The man accused of causing the death of three Custer County residents last year has a new preliminary hearing date set after his initial hearing slated for last month was delayed. 

Hanme Clark, 45, appeared in Custer County court Tuesday morning for a setting hearing to set a new preliminary hearing date. Clark was initially slated to have his preliminary hearing Feb. 28, but the hearing was set over at the request of Clark’s defense attorney. 

Clark is accused of shooting and killing three Custer County residents — Rob Geers, his wife, Beth Wade Geers, and James Daulton — over what the arrest affidavit obtained by The Gazette described as a possible land dispute outside the town of Westcliffe. 

Daulton’s wife, Patty Daulton, was also allegedly shot by Clark, but survived the shooting and sustained serious injuries.  

Clark was arrested in New Mexico along with his girlfriend Nancy Rae Medina-Kochis, 50, who was extradited on Jan. 15 and placed in the El Paso County jail. The two were arrested by U.S. marshals and New Mexico state police during a “high-risk, felony stop” just outside Albuquerque on Nov. 21.

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Medina-Kochis — who faces five counts of accessory to a crime for her alleged involvement in the shooting — appeared in Custer County Court on Tuesday morning for a motions hearing, where attorneys discussed the terms of her bond.

Medina-Kochis is out of custody after posting $100,000 cash bond in January, according to court records. 

At Tuesday’s court hearing Medina-Kochis’ attorney, Donald Cutler, requested for the court to approve two motions regarding his clients’ bond. The first request, which was granted by Judge Lynette Wenner, was to stop the urinalysis tests being conducted on Medina-Kochis as a requirement of her bond. 

Cutler said that the UA tests were becoming burdensome for Medina-Kochis, who is unable to drive herself to the tests, and that they are unnecessary because a health condition of Medina-Kochis’ makes her unable to drink alcohol without potentially fatal side effects. 

Prosecutor Kyle Ipson stated he did not have an objection to the defense motion.  

The second defense motion, which was denied by Wenner, requested an amendment to the protection order to allow for an independent third party to update Clark on Medina-Kochis’ ongoing health problems. The current protection order does not allow for Clark and Medina-Kochis to have communication of any kind. 

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Despite no objection from Ipson, Wenner opted to deny the motion from the defense. A victim advocate for Patty Daulton, Matthew Beresky, was present in court virtually for the hearing and objected to both motions presented by the defense. 

Medina-Kochis will return to court on May 7 for a pre-trial conference. Clark’s preliminary hearing date is scheduled to take place later that month on May 17. 

Clark faces three counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder and other charges. He remains in custody at the Pueblo County jail on a $2 million bond. 

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