HE HAD TO WATCH HIS PARENTS PASSED AWAY. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Journal), Levi Chavez, center, leaves the Sandoval County Courthouse on Tuesday, July 16, 2013, after he was found not guilty of murdering his wife Tera Chavez in October 2007 and making it look like a suicide. Please God," Chavez responded. ITS A HEAVY WEIGHT TO CARRY. NANCY: OCTOBER 28, 1992, CARLA HAD NOT SHOWN UP TO WORK AT THE CONVENIENCE STORE. Romero says Chavez was with her for part of the weekend when his wife was shot. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. When a shot is fired, provided the magazine is locked in place (also called seated), the semiautomatic pistol then automatically pulls another bullet from the magazine and loads it into the guns chamber. She had multiple defense wounds, and had put up a fight. New Mexico and ABQ News, Sports, Business and more, By Jeff Proctor / Journal Staff Writer 11/21/2022 12:47 AM. Chavez has never been charged with any wrongdoing. ther A Pratt-Chavez, MD, is a Pediatric Medicine specialist in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Journal), Former APD officer Levi Chavez, second from right, hugs family members after being found not guilty of murder on Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Heather A Pratt-chavez - 1437355773 Profile Details Heather A Pratt-chavez is a physician based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico and her medical specialization is Pediatrics . Steve Hindi : Public records about cops. 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. That would have been after she moved out of the home she shared with Steve Hindi, according to her testimony. BERNALILLO The magazine that held the bullets for Levi Chavezs APD-issued Glock 9 mm pistol took center stage in a Sandoval County courtroom Monday morning as the former officers murder trial rolled into its fourth week of testimony. Detectives say Chavez wanted his wife dead because she threatened to reveal he staged the theft of a truck so he can collect insurance money. As McKay began to ask Radosevich whether Jones had passed along the information about the magazine not being secured into the butt of the pistol, Serna twice lodged objections, claiming such testimony from Radosevich would be hearsay. During his time with Party Patrol he focused on decreasing illegal sales to underage youth. endobj She said a lot of the jurys discussion centered around testimony and evidence involving the gun that killed Tera Levi Chavezs department-issued Glock 9 mm pistol. She said some jurors even cried during deliberations. << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 902 >> She left the courtroom in tears and came back in eight minutes later, still dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. They say Chavez was having an affair with Albuquerque police officer Nick Wheeler in the months before her death. Levi Chavez called 911 around 9 p.m. that day, Oct. 21, 2007, to say his wife had shot herself in the head. Your email is safe with us, we dont spam. Dozens of Albuquerque Academy students volunteered New Mexico Supreme Court: Juveniles who plead can appeal Ruling stems from the case of Christopher Rodriguez, who was sentenced as an adult to 14 years in prison for his role in the Changes to city of Albuquerque's Sun Van service raise New process allows anybody to self-certify New process allows anybody to self-certify they are disabled. Her boss at the time was worried so she went to Carlas house and knocked on her door. The evidence tampering charge stemmed from prosecutors allegation that Chavez then placed the gun and a shell casing near Teras body to make it appear that she had shot herself. State District Judge George P. Eichwald instructed the two to Quit arguing back and forth like kids.. Not among them was APD officer Steve Hindi, to whom Heather was married at the time. In 2007, Medina was promoted to the Lieutenant rank and remained there for 2 years. Upon announcing the verdict, the family of Levi Chavez, including his current wife Albuquerque detective Heather Chavez, let out gasps and wept. The call did not go to voicemail. xcbdg`b`8 $@@q1`: He. 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. 72 0 obj Levi Chavez has admitted to having girlfriends while he was married, including APD officer Heather Hindi, whom he married within days of her divorce from another APD officer Despite being sued by the city of Rio Rancho for reimbursement for his police certification costs, Schultz hires Chavez even after strong arguments by APD Academy personnel objecting to his hiring. On cross-examination by Serna, Radosevich testified that he also observed what appeared to be blood stains on the magazine that likely couldnt have gotten there had the magazine been seated. Based on my experience the magazine release had to be depressed after that firing sequence was completed, he said. 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. Box 1293 One Civic Plaza Room 7057 Albuquerque New Mexico 87103. One of Levi Chavezs lovers who was also a client of Teras at the Los Lunas Style America salon testified that Tera told her the truck hadnt really been stolen. In the days after Teras death, Romero said, her son was distraught, broken, fragile and unwilling to leave his room. Many of the other defense exhibits were photographs, as well. The civil case will proceed as soon as state District Judge Ted Baca sets a date. Earlier Monday, retired New Mexico Crime Lab fingerprint identification expert Shirley Garcia also testified. Because we are targeting the worst of the worst we are finding and building other criminal cases, Attorney General Hector Balderas said. Information about the Albuquerque Police Department. The contents of any site or link not maintained by the City does not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of the City of Albuquerque, its officials, agents or employees. Prosecutors allege Levi Chavez shot Tera Chavez, 26, once in the mouth with his APD-issued Glock 9 mm pistol and tried to make it look like a suicide. She would not have been able to release the magazine herself. THEY KNEVER KNEW WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE. >> SHE RECEIVED MULTIPLE STAB WOUNDS. Chavez has been charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. Serna, seeking on cross-examination to get details of Levi and Heathers life on the record, asked her to describe the blended family that includes Tera and Levis two children, Heathers child from a previous marriage and the couples 2-year-old son. The Albuquerque City Council voted 8-0 on March 15, 2021 to confirm Medinas appointment as Chief of the Albuquerque Police Department. Stores across the Metro are now employing armed private security guards with limited use of force as asset protection. He asked Radosevich whether it would be possible to release the magazine after shooting oneself with the gun in that position. Instead, the jury was instructed that Farrelly had received an anonymous call from the Style America where Tera worked alleging insurance fraud by Levi Chavez, and that he conducted an investigation which concluded that the allegations were unfounded.. State District Judge George P. Eichwald essentially gutted that theory when he barred Farrellys testimony after a motion from Serna. Dr. Chavez is affiliated with Lovelace Medical Center. Nobody answered, so she called police.Officers showed up and found Carla's body inside. Other stores are installing LOT-COP Security Camera Towers to aid in this deterrence effort. For example: the prosecution was barred from calling to the stand Richard Farrelly, a state Insurance Fraud Bureau agent who investigated allegations that Levi Chavez and his cop buddies had staged the theft of Chavezs pickup truck as part of an insurance scam. Ex-New Mexico police officer acquitted of wife's murder Associated Press July 16, 2013: Levi Chavez, right, a former Albuquerque police officer, gets a hug from his wife, Heather. The two exchanged seven telephone calls on May 12 of that year, according to cellphone records investigators found under a mattress Tera Chavezs body was lying on. But Romero also testified that Tera was essentially lost during her numerous separations from Levi. Eichwald instructed the Cordova family to leave the courtroom first after the verdict was read and asked Chavez family to wait a few minutes before departing. She testified that she is currently assigned to the APD Crimes Against Children Unit. width: 640px; 73 0 obj Chief Medina says the department has a partnership with some stores across the city to help but supports stores going the private security route instead. Wheeler added that Chavez never spoke of hurting herself during their time together. 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. Email addresses are used solely for verification and to speed the verification process for repeat questioners. endobj Contact. Also, a new bullet was in the Glocks firing chamber when law enforcement arrived at the Chavezes home. Carla Helmer hadn't shown up for work at a Farmington convenience store for three days. King had been an academy classmate of Police Chief Ray Schultz, who, in a tearful press conference after the killings, called it one of the saddest days in the history of the Albuquerque Police Department. Inside the department, former officers say, the deaths were a turning point: Officer safety became the order of the day. July 16, 2013: Levi Chavez, right, a former Albuquerque police officer, gets a hug from his wife, Heather Chavez, after being cleared of charges he murdered his estranged wife, Tera Chavez, in in 2007. "I don't feel like speaking for his future.". 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. Still -- nearly three decades later -- no arrests. Former Albuquerque Police Officer Levi Chavez enters court on June 13, 2013 in Bernalillo, N.M. Dean Hanson/The Albuquerque Journal/AP Photo, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He also told her she should have more information., I listened, Heather Chavez said about the interview. Over the years, detectives. However, he conceded that it was plausible.. "Can you touch her? BERNALILLO A deep dive into Levi Chavezs personal laptop computer turned up an Internet search from November 2006 for how to kill someone, social media profiles of various women with whom he was having affairs and visits to pornography websites, according to testimony in the former APD officers murder trial on Friday. He strongly follows the principles of community oriented policing and has begun implementing Community Engagement, Partnerships with Business Coalitions, Youth and Elderly Outreach within the Albuquerque Police Department. The unfaithfulness began early in the couples 10-year relationship, around the time Tera became pregnant with the couples first child shortly before her 16th birthday. Reportedly, he is married to APD Detective Heather, who was also present throughout the trial. She graduated with honors from University Of New Mexico School Of Medicine in 2007. the 911 dispatcher asked. Heinrich makes push on daylight Democratic senator from New Mexico partners Democratic senator from New Mexico partners with Republicans to reintroduce legislation in D.C. to make daylight saving time permanent. [1] [2] Levi was initially charged with murdering his wife with his police issued Glock and making it appear as a suicide.