Tera Chavez had been looking for a business space to rent for her salon and had an appointment to meet a landlord just two days after the day she died, Alibi wrote. 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. His new wife, Heather Hindi, who was one of his fellow officers, also testified on the stand. 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" 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. John Fetterman Wife: Who Is Gisele Barreto Fetterman. 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. 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. 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. On July 5, 2008, half of the desire she expressed in the text came true. I knew Id be acquitted. We raised Andrea as a family., The young couple married in 2000 even though their relationship was already facing some problems, her brothers said. Published: 09:01 EST, 17 July 2013 | Updated: 09:01 EST, 17 July 2013. state calls heather chavez : IT DIDN'T TAKE LONG FOR THE PROSECUTION TO JUMP RIGHT INTO THE PERSONAL DETAILS OF APD DETECTIVE HEATHER HINDI'S BLOSSOMING RELATIONSHIP WITH RECENT WIDOWER LEVI CHAVEZ IN 2007.' In 2000, they tied the knot and moved to Virginia, where Levi was working as a Coast Guard. The records also show that following the end of the shift at midnight, the phone was in the far Northeast Heights, near the home of a fellow APD officer with whom Chavez was having an affair. action 7 . INVESTIGATION - ABQjournal Metro: Death Now Called Suspicious INVESTIGATION - ABQjournal Metro: Death Now Called Suspicious. In December 2013, it was made public that Chavez had relinquished his police officer certification. Breaking News: Levi Chavez found NOT GUILTY of all charges in the death of Tera Chavez in 2007. Under often-contentious cross-examination by Assistant District Attorney Anne Keener that bordered on combative, Heather Chavez conceded that October 2007 wasnt the first time she had ever spoken to Levi Chavez. Emergency Housing Director, Westside Emergency Housing Center. She was my secret-bank. The following article appeared on page C1 of the Friday, June 28, 2013, edition of the Albuquerque Journal. Levi Chavez alleged malicious prosecution, malicious abuse of process, defamation, and outrageous conduct, according to court documents. Chavez was accepted at the University of New Mexico Law School and began studying for his degree in 2016, where he specialized in criminal law, according to Cinemaholic. She knew every single secret about me no matter what. Chavez also had a younger brother, Aaron. There is no confirmation on whether she is still a part of the Albuquerque Police Department. Join Facebook to connect with Levi Chavez and others you may know. In August 2013, Chavez was acquitted of the murder charges. Now that so many years have gone by, lets take a look at where he currently is, shall we? 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. 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. Jones showed Heather Chavez crime scene photos from Teras death scene and told her people were worried about her. 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Her twin brother described her as a strong woman and a loving mother. ", As the murder case gained more attention from the media and public, Chavez and the Albuquerque Police Department became the targets of heavy scrutiny. 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. Over the next several months, detectives began digging into Levi Chavezs story and the investigation eventually deemed her death a homicide. Some of the evidence in the civil case, like testimony from an insurance investigator about the fake theft allegations, was barred in murder trial. Levi found Tera shot dead in their. Manage the news you want to see, read exclusive content and explore other subscriber benefits. 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. The case made national headlines in 2013 as more details came to light . Jones was one of the first officers on the scene and a lead detective on the case. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. This type of work affords great meaning to his life, as he and his team provide emergency housing to hundreds of our communitys most vulnerable individuals each night. 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. The former officer, clenching a Rosary, immediately embraced his attorney, David Serna. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Valencia County sheriffs initially ruled the death as a suicide due to the "close proximity of the gun to the body. KRQE News 13 has learned former Albuquerque Police officer Levi Chavez, who was fired after he was charged with the murder of his wife, could soon be working closely with the city as part of a non- Katrina Garley testified that she met Levi Chavez when he walked into the Verizon cellphone store in Los Lunas to buy a phone in early October 2007. According to her testimony, Heather Chavez was in Chicago with her parents the weekend Tera died. THEY WERE MARRIED JULY 2008, DAYS AFTER SHE FINALIZED HER DIVORCE WITH ANOTHER APD OFFICER. 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. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Levi and Tera Chavez were high school sweethearts who married young and were raising two children together. The upcoming episode of Dateline Unforgettable will premiere at 8.00 pm ET on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Where is he today? Social Media Influencer Set on Fire & Killed by Ex-Husband, Family Says. I did. For weeks, the murder trial captivated parts of central New Mexico as residents were fixated in barber shops, diners and grocery stores. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. Your login session has expired. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. "Justice was not served," Joseph Cordova, the father of Tera Chavez, said after listening to the verdict with his wife. In his profile, it says: During the investigations into Tera Chavezs murder and during Levi Chavezs trial, one key talking point was how quickly he appeared to move on. Levi Chavez Now: Where Is Tera Chavezs Husband Today? After more than 10 hours of deliberations, a jury acquitted Chavez, 32, of murdering his depressed wife, 26-year-old Tera Chavez, in 2007 and trying to make the hairdresser's . Copyright 2022 by Fashionuer. 'This was a made up pile of lies from the beginning and it took the jury approximately 10 hours to find that out.'. 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. Levi was ultimately cleared of all charges. 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! The murder trial of Chavezs wife lasted over two years, according to KOAT. New Mexico and ABQ News, Sports, Business and more, By Jeff Proctor / Journal Staff Writer DETAILING JUST HOW QUICKLY THEIR RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPED ONCE TERA CHAVEZ DIED. 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. 'He took one more breath and that's it': Mother describes Ex-marine father murdered wife and 17-month-old son before Pennsylvania woman gets life for stabbing her fianc to Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Dozens stuck in car park as staff refuses to open gate for woman, Incredible footage of Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russians in Bakhmut, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' For instance, detectives said that the night before the young mothers death, Levi Chavez was at his girlfriends house, according to PEOPLE. Audrina Patridge Niece: What Happened To Sadie Raine Loza? Levi was engaged to Heather Hindi two months after Tera died and married a few months later, according to PEOPLE. It looks like Chavez is now working for a nonprofit that provides emergency and permanent housing to homeless individuals. "What did I tell you?" Facebook gives people the power to. 2023, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of KOAT-TV. Dr. The trial revealed a crumbling marriage that was. He. Levi also asserted that when Tera apparently killed herself, he was away, spending the weekend at one of his girlfriends apartment. View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. Powered by. 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. 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. Detective Jones, who suspected that Levi Chavez had murdered his wife eighteen to twenty hours before he . 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. In July 2013, after a month-long trial, the verdict from the jury came in: not guilty. 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. 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 . Serna said he doubted that Chavez would want to return to the state's largest police department. 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 wasnt far off. 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. "I don't feel like speaking for his future.". 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. The morning of October 22, 2007, he allegedly returned to the couple's home in Los Lunas, New Mexico, where he discovered the body of his wife. Dr. Chavez works in Albuquerque, NM and 1 other location and specializes in Obstetrics & Gynecology. I didnt do anything wrong.. May 1, 2008. Aug 19, 2008 . Chavez still faces a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of Tera Chavez. The call did not go to voicemail. I told you guys that from the beginning. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Cinemaholic reports that Chavez was accepted at the University of New Mexico Law School and began studying for his degree in 2016, where he specialized in criminal law. READ NEXT: Social Media Influencer Set on Fire & Killed by Ex-Husband, Family Says. According to their website, Levi holds the title of Emergency Housing Director at their Westside Emergency Housing Center. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, Theyve long been appreciated for their Sign up for our daily newsletter and get the best of fashionuer in your in-box. His ex-wife, Kellie May Xiong Chauvin, who was crowned Mrs. Minnesota in 2019, legally separated from Chauvin on May 28, 2020 - just three days after a viral bystander video showed her husband . Her husband Levi Chavez, a police officer with the Albuquerque Police Department, was the one who called 911 and told them shed committed suicide. 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. He will face a much higher judge upon his death and he wont have a slick as ownsh*t jew loyah to bamboozle the jury. Your email is safe with us, we dont spam. "I'm going to go to church, pray my Rosary and thank my Virgin Mary," Chavez said as he was crowded by reporters. 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. The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. A A. Levi Chavez, an ex-New Mexico police officer, was acquitted Tuesday in the 2007 murder of his estranged wife, but could still face a wrongful death civil lawsuit. She didnt leave them., When she was just 15 years old, Tera met Levi Chavez and became pregnant with his child, Alibi reported. 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. State District Judge George P. Eichwald instructed the two to Quit arguing back and forth like kids.. All Rights Reserved. Current wife insists she never spoke with Tera Chavez Recommended Stories CinemaBlend Viral TikTok Shows Off Moment JLo's Face Filter Fails And Some Of Her Wrinkles Are Exposed Jennifer Lopez. In 2018, the case was dismissed due to missing information and incorrect information that was cited as reasons to dismiss the case. The Levi Chavez verdict came after a five-week trial and a six-year investigation that put the 32-year-old former police officer on trial for the October 2007 shooting death of his wife in their home near Los Lunas, New Mexico. Facebook They also said hed had other affairs, including with some of the neighbors and other Albuquerque police officers. Thats the past, Heather Chavez said in court today. During his testimony last week, Chavez frequently broke down and had to take breaks when he recounted his ill treatment of his late wife throughout their marriage. A former Albuquerque police officer has been acquitted of murder in the death of his wife after a trial that contained a series of salacious revelations about his extramarital affairs with. ABOUT A MONTH AFTER THAT LEVI BOUGHT HER A DIAMOND RING. Levi Chavez, an Albuquerque police officer, called 911 on the morning of October 22, 2007, to report that hed come home to find his wife dead of a gunshot wound from his service weapon. But, the disgraced former officer insisted that he did not kill his wife. That wouldve been after she moved out of the home she shared with Steve Hindi, according to her testimony. 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. After the two reviewed numerous pages of Verizon records showing calls made to and from both Teras and Levis cellphones, as well as cellphone tower records, Serna declared that the records supported his clients story about where he had been the weekend of Teras death. According to reports, he is now the husband of APD Detective Heather. 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. After gaining back his freedom, Levi Chavez decided that he wanted to change his career but still be in the justice system. In March 2020, Nob Hill mainstay Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It appears that his wife, now known as Heather Chavez, is a detective with the Farmington Police Department. In August 2013, Chavez was acquitted of the murder charges. 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. [3], The night prior to the death of his wife Tera, Levi had spent the night at his girlfriend's house. Now her parents speak to News 13. The Officer's Wife Dateline NBC True Crime Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher 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. During the gap, Keener asked, You have no idea where the cellphone of Mr. Chavez was?. LIVE IN SANDOVAL COUNTY LZ KOAT ACTION 7 NEWS.. COUNT ON KOAT-DOT-COM FOR. Discover Lynn Murdaugh Goette Real Image & Current Location, Create Your Perfect Print With Blue And White Peel And Stick Wallpaper. A former cop was acquitted on Tuesday of killing his depressed wife with his department-issued gun after a month-long trial that has revealed secrets of affairs and alleged corruption within an Albuquerque police force. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. According to several local coverages, the news of his admission to the university inspired mixed reactions from alumni and other students.