. So where is Levi Chavez now? Subscribe now to access decluttered news, chosen by you. READ NEXT: Social Media Influencer Set on Fire & Killed by Ex-Husband, Family Says. Levi Chavez maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and he maintains his innocence even today. Chavez was accused of killing his hairdresser wife, Tera, with his police-issued handgun and making it look like a suicide in October 2007. The other half of Heather Chavezs wish never came to pass. 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. 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. Levi Chavez was working at the Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department when he was arrested in 2011, but it wasnt until two years later, in 2013, that he stood trial for the charges against him. Chavez found his estranged wife Tera dead of a gunshot wound in the living room of their home in 2007. Levi Chavez alleged malicious prosecution, malicious abuse of process, defamation, and outrageous conduct, according to court documents. . Breaking News: Levi Chavez found NOT GUILTY of all charges in the death of Tera Chavez in 2007. 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. "Please tell them to hurry!" the 26-year-old can be heard saying. She said she knew Tera had died and Levi Chavez told her the couples two children were home that weekend. 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. 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 . According to reports, an Albuquerque, New Mexico police officer Levi Chaves was suspected of shooting and murdering his 26-year-old wife, Tera Chavez, with his issued service gun after. On Jan. 15, 2008, Heather Chavez gave an interview to then-Detective Aaron Jones, who was investigating Teras death for the Valencia County Sheriffs Office. 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 attended Teras funeral, according to her testimony, as did many other APD officers. Jones showed Heather Chavez crime scene photos from Teras death scene and told her people were worried about her. I didnt answer the call, Heather Chavez said. Facebook gives people the power to. Police officers, pathologists, the women Levi had relationships with, and Tera's family all testified throughout the 6-week-long court case. The Harwood Museum of Art's exhibition 'Outriders: Legacy of the Black Cowboy' explores this history through archival photographs and contemporary art. 'There never was a case against Levi Chavez,'Serna said. News of his admittance to the university was met with some concern from alumni and other students, New Mexico PBS reported. "I don't feel like speaking for his future.". Instead, only the audio position of the recording was played in court. With the departure of our son, Jorge Levi Chavez, to eternity, I write that he was not a son from the womb but from the. 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. Payton Gendron: Why Payton Gendron Got Arrested? She loved hard. End of November, end of November, December BUT IT WAS EVEN EARLIER THAN THAT-- JUST THREE WEEKS AFTER LEVI'S WIFE TERA DIED HINDI SENT HIM A TEXT READING "MMM DETECTIVE CHAVEZ WITH HOMICIDE." 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. According to reports, an Albuquerque, New Mexico police officer Levi Chaves was suspected of shooting and murdering his 26-year-old wife, Tera Chavez, with his issued service gun after investigators reportedly presumed that he attempted to cover up the crime as a suicide. But I didnt see them, she said, adding later that she also didnt see any items that looked like they had belonged to Tera. That treatment included sexual relationships with four different women and constant breakups that began with way back when the couple were high school students. Levi has undergraduate degrees from UNM and CNM, as well as a law degree from the UNM School of Law. Chavez called 911 to report the alleged suicide around 9 p.m. on Oct. 21, 2007. All Rights Reserved. Her twin brother described her as a strong woman and a loving mother. They allege the former officer killed his wife to keep her from disclosing an alleged staged theft of a truck for insurance money. 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. Heavy reached out to the university for more information about his admittance but did not immediately hear back. Levi was initially charged with murdering his wife with his police issued Glock and making it appear as a suicide. 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. According to her testimony, Heather Chavez was in Chicago with her parents the weekend Tera died. Chavez told jurors that he found his wife dead from a gunshot wound and thought it was God's way of punishing him. IN THE WEEKS AFTER THE FUNERAL SHE WAS HELPING MOVE TERA'S ITEMS OUT OFTHE LOS LUNAS HOME ANDMORE. 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. He is suing the detective who first launched the investigation into the 2007 death of Levi's wife, Tera Chavez. The former officer, clenching a Rosary, immediately embraced his attorney, David Serna. [1] [2] Levi was initially charged with murdering his wife with his police issued Glock and making it appear as a suicide. 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. 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. At first, because of how the crime scene looked, Teras death was ruled a suicide. 'I took her for granted.'. In August 2013, Chavez was acquitted of the murder charges. Aug 19, 2008 . COVID-19 has impacted how we provide prioritized street outreach, emergency housing, and permanent supportive housing services to people experiencing homelessness. or debate this issue live on our message boards. 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. At least 12 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, The Saturday Six: Dental device controversy, scientist's bug find and more, Indonesia fuel depot fire kills 18; more than a dozen missing, 3 children killed, 2 others wounded at Texas home, Man charged for alleged involvement in 2 transformer explosions, Nikki Haley slams potential GOP contenders, and Trump and George W. Bush, Duo of 81-year-old women plan to see the world in 80 days, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Alex Murdaugh trial: What to know about the double murder case. It took two years following Chavezs arrest for the trial to move forward due to delays from civil trials, motion hearings and the trial having to move venues, according to KOAT. 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. After a few years there, they moved back to Los Lunas, and Levi got a job as a police officer with the Albuquerque Police Department. He pulled up the call history for the officer on his patrol computer and found it was a car assigned to Levi . THEY WERE MARRIED JULY 2008, DAYS AFTER SHE FINALIZED HER DIVORCE WITH ANOTHER APD OFFICER. [3], The night prior to the death of his wife Tera, Levi had spent the night at his girlfriend's house. 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. 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 . Her Albuquerque police officer husband found her and called 911. According to several local coverages, the news of his admission to the university inspired mixed reactions from alumni and other students. But the prosecutors had alleged that he . 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Im not guilty. Levi Chavez came back the following week and did exactly that. 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. 'What did I tell you?' The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. Dr. 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. They also werent allowed to watch video of that deposition. Tera Chavezs mother, Theresa Cordova, said her daughter was an artist, according to a feature on Chavezs life in Alibi. Chavez is a former Albuquerque Police Department officer, accused of killing his wife at their Los Lunas home in 2007. 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 started working for Heading Home in 2015. ", As the murder case gained more attention from the media and public, Chavez and the Albuquerque Police Department became the targets of heavy scrutiny. 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. INVESTIGATION - ABQjournal Metro: Death Now Called Suspicious INVESTIGATION - ABQjournal Metro: Death Now Called Suspicious. 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. Reportedly, he is married to APD Detective Heather, who was also present throughout the trial. 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. Levi Chavez, 32, admitted to 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. State District Judge George P. Eichwald instructed the two to Quit arguing back and forth like kids.. 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.. 'To say I blamed myself is an understatement,' he said. 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.