The Officer's Wife When police officer Levi Chavez finds his wife, Tera, shot to death in their home, an investigation into her murder begins as buried secrets are revealed. By abqjournal. However, after several suspicions, connections, and autopsy reports were drawn, investigators and the victim's family accused the officer of allegedly shooting and murdering Tera Chavez in the bed of their Los Lunas home. For instance, detectives said that the night before the young mothers death, Levi Chavez was at his girlfriends house, according to PEOPLE. In August 2013, Chavez was acquitted of the murder charges. M.E. Guitarist Ottmar Liebert bringing his unique blend of music Ottmar Liebert and his band Luna Negra will perform with the New Mexico Philharmonic at Popejoy Hall on Saturday, March 11. or debate this issue live on our message boards. As mentioned, Levi Chavez was charged with her murder in April 2011, but it took another two years for the case to go to court due to a series of motion hearings, civil trials and a change of venue for the trial, KOAT reported. Tera Chavez was just 26 years old when she was found dead of a gunshot wound on October 22, 2007. Facebook gives people the power to. This individual treats the department as his own private brothel, and while he runs amok, nobody does anything or says anything. BUT HEATHER INSISTS THE WOMEN NEVER SPOKE. The court also heard that Hindi had been texting Levi Chavez just three weeks after his wifes death and suggesting that the two get married. In the 6-week-long court hearing, there were testimonies from police officers, pathologists, the women Levi had affairs with, as well as Teras family. Now her parents speak to News 13. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, Heather Chavez said she hadnt remembered those calls when she gave a deposition in a civil wrongful death lawsuit filed by Teras family against Levi. Homeowner finds gruesome animal skeleton hidden behind cupboard for 30 years - so can you guess what it is? She loved hard. Dated Nov. 14, 2007, it was from a fellow APD officer whose name, at the time, was Heather Hindi. The call did not go to voicemail. 2023, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of KOAT-TV. The lawsuit against Jones was dismissed in 2018. Levi Chavez Now: Where Is Tera Chavezs Husband Today? Play it now! Mr. Levi Chavez was born and raised in New Mexico and has a military and law enforcement background. webvtt in day 14 of the levi chavez trial, his current wife, a-p-d officer heather chavez takes the stand. "What did I tell you?" By that time, though, their marriage was already crumbling apart as Levi was having affairs with several women, many of whom he worked with on the police force. Upon returning home in mid-November not even a month after Tera's murder, that officer saw a car parked around the corner from his house. Jorge was born on August 28, 1961 in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala. Heather Chavez said that, despite the appearance given in the text she sent Levi about taking his last name and more than 400 calls between the two from Oct. 8, 2007 to Dec. 12 of that year they did not begin a sexual relationship until late November or early December.. He finally went on trial for the allegations brought against him in 2013, a full two years after the charges were first brought. In October of 2007, Tera, a mother of two, allegedly shot and killed herself at the couple's home while their children were at a family member's house. The case made national headlines in 2013 as more details came to light . He has full custody of his two children, according to Tera's parents Joseph and Theresa Cordova. In July 2013, Levi Chavez was found not guilty of first-degree murder. Tera Chavez was found dead of a gunshot wound and while her death was initially ruled a suicide, her husband was eventually charged with her murder. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Alex Murdaugh unanimously found GUILTY of murder of wife and son, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Isabel Oakeshott clashes with Nick Robinson over Hancock texts. Mmmm detective Chavez with homicide, the text read. (AP) BERNALILLO, New Mexico - The monthlong criminal trial and all its salacious stories of law officer affairs and a blundering investigation are over, but a civil trial looms for a former Albuquerque policeman acquitted of killing his depressed wife with his department-issued gun. Nov 21, 2007. July 17, 2013 / 10:40 AM Levi said. The official synopsis of the episode says. The entire world around Levi Chavez came trembling down when one fine October morning in 2007, he returned to his New Mexico home to find his wife Tera Chavez dead after taking a bullet to the mouth. If the scores of text messages, call logs, pictures of Teras children and photos of her kitties were going to be admitted as evidence, Serna argued, so, too, should the naked pictures and videos. The former officer, clenching a Rosary, immediately embraced his attorney, David Serna. On the morning of Oct. 22, 2007, Levi said he came home in Los Lunas and found his wife dead in bed from a gunshot to her mouth. Levi Chavez alleged malicious prosecution, malicious abuse of process, defamation, and outrageous conduct, according to court documents. Prosecutors had sought to keep from jurors what Serna described in explicit detail as sexual photographs and videos Tera had taken of herself and sent to Levi. For Tera Chavez, Levi was her high school sweetheart, husband, and the entire world. Chavez alleged malicious prosecution, malicious abuse of process, defamation, and outrageous conduct, court documents show. Upon announcing the verdict, the family of Levi Chavez, including his current wife Albuquerque detective Heather Chavez, let out gasps and wept. Serna told Chavez. Yet, with no proof of the former, he couldnt be charged or arrested for fraud. During the gap, Keener asked, You have no idea where the cellphone of Mr. Chavez was?. 'What did I tell you?' Chavez told jurors that he found his wife dead from a gunshot wound and thought it was God's way of punishing him. As soon as this grand jury indictment came out, Levi was fired from the Albuquerque Police Department, from where he had been on administrative leave for over a year. Serna on Thursday spent two and a half hours cross-examining Citizen. Previous Post In August 2013, Chavez was acquitted of the murder charges. Levi was initially charged with murdering his wife with his police issued Glock and making it appear as a suicide. BERNALILLO, N.M. The monthlong criminal trial and all its salacious stories of law officer affairs and a blundering investigation are over, but a civil trial looms for a former Albuquerque policeman acquitted of killing his depressed wife with his department-issued gun. After more than 10 hours of deliberations, a jury acquitted Levi Chavez, 32, of murdering of his wife, 26-year-old Tera Chavez, in 2007 and trying to make the hairdresser's death look like a suicide. you were talking about yourself, and you were talking about possibly marrying him bc his name was chavez, and you wanted to go to homicide. It was hailed as a new era when designers finally recognised 'real women' but they have once again been sidelined by stick-thin models, Taking the Mickey! Levi Chavez eventually filed a federal lawsuit against Aaron Jones, who was a detective with the Valencia County Sheriffs Department at the time of Teras death and was one of the first on the scene. On the night of Oct. 21, 2007, the lives of one couple from Los Lunas, New Mexico were changed forever. Heavy reached out to UNM for additional information about Chavezs admission status; however, we did not receive a response by press time. The upcoming episode of Dateline Unforgettable will premiere at 8.00 pm ET on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Manage the news you want to see, read exclusive content and explore other subscriber benefits. Following the not-guilty verdict, Chavez fileda federal lawsuit against Aaron Jones, a detective with the Valencia County Sheriffs Department at the time of Teras death. did you ever go to the address on ash place? Bernalillo County deputy involved in rollover crash in Northeast Albuquerque, Where does medical cannabis go from here? While there isn't an official wife, the second of Hugo Chavez's four children, 29 year-old Maria Gabriela, plays the role of First Lady of the . Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. The murder trial of Chavezs wife lasted over two years, according to KOAT. . We always thought, Hell take care of her.'. Levi was engaged to Heather Hindi two months after Tera died and married a few months later, according to PEOPLE. They allege the former officer killed his wife to keep her from disclosing an alleged staged theft of a truck for insurance money. Josh Mankiewicz reports Friday, November . The trial for a man accused of killing his wife while he was an Albuquerque cop and then trying to cover it up started Monday. Strict, but in a good way, he said. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Serna said he doubted that Chavez would want return to the state's largest police department. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Tera Chavezs parents say the entire legal process has been difficult because they want to continue to be in their grandchildrens lives but they also want Teras kids to know she didnt commit suicide. Im not guilty. Josh Mankiewicz reports. It looks like Chavez is now working for a nonprofit that provides emergency and permanent housing to homeless individuals. It appears that Chavez is now working for a non-profit organization called Heading Home that gives emergency housing and permanent housing support to people who are homeless in New Mexico, according to their website. Levi Chavez, right, a former Albuquerque police officer, gets a congratulatory hug from his attorney David Serna on Tuesday, July 16, 2013, in Bernalillo, N.M., after a jury acquitted him of murder and tampering with evidence charges in the 2007 death of his estranged wife, Tera Chavez. The tawdry details spilled in the trial and the questions it raised about the practices of the Albuquerque Police Department have further tarnished the agency, which is under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department over a series of police shootings. The Dateline NBC episode 'The Officer's Wife' investigates the 2007 death of 26-year-old Tera Chavez, wife of Albuquerque police officer Levi Chavez. Their additional three locations remain open. Some of the affairs were with female APD officers.[4]. Detective Jones, who suspected that Levi Chavez had murdered his wife eighteen to twenty hours before he . After gaining back his freedom, Levi Chavez decided that he wanted to change his career but still be in the justice system. It appears that his wife, now known as Heather Chavez, is a detective with the Farmington Police Department. Levi Chavez maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and he maintains his innocence even today. / CBS News. Over the next several months, detectives began digging into Levi Chavezs story and the investigation eventually deemed her death a homicide. Her family said they knew there was trouble in the relationship and they had heard Levi Chavez was cheating on his wife, Alibi reported. Levi Chavez's current wife, Heather Chavez, took the stand Friday.She detailed the development of the pair's relationship following the death of Levi Chavez's former wife, Tera. The investigation took many years, with a search warrant served at Levi Chavezs home in August 2009, by which time the case was deemed a homicide. Im innocent. As week three of the Levi Chavez murder trial wound down prosecutors started playing up another possible motive for him to kill his wife Tera. Chavez still faces a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of Tera Chavez. "Justice was not served," Joseph Cordova, the father of Tera Chavez, said after listening to the verdict with his wife. She knew every single secret about me no matter what. Chavez also had a younger brother, Aaron. Social Media Influencer Set on Fire & Killed by Ex-Husband, Family Says. Heres what you need to know about Tera Chavezs death: Levi Chavez said he came home on October 22, 2007, and found his wife dead from a gunshot wound from his service weapon, PEOPLE wrote. Levi Chavez. or debate this issue live on our message boards. "He's got several plans in the works," Serna said. But on that night in October, Levi, a police officer with the Albuquerque Police Department, called 911 to report that he'd found his wife dead in their home. I knew Id be acquitted. August 7, 2015. That wouldve been after she moved out of the home she shared with Steve Hindi, according to her testimony. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Levi Chavez, ex-police officer, not guilty of murdering wife", "Levi Chavez relinquishes police certification", "Extramarital affairs take center stage in ex-cop murder trial", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Levi_Chavez&oldid=1082952788, Articles needing additional references from March 2021, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Former police officer, Attorney at Law, www.levichavezlaw.com, This page was last edited on 16 April 2022, at 03:25. The two had gotten engaged just two months after Tera Chavezs death and prosecutors asked questions about how quickly Levi Chavez had moved on. Her mother said she wants the kids to know, Shed never leave them. . They also said hed had other affairs, including with some of the neighbors and other Albuquerque police officers. THEY WERE MARRIED JULY 2008, DAYS AFTER SHE FINALIZED HER DIVORCE WITH ANOTHER APD OFFICER. The city of Albuquerque already has paid Tera's family $230,000 to settle claims against it and its police department in the civil case. She grew up in Los Lunas, a small village south of Alburquerque. when did the romantic relationship start? The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. Witnesses also described a workplace where interoffice romance was rampant and said both Levi and Tera Chavez had affairs with members of the police force. [3], The night prior to the death of his wife Tera, Levi had spent the night at his girlfriend's house. "I don't feel like speaking for his future.". They werent told that tens of instances in which Levi Chavezs attorneys asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination had been excised from the deposition. Prosecutor Bryan McKay, who told jurors during closing arguments that Chavez used his department-issued gun to commit 'cold-blooded, calculated, planned-out murder,' declined to comment after the verdict. She was an indoor girl, kind of girly. BREAKING: Former APD officer Levi Chavez back in jail: A Valencia County judge has sent Levi Chavez back to jail after a hearing on Wednesday. Breaking News: Levi Chavez found NOT GUILTY of all charges in the death of Tera Chavez in 2007. In 2000, they tied the knot and moved to Virginia, where Levi was working as a Coast Guard. New Mexico and ABQ News, Sports, Business and more, By Jeff Proctor / Journal Staff Writer Levi Chavez is a former police officer in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who was charged with the 2007 death of his 26-year-old wife, Tera Chavez. NBCs Dateline: The Officers Wife examines the mind-boggling case of Tera Chavezs passing, who was found shot to death on October 21, 2007, on her bed, in the home that she shared with her Albuquerque Police Department officer husband, Levi Chavez. Three weeks after Teras death, Levi Chavez was having sex with another woman in the home near Los Lunas from which authorities had removed Tera Chavezs body, according to the mistresss testimony. Her father, Joseph Cordova, said she loved flowers and drew some all over the house. Levi Chavez came back the following week and did exactly that. Earlier Thursday, the fourth of Levi Chavezs many paramours to testify in the murder trial took the stand. The interview between Levi Chavez and former Valencia County Sheriff's Detective Aaron Jones was recorded shortly after deputies found Tera Chavez at the couple's home, dead from a gunshot . Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. She attended Teras funeral, according to her testimony, as did many other APD officers. The Valencia County District Attorney stated Chavez violated the . Then, there is also the matter of Tera telling her friends that she thought her husband was involved in an insurance scam and was stealing money. Annalise died after being pushed off the roof in December 2009. The city of Albuquerque already has paid Tera's family $230,000 to settle claims against it and its police department in the civil case. All Rights Reserved. 'I'm very embarrassed about it,' Chavez said, then later added. According to their website, Levi holds the title of Emergency Housing Director at their Westside Emergency Housing Center. Season 2 Episode 2 of Dateline: Unforgettable is scheduled to air on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at 8.00 pm ET on Oxygen, with Josh Mankiewicz reporting on the story. But I didnt see them, she said, adding later that she also didnt see any items that looked like they had belonged to Tera. The two met twice thereafter to have sex before Levi Chavez called 911 to say his wife had shot herself in the head. She loved strong., READ NEXT: Social Media Influencer Set on Fire & Killed by Ex-Husband, Family Says, Tera Chavezs Death: Levi Chavez Was Charged With Murdering His Wife, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Read a reflection on the importance of community partners from our WEHC Emergency Housing Director Levi Chavez. DETAILING JUST HOW QUICKLY THEIR RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPED ONCE TERA CHAVEZ DIED. However, as Dateline NBC explored on its episode The Officers Wife, investigators had questions about her death, especially as the gun used was Levi Chavezs department-issued firearm. Reportedly, he is married to APD Detective Heather, who was also present throughout the trial. Investigators eventually deemed her death to be suspicious and Levi Chavez became the primary suspect, especially after he remarried less than seven months following his first wifes death. Levi Chavez was acquitted in that case, but many people are raising concerns about whether his presence in the next class of law students .
What Does An Industrial Piercing Say About You, Jenn Air Vs Bosch Dishwasher, Jamal O'neal Shaq's Brother, Articles L