In 2018, the case was dismissed due to missing information and incorrect information that was cited as reasons to dismiss the case. Chavezs bio states that hes the emergency housing director at the Westside Emergency Housing Center. According to the prosecution, she was on the verge of filing a complaint against him for fraudulent activity. In July 2013, after a month-long trial, the verdict from the jury came in: not guilty. On the night of Oct. 21, 2007, the lives of one couple from Los Lunas, New Mexico were changed forever. 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. Homeowner finds gruesome animal skeleton hidden behind cupboard for 30 years - so can you guess what it is? Now her parents speak to News 13. 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. "Justice was not served," Joseph Cordova, the father of Tera Chavez, said after listening to the verdict with his wife. 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. The lawsuit against Jones was dismissed in 2018. 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. Levi Chavez was acquitted in that case, but many people are raising concerns about whether his presence in the next class of law students . Episode Website More Episodes 2019 NBC News Top Podcasts In True Crime See All . 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. 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. Your login session has expired. He told reporters that he wasnt surprised at all and that throughout the whole process, he knew he would be cleared. 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. According to reports, he is now the husband of APD Detective Heather. Also in court this morning, jurors heard a heavily redacted recording of the deposition Levi Chavez gave in the civil case. 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. In August 2013, Chavez was acquitted of the murder charges. But, in the end, after two days of deliberation, because of a lack of physical evidence linking him to Teras death, or something that even concretely proved that it was a homicide, Levi, who was facing life in prison, was acquitted of all charges. Levi Chavez has maintained that his wife's death was an act of suicide. Instead, only the audio position of the recording was played in court. 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. Jones also told her that Levi Chavez had numerous affairs while he was married to Tera, but according to Keeners characterization of Heather Chavezs previous statements, she wasnt interested. Based on the information provided on their website, Levi is now serving as the Emergency Housing Director at their Westside Emergency Housing Center. Chavez still faces a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of Tera Chavez. 'Guilt doesn't even begin to describe it.'. Chavez discovered his wife dead, with a gunshot wound to the mouth upon returning home on October 22, 2007. Mr. Levi Chavez was born and raised in New Mexico and has a military and law enforcement background. Please enter valid email address to continue. Breaking News: Levi Chavez found NOT GUILTY of all charges in the death of Tera Chavez in 2007. 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. Read a reflection on the importance of community partners from our WEHC Emergency Housing Director Levi Chavez. 'I'm very embarrassed about it,' Chavez said, then later added. The court also heard that Hindi had been texting Levi Chavez just three weeks after his wifes death and suggesting that the two get married. She was quiet. Upon announcing the verdict, the family of Levi Chavez, including his current wife Albuquerque detective Heather Chavez, let out gasps and wept. Levi Chavez. Social Media Influencer Set on Fire & Killed by Ex-Husband, Family Says. The lawsuit against Jones was dismissed in 2018. News of his admittance to the university was met with some concern from alumni and other students, New Mexico PBS reported. Levi Chavez eventually filed a federal lawsuit against Aaron Jones, who was a detective with the Valencia County Sheriffs Department at the time of Teras death and was one of the first on the scene. In 2000, they tied the knot and moved to Virginia, where Levi was working as a Coast Guard. 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. We raised Andrea as a family., The young couple married in 2000 even though their relationship was already facing some problems, her brothers said. Your email is safe with us, we dont spam. 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. Levi Chavez maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and he maintains his innocence even today. He. THE TEXTS DIDN'T STOP THERE ANOTHER, ABOUT A MONTH LATER, FROM HEATHER TO LEVI SAYING HE WAS HER REASON TO EXIST. Police officer Levi Chavez called 911 in 2007 to report that hed come home to find his wife deceased of a headshot wound. Emergency Housing Director, Westside Emergency Housing Center. Right. The entire world around Levi Chavez came trembling down when one fine October morning in 2007, he returned to his New Mexico home to find his wife Tera Chavez dead after taking a bullet to the mouth. READ NEXT: Social Media Influencer Set on Fire & Killed by Ex-Husband, Family Says. Levi has undergraduate degrees from UNM and CNM, as well as a law degree from the UNM School of Law. M.E. Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern, indem Sie auf unseren Websites und Apps auf den Link Datenschutz-Dashboard klicken. Im innocent. I did. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Copyright 2022 by Fashionuer. All Rights Reserved. Under the name Heading Home, this organization has connections in New Mexico, according to its website. 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. Email addresses are used solely for verification and to speed the verification process for repeat questioners. Where is he today? 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. Keener pressed Heather Chavez on a statement she made during her deposition that her sexual relationship began in a car. 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. 'What did I tell you?' The call did not go to voicemail. Levi Chavez came back the following week and did exactly that. They also werent allowed to watch video of that deposition. Levi Chavez. During his trial, he was found not guilty of first-degree murder and was acquitted of the charges. She loved hard. 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. Levi Chavez maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and he maintains his innocence even today. View the profiles of people named Levi Chavez. In August 2013, Chavez was acquitted of the murder charges. I wasnt worried.. 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. It appears that his wife, now known as Heather Chavez, is a detective with the Farmington Police Department. 'Justice was not served,' Joseph Cordova, the father of Tera Chavez, said after listening to the verdict with his wife. 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. "What did I tell you?" Serna told Chavez. Thats the past, Heather Chavez said in court today. 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. / CBS News. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. 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. pic.twitter.com/O5xOecrgtD, HeadingHomeNM (@HeadingHomeNM) June 1, 2020. 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. Currently, the Maxwell Museum is displaying 'Conversing with the Land: Native North American Baskets of the Maxwell Museum Collections,' through Jan. 10, 2024. 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. According to several local coverages, the news of his admission to the university inspired mixed reactions from alumni and other students. detailing just how quickly their relationship developed once tera chavez died. But, the disgraced former officer insisted that he did not kill his wife. 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 DEFENSE REVEALED TERA CALLED AT LEAST EIGHT NUMBERS ON THAT LIST-- INCLUDING HEATHER IN SEPTEMBER 2007. 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! In October of 2007, Tera, a mother of two, allegedly shot and killed herself at the couple's home while their children were at a family member's house. For Tera Chavez, Levi was her high school sweetheart, husband, and the entire world. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. Heavy reached out to UNM for additional information about Chavezs admission status; however, we did not receive a response by press time. Reportedly, he is married to APD Detective Heather, who was also present throughout the trial. 2023 by Fashionuer. 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 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. Levi was ultimately cleared of all charges. But, the disgraced former officer insisted that he did not kill his wife. Powered by. 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. The following article appeared on page C1 of the Friday, June 28, 2013, edition of the Albuquerque Journal. Serna said he doubted that Chavez would want return to the state's largest police department. 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 pulled up the call history for the officer on his patrol computer and found it was a car assigned to Levi . Strict, but in a good way, he said. 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. Previous Post rules the death self-inflicted The medical examiner ruled Tera's death a suicide. Nov 21, 2007. The trial revealed a crumbling marriage that was. 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. 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. Published: 09:01 EST, 17 July 2013 | Updated: 09:01 EST, 17 July 2013. July 31, 2015 - Former APD officer Levi Chavez has been admitted to the UNM Law School. The pair met when they were just teenagers starting high school, and soon, they got into a serious relationship. She was my secret-bank. 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. He told the 911 operator, Please tell them to hurry! and said shed committed suicide, PEOPLE reported. 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. when did the romantic relationship start? Comparing Online Sportsbook Welcome Bonuses. 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. Tera Chavezs mother, Theresa Cordova, said her daughter was an artist, according to a feature on Chavezs life in Alibi. 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. I knew Id be acquitted. Theyve long been appreciated for their Sign up for our daily newsletter and get the best of fashionuer in your in-box. The former officer, clenching a Rosary, immediately embraced his attorney, David Serna. After gaining back his freedom, Levi Chavez decided that he wanted to change his career but still be in the justice system. 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. 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 . INVESTIGATION - Death of APD Officer's Wife Investigated INVESTIGATION - Death of APD Officer's Wife Investigated. 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. 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. Through witness testimony, the public learned that Chavez had been having a number of affairs while married to Tera Chavez. She attended Teras funeral, according to her testimony, as did many other APD officers. For weeks, the murder trial captivated parts of central New Mexico as residents were fixated in barber shops, diners and grocery stores. Although her parents said they were shocked at the news, they turned it around to a positive. The teenager and her baby continued to live at the Cordova family home for two years, her mother Theresa Cordova said. The murder trial of Chavezs wife lasted over two years, according to KOAT. 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 Chavez is a former Albuquerque, NM Police Officer who was charged with the 2007 death of his 26yearold wife, Tera Chavez. "He's got several plans in the works," Serna said. 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. Earlier Thursday, the fourth of Levi Chavezs many paramours to testify in the murder trial took the stand. In the trial's final days, Chavez took the stand and acknowledged 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. August 7, 2015. 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. '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!' Joseph Cordova, Teras father, told the outlet, The culture which we grew up in, his family was from law enforcement. 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.' 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. 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." Levi Chavez Found 43 people in New Mexico, Arizona and 24 other states. Although the case initially looked like a suicide, investigators dug up evidence and theories that proved otherwise. In August 2013, Chavez was acquitted of the murder charges. Yet, with no proof of the former, he couldnt be charged or arrested for fraud. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. COVID-19 has impacted how we provide prioritized street outreach, emergency housing, and permanent supportive housing services to people experiencing homelessness. Levi's Obituary On July 9, 2021, we lost our father, Levi Chavez, Levi passed away at the awesome age of 95. Social Media Influencer Set on Fire & Killed by Ex-Husband, Family Says. Discover Lynn Murdaugh Goette Real Image & Current Location, Create Your Perfect Print With Blue And White Peel And Stick Wallpaper. 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. Facebook His new wife, Heather Hindi, who was one of his fellow officers, also testified on the stand. So where is Levi Chavez now? 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Her Albuquerque police officer husband found her and called 911. 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. In court today, she said the calls were work related, and Keener did not press her for specifics. One day, [the kids] are going to be of age, and theyre going to want to know, her father told Alibi. Levi was engaged to Heather Hindi two months after Tera died and married a few months later, according to PEOPLE. 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 . She said she knew Tera had died and Levi Chavez told her the couples two children were home that weekend. Levi Chavez, a 26-year-old officer with the Albuquerque, New Mexico Police Department, at nine o'clock on the night of October 21, 2007, called 911 to report that his wife had committed suicide with his department-issued Glock 9 pistol. action 7 . Levi and Tera Chavez were high school sweethearts who married young and were raising two children together. A summary is at Levi Chavez, Ex-Police Officer, Not Guilty Of Murdering Wife. Now that so many years have gone by, lets take a look at where he currently is, shall we? In July 2013, Levi Chavez was found not guilty of first-degree murder. Please logout and login again. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. His profile states: Mr. Levi Chavez was born and raised in New Mexico and has a military and law enforcement background. Levi had spent the night at his current girlfriend's house. Josh Mankiewicz reports Friday, November . "This was a made up pile of lies from the beginning and it took the jury approximately 10 hours to find that out. 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. Now that he has graduated, instead of being a practicing attorney, Levi works at a non-profit organization called Heading Home, which spearheads the campaign to eradicate homelessness in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Annalise died after being pushed off the roof in December 2009. According to their website, Levi holds the title of Emergency Housing Director at their Westside Emergency Housing Center.