Email. Not among them was APD officer Steve Hindi, to whom Heather was married at the time. It appears that his wife, now known as Heather Chavez, is a detective with the Farmington Police Department. Subscribe now to access decluttered news, chosen by you. Another, Athena Padilla was arrested on March 9, was charged with 10 shoplifting incidents with a value close to $19,000. 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. 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. 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. The jury learned Friday that underneath the mattress on which Tera. "This was a made up pile of lies from the beginning and it took the jury approximately 10 hours to find that out. Assistant District Attorney Anne Keener, on cross-examination, asked Romero to confirm that she had left her marriage to Levi Chavez Sr. because of cheating, gambling and the debt he left her in. 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. Levi Chavez did, indeed, marry Heather Chavez (ne Hindi) in the summer of 2008. Reportedly, he is married to APD Detective Heather, who was also present throughout the trial. Chavez was charged with first-degree murder and evidence tampering in an April 2011 indictment. New Mexico and ABQ News, Sports, Business and more, By Jeff Proctor / Journal Staff Writer A Bernalillo County deputy was reportedly not injured after their vehicle rolled in a two-vehicle, Trying to figure out where the medical cannabis program stands now is up for debate, Hospital CEO Kate Becker says 'we really want to hear from our community about what. the Albuquerque Police Department. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Justice was not served today, Cordova said. She had multiple defense wounds, and had put up a fight. . Earlier Monday, retired New Mexico Crime Lab fingerprint identification expert Shirley Garcia also testified. << /Annots 92 0 R /Contents [ 77 0 R 78 0 R 79 0 R 80 0 R 81 0 R 82 0 R 83 0 R 84 0 R ] /CropBox [ 0.0 0.0 612.0 792.0 ] /Group 108 0 R /MediaBox [ 0.0 0.0 612.0 792.0 ] /Parent 5 0 R /Resources << /ColorSpace << /CS0 95 0 R /CS1 96 0 R >> /ExtGState << /GS0 97 0 R >> /Font << /TT0 99 0 R /TT1 101 0 R /TT2 103 0 R /TT3 105 0 R >> /XObject << /Im0 88 0 R /Im1 89 0 R /Im2 90 0 R >> >> /Rotate 0 /StructParents 0 /Tabs /S /Type /Page >> You can cut the tension with a knife in here, Eichwald said. Prosecutors allege that he shot his wife, Tera Chavez, through the mouth on either Oct. 19, 20 or 21, 2007, in the couples home near Los Lunas and tried to make her death look like a suicide. Levi Chavez is the Husband of Tera, and he was a police officer with the Albuquerque Police Department. 5.9K views, 149 likes, 112 loves, 95 comments, 29 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Farmington Police Department - New Mexico: Detective Heather Chavez's Retirement Cermony In the winter of 2014, after serving 20 years of being a sworn officer, Medina retired from the Albuquerque Police Department as a Commander. During testimony on Friday, she said she was referring to herself in the text. Chavez has been charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. Trying to figure out where the medical cannabis program stands now is up for debate one side saying the program is expected to University of New Mexico Hospital launching health care listening Hospital CEO Kate Becker says 'we really want to hear from our community about what their health needs are' in order to prioritize resources. << /Lang /MarkInfo << /Marked true >> /Outlines 6 0 R /PageLayout /OneColumn /Pages 5 0 R /StructTreeRoot 9 0 R /Type /Catalog >> All Rights Reserved. Self Service Car Washes Near Me, In 2011, Medina was promoted to the rank of Commander. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. He has pled not guilty. HUM0W%FWD ,X{8n`j.{_il;xQne9oK^T(gB5eVhmmvPZu]u^Z@V.>2XYi-&+n q m4mNpI P]-)8m !5;RTTAdfI;H.KDYBd"kgBYJi !GG@5*GG0Zaowi&.0D6L%pI Mark A. Radosevich, a well-known figure in New Mexico law enforcement since the early 1970s, testified as a firearms expert for prosecutors. Heather Chavez is 46 years old and was born on 06/04/1976. At one point on Monday, Serna took the gun, which was not loaded, turned it upside down and pointed it toward himself. However, he conceded that it was plausible.. Levi Chavez is the Husband of Tera, and he was a police officer with the Albuquerque Police Department. 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. City of Albuquerque goes to court to shut down City says the property puts the community at risk, but owner says it's unfair to blame businesses for Albuquerque crime and homelessness, Bernalillo County deputy involved in rollover crash in Northeast Albuquerque, University of New Mexico Hospital launching health care listening tour, Support for families: Nonprofit that helps people who are homeless gets mattress donation, Where does medical cannabis go from here? Following the verdict, emotional family members of Tera Chavez were quickly escorted out of Sandoval District Court, the result of an edict from state District Judge George Eichwald who sought to ease tensions between the two families. And to release the magazine from its seated position, five pounds of pressure must be applied to a release button located on the left side of the handle near the trigger guard, he said. 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. Heres how the Glock works, according to Radosevichs testimony and a demonstration he made for the jury with the gun used to kill Tera inside the Chavezes home near Los Lunas in October 2007: The magazine, a polymer piece that holds bullets, is inserted into the butt of the pistol. The Attorney Generals office said this crackdown is on the more violent offenders and they know who they are. t|!iej@,RUAp*tG;^ppxu\>q 1T}|{U\x lX2pdRHB zg_h";*uJYUXd\.~|}wWI]'l+F Q~18OMU. He was the 35th of 36 witnesses called by the state, which rested its case Monday afternoon. 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. Chavez has never been charged with any wrongdoing. State District Judge George P. Eichwald instructed the two to Quit arguing back and forth like kids.. That leaves Levi Chavez as the sole defendant in the civil matter, which had been on hold since his indictment to allow the criminal case to reach a conclusion. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. 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. Meanwhile, in the courtroom, Chavez and family gathered to pray a "Hail Mary" until Serna grabbed Chavez by the arm to escort him through a crowded pathway of supporters and family members. On cross-examination by David Serna, Heather Chavez said the two spoke on the phone that day because Levi had been dispatched to a child abuse call, and she was the on-call detective for Crimes Against Children. Wheeler is the husband of Chavez's maid of honor, Samantha Wheeler. 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. << /Type /XRef /Length 87 /Filter /FlateDecode /DecodeParms << /Columns 4 /Predictor 12 >> /W [ 1 2 1 ] /Index [ 72 37 ] /Root 74 0 R /Size 109 /Prev 38218 /ID [] >> abq.policecomplaints.info. News Break provides latest and breaking Albuquerque, NM local news, weather forecast, crime and safety reports, traffic updates, event notices, sports, entertainment, local life and other items of interest in the community and nearby Chavez's affidavit is now part of a civil rights lawsuit filed by Mary Hawkes' family against the City of Albuquerque and the local police department, according to New Mexico In Join Facebook to connect with Heather Chavez and others you may know. Who Wrote She's Like The Swallow, In August 2013, Chavez was acquitted of the murder charges. There was a lot the jury didnt hear, too, because of bitter pretrial wrangling much of which shook out in favor of the defense. They also werent allowed to watch video of that deposition. Two major arrests have recently been made: one being Isaiah Martinez who is accused of organizing a mass theft of multiple sunglass huts across the city, with a value of $53,000 dollars back in October 2021. And why is it on my car? But the trial, which began two weeks ago, has offered more stories of affairs within the Albuquerque Police Department. Email addresses are used solely for verification and to speed the verification process for repeat questioners. SHE HADNT CONTACTED ANYBODY. 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. FARMINGTON POLICE ARE STILL FOLLOWING LEADS AND ARE ASKING PEOPLE WITH LEGITIMATE TIPS TO CONTACT THE FARMINGTON POLICE HOTLINE OR CRIME STOPPERS. 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. Former APD officer Levi Chavez gets a hug from his wife Heather Chavez after being found not guilty of murder on Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Over the years, detectives. Steve Hindi is a former boxer. Perea, a former APD officer, was sharing a police vehicle with Levi Chavez on Oct. 19 and 20. Published: Tuesday, July 16th, 2013 at 3:53PMUpdated: Tuesday, July 16th, 2013 at 11:21PM, #foogallery-gallery-0 .fg-image { He received the Uniformed Officer of the Year for the Albuquerque Police Department in 2004.