They married in July 2008, just a few days after Hindis divorce from another Albuquerque police officer was finalized. . 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 . webvtt in day 14 of the levi chavez trial, his current wife, a-p-d officer heather chavez takes the stand. Upon announcing the verdict, the family of Levi Chavez, including his current wife Albuquerque detective Heather Chavez, let out gasps and wept. The morning of 22 October 2007, he returned to the couple's home in Los Lunas, NM where he . 'Guilt doesn't even begin to describe it.'. Chavez was eventually charged with first-degree murder and obstructing justice, responding to which he entered a not guilty plea and, to date, asserts his innocence. Tera, a four-year-old girl, died in August 2017 when her car seat was too full of pillows and blankets while she was strapped into it. May 1, 2008. Levi had spent the night at his current girlfriend's house. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Chavez of course denies the incident. 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. The sexual relationship? We raised Andrea as a family., The young couple married in 2000 even though their relationship was already facing some problems, her brothers said. 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. Chavez found his estranged wife Tera dead of a gunshot wound in the living room of their home in 2007. 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. Her husband Levi Chavez, a police officer with the Albuquerque Police Department, was the one who called 911 and told them shed committed suicide. Later on, when Tera passed away, he claimed that the only reason he hadnt left his wife was because of their two children. She grew up in Los Lunas, a small village south of Alburquerque. Aug 19, 2008 . Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. He finally went on trial for the allegations brought against him in 2013, a full two years after the charges were first brought. The murder trial of Chavezs wife lasted over two years, according to KOAT. He was accused of murdering his wife by the victim's family and one of the detectives working the case and was ultimately acquitted of all charges in 2013 after being found not guilty by a jury. Critics, supporters offer differing opinions on program's future in New Mexico, University of New Mexico Hospital launching health care listening tour, Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro to reopen after three years. Levi Chavez. Now her parents speak to News 13. 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. Serna said his client was a victim of an overly aggressive former detective and 'lies' from local media outlets, although none reported Serna ever requesting for a retraction or correction from any stories since 2007. BERNALILLO Its impossible to say based on cellphone records where Levi Chavez was for 15 hours near the end of the three-day period during which prosecutors say he killed his wife in 2007, according to a cellphone company analyst who testified Thursday in the former APD officers murder trial. 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. Her husband, Albuquerque Police Department officer Levi Chavez, was the one who discovered her body and called 911, claiming that it looked like his wife had shot herself with his department-issued weapon. In an indictment filed in April 2011 that charges Levi Chavez with first-degree murder and evidence tampering, prosecutors say he killed Tera in the couples home near Los Lunas on Oct. 19, 20 or 21, 2007. He has full custody of his two children, according to Tera's parents Joseph and Theresa Cordova. According to her testimony, Heather Chavez was in Chicago with her parents the weekend Tera died. On the night of Oct. 21, 2007, the lives of one couple from Los Lunas, New Mexico were changed forever. For instance, detectives said that the night before the young mothers death, Levi Chavez was at his girlfriends house, according to PEOPLE. Hindi said on the stand that shed never met Tera Chavez, but she went to her funeral and helped move her things out of the family home after her death, footage from the trial shows. At first, because of how the crime scene looked, Teras death was ruled a suicide. Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. In the trial's final days, Chavez took the stand and acknowledged having a string of mistresses, searching a website on how to kill someone with martial arts moves, and ignoring his wife's calls for help. Jones showed Heather Chavez crime scene photos from Teras death scene and told her people were worried about her. In December 2013, it was made public that Chavez had relinquished his police officer certification. pic.twitter.com/O5xOecrgtD, HeadingHomeNM (@HeadingHomeNM) June 1, 2020. Her twin brother described her as a strong woman and a loving mother. Throughout the trial, Levi Chavez steadfastly asserted his innocence and continues to do so. The lawsuit against Jones was dismissed in 2018. Based on the information provided on their website, Levi is now serving as the Emergency Housing Director at their Westside Emergency Housing Center. Would love your thoughts, please comment. That case is scheduled to be heard in state District Court in Bernalillo County and has been on hold while the criminal trial was held. 'To say I blamed myself is an understatement,' he said. Please logout and login again. It appears that his wife, now known as Heather Chavez, is a detective with the Farmington Police Department. Where does medical cannabis go from here? Reportedly, he is married to APD Detective Heather, who was also present throughout the trial. And really, these female cops, Regina Sanchez, Heather whatever her name is, and SRO officer horrible Debra Romero have the audacity to say "I didn't know" He told reporters, Im not surprised at all. Levi Chavez is a former Albuquerque, NM Police Officer who was charged with the 2007 death of his 26yearold wife, Tera Chavez. Serna told Chavez. Through witness testimony, the public learned that Chavez had been having a number of affairs while married to Tera Chavez. We always thought, Hell take care of her.'. In August 2013, Chavez was acquitted of the murder charges. AP Photo/Albuquerque Journal, Adolphe Pierre-Louis, Colombia wants to deport "cocaine hippos" to stop them from multiplying, Alex Murdaugh found guilty of murders of wife and son. action 7 . 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. The murder trial eventually took place in the summer of 2013 and lasted a total of 21 days of testimony and two days of deliberation, KOAT wrote. Accused: Prosecutors have depicted Levi Chavez as a philanderer whose marriage was crumbling, and say he killed his wife after she found out he had staged the theft of his pickup truck to collect the insurance proceeds. One day, [the kids] are going to be of age, and theyre going to want to know, her father told Alibi. [2] 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. THEY WERE MARRIED JULY 2008, DAYS AFTER SHE FINALIZED HER DIVORCE WITH ANOTHER APD OFFICER. However, things began turning around for the mother of two when she began making plans to leave her husband and open a salon of her own, her family said. He is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for 25 years. The Valencia County District Attorney stated Chavez violated the . Josh Mankiewicz reports Friday, November . The police re-opened their investigation in March of 2010 and charged Levi with her death on April 20, 2011. State District Judge George Eichwald ruled that one nude photograph would be available only to the jury that it wouldnt be shown in open court and that the lawyers could ask questions of witnesses about the videos without getting into the details.. 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. I didnt answer the call, Heather Chavez said. They allege the former officer killed his wife to keep her from disclosing an alleged staged theft of a truck for insurance money. "What did I tell you?" Serna told Chavez. She testified this morning that she is currently assigned to the APD Crimes Against Children Unit. / CBS News. Levi Chavez was charged with the murder of his wife, Tera, but he has maintained his innocence and said she committed suicide. In court today, she said the calls were work related, and Keener did not press her for specifics. In 2018, the case was dismissed due to missing information and incorrect information that was cited as reasons to dismiss the case. Asked if he would try to get his old job back with the Albuquerque Police Department, Chavez blurted out a date but declined to say what that date meant. Im not guilty. Bernalillo County deputy involved in rollover crash in Northeast A Bernalillo County deputy was reportedly A Bernalillo County deputy was reportedly not injured after their vehicle rolled in a two-vehicle crash Saturday morning in Northeast Albuquerque. 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. After investigations revealed secrets involving an unhappy marriage, tangled love affairs, and a web of lies, it was Levi who came under the microscope for Teras alleged murder and the subsequent cover-up. 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. According to the prosecution, she was on the verge of filing a complaint against him for fraudulent activity. Mr. Levi Chavez was born and raised in New Mexico and has a military and law enforcement background. Chavez was acquitted of the first-degree murder charge and told reporters outside the courtroom, Im not surprised at all. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, Plunged into the limelight: Camilla 'wants her five teenage grandchildren to take centre stage at Charles's coronation alongside the King's Royal heirs - performing a role previously given to Duchesses as the new Queen is anointed with holy oil', Newspaper comic strip Dilbert gets canceled after its creator is branded racist for warning white people to 'get the f**k away' from black people - before doubling down on his beliefs. After more than 10 hours of deliberations, a jury acquitted Levi Chavez . He was acquitted of her murder on Tuesday, The less-than-perfect crime: Tera Chavez was killed when her husband allegedly shot her in the mouth and tried to make it look like a suicide. Levi Chavez alleged malicious prosecution, malicious abuse of process, defamation, and outrageous conduct, according to court documents. Check arrest records, resumes and CV, photos and videos, news, social media profiles, publications, places of employment, work history and public records . Upon announcing the verdict, the family of Levi Chavez, including his current wife Albuquerque detective Heather Chavez, let out gasps and wept. The trial revealed a crumbling marriage that was. I knew Id be acquitted. 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 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. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. BERNALILLOTwenty-four days after Levi Chavez called 911 to say his wife had shot herself in the head, a text message popped up on his cellphone suggesting that a new marriage wasn't far off.. 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. Some of the affairs were with female APD officers.[4]. Strict, but in a good way, he said. There is no confirmation on whether she is still a part of the Albuquerque Police Department. 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. Dateline: Unforgettable's upcoming episode, in a re-broadcast, will cover the story of Tera Chavez's tragic death while also narrating the heated and controversial trial of her cop husband, Levi Chavez. He told reporters that he wasnt surprised at all and that throughout the whole process, he knew he would be cleared. 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. 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"Justice was not served," Joseph Cordova, the father of Tera Chavez, said after listening to the verdict with his wife. After Garleys testimony, Serna and Keener argued for more than 45 minutes outside the presence of the jury about which of the cellphone data examined by an FBI analyst should be shown to the jury. DETAILING JUST HOW QUICKLY THEIR RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPED ONCE TERA CHAVEZ DIED. One key talking point during the investigation into Tera Chavezs death and the murder trial was how quickly Levi Chavez appeared to have moved on. Although the case initially looked like a suicide, investigators dug up evidence and theories that proved otherwise. In 2000, they tied the knot and moved to Virginia, where Levi was working as a Coast Guard. 2023 by Fashionuer. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. The former police officer, graduating with a law degree, serves in a non-profit company known as Heading Home and assists the organization in its fight against homelessness in Albuquerque, New Mexico. INVESTIGATION - Death of APD Officer's Wife Investigated INVESTIGATION - Death of APD Officer's Wife Investigated. He told the 911 operator, Please tell them to hurry! and said shed committed suicide, PEOPLE reported. Her family said they knew there was trouble in the relationship and they had heard Levi Chavez was cheating on his wife, Alibi reported.