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. 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. We raised Andrea as a family., The young couple married in 2000 even though their relationship was already facing some problems, her brothers said. 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. 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.. Aug 19, 2008 . The two had gotten engaged just two months after Tera Chavezs death and prosecutors asked questions about how quickly Levi Chavez had moved on. 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. Serna told Chavez. Levi started working for Heading Home in 2015. Levi Chavez. Heavy reached out to the university for more information about his admittance but did not immediately hear back. . 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- All Rights Reserved. He pulled up the call history for the officer on his patrol computer and found it was a car assigned to Levi . Read a reflection on the importance of community partners from our WEHC Emergency Housing Director Levi Chavez. 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. I did WE ALSO LEARNED TODAY THAT UNDERNEATH THE MATTRESS ON WHICH TERA CHAVEZ WAS FOUND DEAD WAS A CALL LOG FROM LEVI'S CELL PHONE. 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. Levi Chavez - Wikipedia 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. Tera Chavez. I didnt do anything wrong.. Freed: Levi Chavez, right, a former Albuquerque police officer, gets a hug from his wife Heather Chavez after being acquitted of his first wife's murder, Relief: Chavez hugs his attorney David Serna in Sandoval District Court in Bernalillo, New Mexico on Tuesday. At first, because of how the crime scene looked, Teras death was ruled a suicide. Chavez found his estranged wife Tera dead of a gunshot wound in the living room of their home in 2007. However, the case took a shocking turn after some disturbing facts came to the surface. 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. In August 2013, Chavez was acquitted of the murder charges. They also said hed had other affairs, including with some of the neighbors and other Albuquerque police officers. I didnt speak with her.. 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. In 2000, they tied the knot and moved to Virginia, where Levi was working as a Coast Guard. Indeed, the records appeared to show that Levi Chavezs cellphone was in Valencia County early on Oct. 19 and that he was on Albuquerques West Side, where he was working a swing shift for APD, later that day. Based on the information provided on their website, Levi is now serving as the Emergency Housing Director at their Westside Emergency Housing Center. Under the name Heading Home, this organization has connections in New Mexico, according to its website. Watch Dateline Episode: The Officer's Wife - NBC.com Dateline Unforgettable: Is Tera Chavez's cop husband Levi Chavez guilty 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. Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Some of the evidence in the civil case, like testimony from an insurance investigator about the fake theft allegations, was barred in murder trial. New Mexico, 2007: Tera Chavez, a police officer's wife, is found shot dead in the mouth of an apparent suicide. 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. Then, on April 7, 2011, the police officer was charged with Tera Chavezs murder, arrested and fired from his job with the police department, KOAT wrote. 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. Acquitted: Levi Chavez, center, a former Albuquerque police officer, leaves the court after his month-long trial, Grief: Theresa and Joseph Cordova, parents of Tera Chavez, leave the Sandoval County Judicial Complex, saying 'justice has not been served'. Woke professor who opposes charter schools sent her sons to Manhattan's $60,000-a-year Dalton Prep: Denies hypocrisy and blames ex-husband, Defense says evidence is consistent with suicide, Cops at Albuquerque Police Department accused of tampering with evidence. Chavez still faces a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of Tera Chavez. Tera Chavezs mother, Theresa Cordova, said her daughter was an artist, according to a feature on Chavezs life in Alibi. On July 5, 2008, half of the desire she expressed in the text came true. 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 . May 1, 2008. According to her testimony, Heather Chavez was in Chicago with her parents the weekend Tera died. Levi started working for Heading Home in 2015. Levi Chavez Profiles | Facebook But, the disgraced former officer insisted that he did not kill his wife. Powered by. He also told her she should have more information., I listened, Heather Chavez said about the interview. According to the prosecution, she was on the verge of filing a complaint against him for fraudulent activity. 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 . Much of the trial centered on allegations that Albuquerque police officers who responded to the Chavez home in nearby Los Lunas removed and even flushed key evidence down a toilet. In August 2013, Chavez was acquitted of the murder charges. He has full custody of his two children, according to Teras parents Joseph and Theresa Cordova. Joseph Cordova, Teras father, told the outlet, The culture which we grew up in, his family was from law enforcement. 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. Levi Chavez claimed he returned to their Los Lunas, New Mexico, home on Oct. 22, 2007, to find his wife's dead body in bed after taking a bullet right into the 26-year-old's mouth. ROYALE, LESS THAN ONE MONTH AFTER TERA CHAVEZ DIED-THEN A-P-D DETECTIVE HEATHER HINDI WAS ALREADY TEXTING LEVI ABOUT HER NAME BECOMING HEATHER CHAVEZ INDICATING SHE WANTED TO MARRY HIM. DATELINE FRIDAY SNEAK PEEK: The Officer's Wife - NBC News However, nearly four years after Tera took her last breath, Levi was charged with first-degree premeditated murder and tampering with evidence. He told the operator she killed herself and that he hadnt said anything because He thought she needed time.. Chavez called 911 to report the alleged suicide around 9 p.m. on Oct. 21, 2007. 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. 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.. Hugo Chavez's Women: The Ex Wives And Mistresses Who Loved - HuffPost The two exchanged seven telephone calls on May 12 of that year, according to cellphone records that investigators found under a mattress Tera Chavezs body was lying on. The call did not go to voicemail. Detective Aaron Jones with the Valencia County Sheriffs Office said he found Tera Chavezs diary, which detailed her despair and, in more recent times, her hopes for the future and her decision to leave her husband. 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. Levi has undergraduate degrees from UNM and CNM, as well as a law degree from the UNM School of Law. Detective Jones, who suspected that Levi Chavez had murdered his wife eighteen to twenty hours before he . Josh Mankiewicz reports Friday, November . Levi Chavez, 32, was accused of killing his hairdresser wife with his police-issued handgun and making it look like a suicide amid a crumbling marriage that included a love triangle at her hair . August 7, 2015. Levi Chavez GUILTY of Corruption and Deciept and - Blogger Levi was engaged to Heather Hindi two months after Tera died and married a few months later, according to PEOPLE. The murder trial of Chavezs wife lasted over two years, according to KOAT. He told the 911 operator, Please tell them to hurry! and said shed committed suicide, PEOPLE reported. Levi and Tera Chavez were high school sweethearts who married young and were raising two children together. / CBS News. I knew Id be acquitted. The trial revealed a crumbling marriage that was. Police officer Levi Chavez called 911 in 2007 to report that hed come home to find his wife deceased of a headshot wound. Chavez discovered his wife dead, with a gunshot wound to the mouth upon returning home on October 22, 2007. webvtt in day 14 of the levi chavez trial, his current wife, a-p-d officer heather chavez takes the stand. 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. "What did I tell you?" Serna told Chavez. 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. I didnt answer the call, Heather Chavez said. Previous Post 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. The former officer, clenching a Rosary, immediately embraced his attorney, David Serna. Levi said. 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. 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 Harwood Museum of Art's exhibition 'Outriders: Legacy of the Black Cowboy' explores this history through archival photographs and contemporary art. 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. Fashionuer.com participates in many affiliate marketing programs & sponsored content which means we get paid commissions on products purchased through our links to retail websites. 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. Tera Chavez died on 22nd October 2007 at Los Lunas, New Mexico, United States, she was 26 years old during her time of death and according to the report she died from a gunshot wound from her husband's service weapon. They allege the former officer killed his wife to keep her from disclosing an alleged staged theft of a truck for insurance money. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, She liked to draw, and she liked to write poetry, she recalled. Breaking News: Levi Chavez found NOT GUILTY of all charges in the death of Tera Chavez in 2007. . 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. 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. Now her parents speak to News 13. . His profile states: Mr. Levi Chavez was born and raised in New Mexico and has a military and law enforcement background. Trying to figure out where the medical cannabis program stands now is up for debate one side saying the program is expected to University of New Mexico Hospital launching health care listening Hospital CEO Kate Becker says 'we really want to hear from our community about what their health needs are' in order to prioritize resources. A month after Tera Chavezs death, her husband was placed on leave at the Albuquerque Police Department as the investigation into her death continued, KOAT reported. 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. [1] [2] Levi was initially charged with murdering his wife with his police issued Glock and making it appear as a suicide. Levi Chavezs current wife takes the stand, Current wife insists she never spoke with Tera Chavez, WEBVTT IN DAY 14 OF THE LEVI CHAVEZ TRIAL, HIS CURRENT WIFE, A-P-D OFFICER HEATHER CHAVEZ TAKES THE STAND. 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 lawsuit against Jones was dismissed in 2018. On the 911 call, Levi Chavez can be heard crying and saying Please tell them to hurry! Her death was ruled a suicide by the medical examiner, but investigators began thinking it might have been a homicide and the cause of death was changed to undetermined, PEOPLE reported. Levi has undergraduate degrees from UNM and CNM, as well as a law degree from the UNM School of Law. According to several local coverages, the news of his admission to the university inspired mixed reactions from alumni and other students. 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. The exchange led to several objections from Levi Chavezs lawyer, David Serna, and eventually devolved into a full-blown shouting match between Serna and Keener. One day, [the kids] are going to be of age, and theyre going to want to know, her father told Alibi. 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, an Albuquerque police officer, called 911 on the morning of October 22, 2007, to report that he'd come home to find his wife dead of a gunshot wound from his service weapon. She had a twin brother, named Josh, who said, She was my lifeline. Dateline: The Officer's Wife - Truth, Justice, and All-American View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. Not among them was APD officer Steve Hindi, to whom Heather was married at the time. I knew Id be acquitted. Levi Chavez Was Charged With His Wife's Murder Years Later & His New Wife & Mistresses Testified As mentioned, Levi Chavez was charged with her murder in April 2011, but it took another. WE ALSO LEARNED FRIDAY THAT HEATHER-WENT TO TERA CHAVEZ'S FUNERAL. Nov 21, 2007. DETAILING JUST HOW QUICKLY THEIR RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPED ONCE TERA CHAVEZ DIED. Shed never leave them of her own will. "What did I tell you?" Chavez was accused of killing his hairdresser wife, Tera, with his police-issued handgun and making it look like a suicide in October 2007. Serna will begin his cross-examination of Heather Chavez this afternoon. Cleared of Wife's Murder, Cop Sues Sheriff - Courthouse News Service 'I don't feel like speaking for his future.'. 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. 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. It appears that his wife, now known as Heather Chavez, is a detective with the Farmington Police Department. Chavez was acquitted of the first-degree murder charge and told reporters outside the courtroom, Im not surprised at all. Meanwhile, in the courtroom, Chavez and family gathered to pray a "Hail Mary" until Serna grabbed Chavez by the arm to escort him through a crowded pathway of supporters and family members. Facebook ABOUT A MONTH AFTER THAT LEVI BOUGHT HER A DIAMOND RING. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. 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. Tera Chavez Death: Why Parents Believe Death Was Not A Suicide | Crime News Mr. Levi Chavez was born and raised in New Mexico and has a military and law enforcement background. Reportedly, he is married to APD Detective Heather, who was also present throughout the trial. "If we had a smoking gun, I would say it was the unseated magazine," said Arthur Ortiz, a longtime New Mexico lawman,. Levi Chavez was acquitted in that case, but many people are raising concerns about whether his presence in the next class of law students . It looks like Chavez is now working for a nonprofit that provides emergency and permanent housing to homeless individuals. So where is Levi Chavez now? Manage the news you want to see, read exclusive content and explore other subscriber benefits. 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. 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. Levi Chavez is the Husband of Tera, and he was a police officer with the Albuquerque Police Department. Levi Chavez - Wikiwand 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 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. Chavezs bio states that hes the emergency housing director at the Westside Emergency Housing Center.

What Is Daniel Morgan's Strategy To Defeat Burgoyne, Whisky Investment Partners Leeds, Local Country Bands Milwaukee, Nec Elevator Pit Requirements, Articles L