Before reading the verdict Judge George P. Eichwald admonished the gallery, saying he had observed a lot of animosity. On July 5, 2008, half of the desire she expressed in the text came true. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Two years later, a jury acquitted him of the charge. Synopsis: In 2005 an unknown person killed 26 year old Victoria Chavez and buried her in a mesa located adjacent to 118th Street SW in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I feel confident with my choice, but I cry for the family, she said. She left the courtroom in tears and came back in eight minutes later, still dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. She testified that she is currently assigned to the APD Crimes Against Children Unit. Serna called seven other witnesses to testify. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Levi Chavez called 911 around 9 p.m. that day, Oct. 21, 2007, to say his wife had shot herself in the head. Jones also told her Levi Chavez had numerous affairs while he was married to Tera, but according to Keeners characterization of Heather Chavezs previous statements, she wasnt interested. HER BOSS WENT TO HER HOUSE. Repeatedly throughout the trial and again on Thursday Serna has said Levi Chavez had last been in Los Lunas on Oct. 19. He also told her she should have more information., I listened, Heather Chavez said about the interview. t|!iej@,RUAp*tG;^ppxu\>q 1T}|{U\x lX2pdRHB zg_h";*uJYUXd\.~|}wWI]'l+F Q~18OMU. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis-Journal), Former APD officer Levi Chavez, center, hugs family members after being found not guilty of murder on Tuesday, July 16, 2013. "She received multiple stab wounds." On Jan. 15, 2008, Heather Chavez gave an interview to then-Detective Jones of VCSO. There is no confirmation on whether she is still a part of the Albuquerque Police Department. They also werent allowed to watch video of that deposition. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. or redistributed. Earlier Monday, retired New Mexico Crime Lab fingerprint identification expert Shirley Garcia also testified. stream (AP Photo/Albuquerque Journal, Adolphe Pierre-Louis). (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Journal), Tera Chavez's brother Aaron Cordova, left, her parents Theresa and Joseph Cordova, prosecutors Bryan McKay and Anne Keener, along with former Valencia County detective Aaron Jones, arrive at the Sandoval County District Court for the verdict in the murder trial of APD officer Levi Chavez on Tuesday, July 16, 2013. She graduated with honors from University Of New Mexico School Of Medicine in 2007. And why is it on my car? Shortly after the states last witness and the jury were excused Monday, Levis attorney, David Serna, asked state District Judge George P. Eichwald to find Chavez not guilty with a directed verdict. THEY KNEVER KNEW WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE. She would not have been able to release the magazine herself. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} One reporter asked what he plans to do now, Im going to go to church, pray my rosary and thank my Virgin Mary.. Romero described the relationship between Levis family and Teras family as nonexistent., We traveled in different circles, she said. During testimony on Friday, she said she was referring to herself in the text. First on the witness stand was Rita Romero, Levi Chavezs mother, who often testified through sobs as she told defense attorney David Serna how much she loved her former daughter-in-law, Tera Chavez. Chavez was found not guilty of murdering his wife Tera. In total, police have valued the amount of recovered merchandise from all their arrests close to $100,000 from their latest sting this past month. Weve made it clear to them: Teras your mother, and she loves you,' she said of Tera and Levis children. The prosecutions primary theory on motive for murder was that Levi Chavez wanted to silence Tera as a potential witness against him regarding the truck. 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. Last Update. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. OVER THE YEARS DETECTIVES INTERVIEWED A LOT OF PEOPLE, STILL NEARLY THREE DECADES LATER, NO ARRESTS. He said in 2009 at the deposition that Thursday Oct. 18, 2007 was the last time he was there until Sunday night Oct. 21, when he says he discovered Teras body. The number of how many incidents across Albuquerque is hard to track says Chief Medina. In August 2013, Chavez was acquitted of the murder charges. Romero said she was under the impression they were separated and going through a divorce. Market data provided by Factset. 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. He cried as he described finding Tera dead in the couples home and said he is a changed man who, after her death, spoke to priests in an effort to leave his philandering ways behind. Christian Chavez in Albuquerque, NM 20 results - Christian Chavez may also have lived outside of Albuquerque, such as Cuba, Bosque Farms and 2 other cities in New Mexico. (Greg Sorber/Journal), Tera Chavez 's parents, Theresa and Joseph Cordova, leave the Sandoval County Courthouse on Tuesday, July 16, 2013, after Levi Chavez was found not guilty of murdering their daughter. After Romero testified, Russell Perea took the witness stand armed with a promise if immunity granted by Eichwald in exchange for his testimony. He has pled not guilty. During his time with Party Patrol he focused on decreasing illegal sales to underage youth. About Heather Chavez Heather is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeleys English literature program and has worked as a newspaper reporter, editor and contributor to mystery and television blogs. FOR MORE INFORMATION YOU CAN GO TO M. It is a case that has haunted a Northern New Mexico community for nearly three decades.On Oct. 28, 1992, a Farmington woman was brutally murdered.Carla Helmer hadn't shown up for work at a Farmington convenience store for three days. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. They included: members of Teras family, her friends, a longtime New Mexico medical examiner, two veteran lawmen who testified as expert witnesses, APD officers who went to the Chavezes home after the 911 call, several of Levi Chavezs paramours including two who were fellow APD officers and his current wife, whom he began seeing almost immediately after Teras death. Levi Chavez was working as a police officer in October 2007 when he allegedly shot and killed Tera Chavez in the bed of their Los Lunas home with his police revolver. Your email address will not be published. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis /Journal), Former APD officer Levi Chavez reacts to being found not guilty of murder on Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Chavez still faces a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of Tera Chavez. Decommissioned Nuclear Power Plant Scotland, Levi Chavez is charged with first-degree murder and evidence tampering. "I don't feel like speaking for his future.". 76 0 obj Levi Chavez Was Found Not Guilty of His Wifes Death in 2013 & Later Filed a 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. Harold Medina received a Bachelors degree with a double major in Biology and Criminology through the college of Arts and Science from the University of New Mexico in 1994. Heather is related to Philip P Pratt and Judith A Pratt as well as 3 additional people. Its really hard to get your pulse on shoplifting numbers because a lot of companies dont even report things to the police, Chief Medina said. What should I do if I am stopped by a police officer? Working with the attorney general office working with [District Attorneys] and ensuring that we are building strong prosecution upping charges from what used to be a larceny slash aggravated assault to now charging them with robbery, said Attorney General Hector Balderas. On cross-examination, Serna asked Garcia only one question: You didnt come to any professional conclusions that any of the surfaces you examined had been wiped clean, did you?, She replied: I could not determine that.. Prosecutors allege that he killed Tera in the couple's Los Lunas home on either Oct. 19, 20 or 21, 2007 and tried to make. They allege the former officer killed his wife to keep her from disclosing an alleged staged theft of a truck for insurance money. There was no solid evidence one way or the other., During the interview, the woman got emotional. Manage the news you want to see, read exclusive content and explore other subscriber benefits. He believes in principles that are focused on community and law enforcement partnerships, problem solving, and transforming the department to help create a strong bond of trust with the community. Decommissioned Nuclear Power Plant Scotland, Blastocyst culture and Blastocyst embryo transfer, Fertility consultation and fertility treatment planning. Albuquerque Community Connect Camera Registry and Integration. 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. Heather Chavez's Phone Number and Email. Prosecutors Bryan McKay and Anne Keener declined to comment, as did the Tera Chavezs family, except for one comment from Jopseph Cordova, Tera father. 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. gtag('js', new Date()); 9,701 Followers, 2,680 Following, 7,903 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Heather Chavez (@heather_chav) xc````` ]ep e1BU&lwYp3Y76fb`;RD" Garcia said she couldnt find any identifiable prints on either the Glock, the magazine or any of the bullets she examined. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis /Journal), Tera Chavez's brother Aaron Cordova, left, and her parents Theresa and Joseph Cordova, wait in a hallway at the Sandoval County District Court for the verdict in the murder trial of former APD officer Levi Chavez, who was accused of killing Tera in October of 2007 and making it look like a suicide. He introduced and developed several first-time programs that emphasized on outreach to local youth. I've been in contact with him. APDs mission is to build relationships through community policing that will lead to reduced crime and increased safety. Not among them was APD officer Steve Hindi, to whom Heather was married at the time. 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. New Mexico and ABQ News, Sports, Business and more, By Jeff Proctor / Journal Staff Writer It was the third time since the trial began on June 10 that Serna had asked for a ruling from Eichwald to throw the case out. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) Three years after being acquitted in a high profile murder trial, former Albuquerque Police Department officer Levi Chavez After skipping out on his financial obligations to the Rio Rancho police department, Albuquerque Aviation police hired Chavez. She was unsuccessful, but Levi later showed up at her home in Los Lunas shortly after 8 p.m. Romero testified that by then, she had learned that Tera didnt go to work at Style America that day, and that she hadnt called in sick, as she had the day before. Theres nothing I would like to have them work other types of overtime rather than standing at a retail store, said Chief Medina. Chavez was accused of killing his wife in October 2007 and making it look like a suicide. Chavez was accused of killing his wife in October. stream Serna said he doubted that Chavez would want return to the state's largest police department. 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. Serna also has worked feverishly to discredit Jones, describing the former detective as a conspiracy theorist, an unethical investigator and a man who has twice been fired from law enforcement agencies. He had to watch his parents pass away and they never had closure so they never knew what happened to Carla. Deputies arrest man in attempted robbery that led to Bernalillo County deputies arrested a man Bernalillo County deputies arrested a man in an armed robbery-turned-gunfight that left his alleged accomplice dead last year in Southwest Albuquerque. Levi Chavez is charged with first-degree murder and evidence tampering. All Rights Reserved. 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