During his trial, he was found not guilty of first-degree murder and was acquitted of the charges. 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. In March 2020, Nob Hill mainstay Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 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! Josh Mankiewicz reports Friday, November . Levi was born on October 9, 1925 in Ojo Feliz, New Mexico to Jose and Hilaria Chavez. May 1, 2008. After being pronounced not guilty by a jury in 2013, Levi sought to become a lawyer after a couple of years of training and was admitted into the University of New Mexico Law School, where he reportedly concentrated on criminal law. Im not guilty. BERNALILLO, N.M. The monthlong criminal trial and all its salacious stories of law officer affairs and a blundering investigation are over, but a civil trial looms for a former Albuquerque policeman acquitted of killing his depressed wife with his department-issued gun. 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. Levi started working for Heading Home in 2015. 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. A summary is at Levi Chavez, Ex-Police Officer, Not Guilty Of Murdering Wife. Read More: Where Are Tera Chavezs Parents Now? Levi started working for Heading Home in 2015. Right. Based on the information provided on their website, Levi is now serving as the Emergency Housing Director at their Westside Emergency Housing Center. No comments have so far been submitted. 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. View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. Tera Chavezs mother, Theresa Cordova, said her daughter was an artist, according to a feature on Chavezs life in Alibi. Former APD officer Levi Chavez is accused of killing his wife Tera. 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. 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" I didnt answer the call, Heather Chavez said. Jorge was born on August 28, 1961 in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala. ", First published on July 17, 2013 / 10:40 AM. She grew up in Los Lunas, a small village south of Alburquerque. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Alex Murdaugh unanimously found GUILTY of murder of wife and son, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Isabel Oakeshott clashes with Nick Robinson over Hancock texts. Levi Chavez maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and he maintains his innocence even today. 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." Chavez was accused of killing his hairdresser wife, Tera, with his police-issued handgun and making it look like a suicide in October 2007. Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. 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. Facebook Theyve long been appreciated for their Sign up for our daily newsletter and get the best of fashionuer in your in-box. 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. He also told her she should have more information., I listened, Heather Chavez said about the interview. But on direct examination by Bryan McKay, senior trial attorney for the 13th Judicial District Attorneys Office, Garley testified that she also went to the home the Chavezes had shared at 11 Ash Place on the weekend of Nov. 11 and 12, 2007. 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. 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 . [1] [2] Levi was initially charged with murdering his wife with his police issued Glock and making it appear as a suicide. detailing just how quickly their relationship developed once tera chavez died. 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. Audrina Patridge Niece: What Happened To Sadie Raine Loza? She said she knew Tera had died and Levi Chavez told her the couples two children were home that weekend. In July 2013, after a month-long trial, the verdict from the jury came in: not guilty. Her husband Levi Chavez, a police officer with the Albuquerque Police Department, was the one who called 911 and told them shed committed suicide. THE WOMEN NEVER DID MEET. 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- Tera Chavez. Levi Chavez is the Husband of Tera, and he was a police officer with the Albuquerque 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. 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. After Chavez left the store, Garley sent him a text message on his newly purchased phone to tell him he had nice eyes, she said from the witness stand. COVID-19 has impacted how we provide prioritized street outreach, emergency housing, and permanent supportive housing services to people experiencing homelessness. She liked to draw, and she liked to write poetry, she recalled. But Keener pointed to more phone records that showed a call from Teras phone to Heathers on Sept. 29, 2007. Police officer Levi Chavez called 911 in 2007 to report that hed come home to find his wife deceased of a headshot wound. pic.twitter.com/O5xOecrgtD, HeadingHomeNM (@HeadingHomeNM) June 1, 2020. Levi Chavez maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and he maintains his innocence even today. Also in court this morning, jurors heard a heavily redacted recording of the deposition Levi Chavez gave in the civil case. July 17, 2013 / 10:40 AM 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 . A few years later, the family of four moved back to New Mexico, where Levi Chavez became a police officer with the Alburquerque Police Department and Tera Chavez started going to barber college. 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. 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. I told you guys that from the beginning. Im innocent. In August 2013, Chavez was acquitted of the murder charges. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. I didnt do anything wrong.. In court today, she said the calls were work related, and Keener did not press her for specifics. The OTHER side of the law: Former Albuquerque police officer Levi Chavez seen here in his mugshot after allegedly murdering his wife. 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. "If we had a smoking gun, I would say it was the unseated magazine," said Arthur Ortiz, a longtime New Mexico lawman,. He is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for 25 years. Yet, with no proof of the former, he couldnt be charged or arrested for fraud. So where is Levi Chavez now? 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 murder trial of Chavezs wife lasted over two years, according to KOAT. It appears that his wife, now known as Heather Chavez, is a detective with the Farmington Police Department. He had come to the CACU office to schedule a time to shadow Heather, according to her testimony, meaning she would show him the ropes of detective work in the unit. THEY WERE MARRIED JULY 2008, DAYS AFTER SHE FINALIZED HER DIVORCE WITH ANOTHER APD OFFICER. Levi Chavez Found 43 people in New Mexico, Arizona and 24 other states. Earlier Thursday, the fourth of Levi Chavezs many paramours to testify in the murder trial took the stand. 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. 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 . Serna will begin his cross-examination of Heather Chavez this afternoon. 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. Facebook gives people the power to. Levi Chavez. 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. Japanese models have always been admired for their skills as well as their beauty. "This was a made up pile of lies from the beginning and it took the jury approximately 10 hours to find that out. Chavez was placed on leave at the police department where he worked and eventually, on April 7, 2011, he was arrested and charged with his wifes murder, KOAT reported. She loved hard. Levi Chavez came back the following week and did exactly that. Powered by. 'I'm very embarrassed about it,' Chavez said, then later added. 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. Do not sell or share my personal information. However, Chavez said his wife's death later helped him reform his philandering ways and he later married another police officer two months after his wife's death. 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. There is no confirmation on whether she is still a part of the Albuquerque Police Department. 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. 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. Her Albuquerque police officer husband found her and called 911. 'There never was a case against Levi Chavez,'Serna said. Prosecutors had sought to keep from jurors what Serna described in explicit detail as sexual photographs and videos Tera had taken of herself and sent to Levi. 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. 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. Her mother said she wants the kids to know, Shed never leave them. 'I don't feel like speaking for his future.'. 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. 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. Your login session has expired. Levi was engaged to Heather Hindi two months after Tera died and married a few months later, according to PEOPLE. [1] Heather Chavez said she hadnt remembered those calls when she gave a deposition in a civil wrongful death lawsuit filed by Teras family against Levi. Serna told Chavez. 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. 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. In August 2013, Chavez was acquitted of the murder charges. Thats when she married Levi Chavez and took his last name, according to testimony she gave this morning at the end of the third week in her husbands murder trial. Episode Website More Episodes 2019 NBC News Top Podcasts In True Crime See All 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. Hindi, along with other women Levi Chavez had been involved with, testified during the trial about their affairs, Star Tribune reported. 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. 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. Annalise died after being pushed off the roof in December 2009. 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. or debate this issue live on our message boards. 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. Homeowner finds gruesome animal skeleton hidden behind cupboard for 30 years - so can you guess what it is? THE DEFENSE REVEALED TERA CALLED AT LEAST EIGHT NUMBERS ON THAT LIST-- INCLUDING HEATHER IN SEPTEMBER 2007. YouTubeLevi Chavezs second wife Heather testifying during the trial. 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. 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 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. She attended Teras funeral, according to her testimony, as did many other APD officers. Bernalillo County deputy involved in rollover crash in Northeast Albuquerque, Where does medical cannabis go from here?