that this statement, per Marcy’s Law, be made a permanent record of this court.
My name is Rachel Begley. My father, Ralph Boger, was murdered in an execution style triple homicide in Rancho Mirage 29 years ago. The anniversary of his murder is today, July 1st.
The defendant, James Hughes, who is sitting in this court today, admitted his involvement in my father’s murder years ago, and has published at various websites in the US and in Latin American newspapers that he was a professional mafia hit man before he found God. I will gladly provide you with these articles at your request.
I am not here today to present the abundance of evidence against Jimmy Hughes; I am here to plead with you not to release Mr. Hughes because I and numerous other victims and witnesses will live in fear for the rest of our lives if Mr. Hughes is set free to return to his home in Honduras where he is politically connected with both the government and the military. If future harm comes to me or other witnesses by Hughes or his followers, I believe there would be no cooperative effort between the United States and Honduras to bring Mr. Hughes to justice.
Indeed, he is being released today in the US despite the fact that he is a self confessed hit man who has cold bloodedly murdered numerous innocent people during his career as a hit man.
This case is paralleling the Joran Van Der Sloot case in which he was released in Aruba and subsequently killed a girl in Lima, Peru. I ask this court, how many people must die or suffer at the hands of James Hughes before he is brought to justice? He has literally gotten away with murder if he is released today. This is a demoralizing lesson to the general public who regained their faith in the justice system when Mr. Hughes was arrested in September 2009.
It is also demoralizing to the law enforcement people in Riverside who risked everything to reopen this case and solve it when no one else cared---despite the fact that there is no statute of limitations on the murder of three people in 1981.
I don’t know the law, Your Honor, but I pray that you will do the right and honorable thing in this court today, regardless of whether Mr. Mike Murphy of the Dept of Justice in San Diego chooses not to prosecute this case for personal reasons, or because of a technicality relating to due process that occurred 29 years ago, or because this case is complicated and could be an embarrassment to the Justice Department at this late date.
I request, Your Honor, that the record state that I believe there should be a preliminary hearing so that the court can determine the evidence in this case. Nothing has changed since the filing of this case, so either it was an unethical filing or an unethical dismissal-even according to Mr. Murphy’s own words, this case should have been tried 25 years ago. Due to the diligence of Det. John Powers and my own independent investigations, and lack of the statute of limitations, there has been no due process violation. Instead, only an abuse of prosecutorial discretion. This case is not just a personal setback, but a setback for the system as a whole.
While I expect the defense attorneys to fight on behalf of their client, I am astounded by the lack of victim advocacy and society protection by the prosecution in this case. Frankly, it amounts to prosecutorial misconduct and a miscarriage of justice.
I do not understand how Attorney General Jerry Brown could support the release of Mr. Hughes. How can he be elected Governor of California if he can’t manage his staff competently in San Diego?
Please be advised that the only request I am making for myself and on behalf of the family members of the other murder victims, is that the evidence against Mr. Hughes be presented in a court of law and that Mr. Hughes face his accusers here in the United States rather than hiding out in Honduras where he is untouchable.
He preaches publically in Latin America and in the US that God has forgiven him for his murders, yet I question whether he has truly repented. He has never shown any remorse for his crimes of murder, never apologized to me or the other victims, so how could he have repented?
I ask that James Hughes remain in custody at least until another DOJ prosecutor who is less timid can be assigned to prosecute this case. Or perhaps the case can be handed over to another jurisdiction or a special prosecutor. My own attorney, Robin Sax, has offered to prosecute this case as a special prosecutor, should the court allow this. There must be a way, Your Honor, with the power and wisdom of this court, that you can find a way to protect the lives and rights of Hughes’ victims.
To Jimmy Hughes I say: I hope your short time in jail has given you time to truly repent. Be advised that even if the court and the Attorney General fail me today, I will never give up seeking truth and justice for my dad, Fred, and Patty.
I also request Your Honor, that Detective John Powers be allowed to address the court as he has been my support through this ordeal and he has information that only he can tell this court.
Thank you Your Honor for allowing me to be heard. I can only ask the court that should you agree to the dismissal of this case, that you do so without prejudice so that a proper review can be insured.
