{{Short description|American acquitted of murder}} {{Infobox person | name = Levi Chavez | occupation = Former police officer, Attorney at Law | known_for = High profile murder case }} '''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'''. In August 2013, Chavez was acquitted of the murder charges.<ref name="abqjournal">{{cite news |last1=Boetel |first1=Ryan |title=Levi Chavez, aspiring attorney |url=https://www.abqjournal.com/618022/levi-chave-zaspiring-attorney.html |accessdate=22 December 2016 |work=www.abqjournal.com |publisher=Albuquerque Journal |date=25 July 2015 |location=ALBUQUERQUE, NM. |archive-date=23 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223062240/https://www.abqjournal.com/618022/levi-chave-zaspiring-attorney.html |url-status=live }}</ref> <ref name="Huffington Post 1"> {{cite news |last1=Contreras |first1=Russell |title=Levi Chavez, ex-police officer, not guilty of murdering wife |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/16/levi-chavez-verdict_n_3607327.html |accessdate=17 March 2017 |agency=Associated Press |publisher=Huffington Post |date=16 July 2013 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719052502/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/16/levi-chavez-verdict_n_3607327.html |archivedate=19 July 2013 |location=BERNALILLO, N.M. |language=en |url-status=dead }}</ref> Levi was initially charged with murdering his wife with his police issued Glock and making it appear as a suicide. The case made national headlines in 2013 as more details came to light about the case and about Levi Chavez' personal life.
In December 2013, it was made public that Chavez had relinquished his police officer certification.<ref name="kob news 1"> {{cite news |last=Zucco |first=Erica |title=Levi Chavez relinquishes police certification |url=http://www.kob.com/article/stories/s3240195.shtml |accessdate=17 March 2017 |work=KOB |publisher=KOB Eyewitness News 4 |date=10 December 2013 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212215737/http://www.kob.com/article/stories/s3240195.shtml |archivedate=12 December 2013 |language=en |url-status=dead }} </ref>
== Death of his wife == {{BLP unreferenced section|date=March 2021}} The night prior to the death of his wife Tera, Levi had spent the night at his girlfriend's house. The morning of October 22, 2007, he allegedly returned to the couple's home in Los Lunas, New Mexico, where he discovered the body of his wife. Valencia County sheriffs initially ruled the death as a suicide due to the "close proximity of the gun to the body."
One of Chavez's girlfriends testified in court Levi called her to say his wife had just killed herself while he was in the shower.
A different girlfriend testified Chavez's wife knew he had been a part of insurance fraud regarding reporting his truck missing when in fact he had a friend take it and hide it.
== Personal life == As the murder case gained more attention from the media and public, Chavez and the Albuquerque Police Department became the targets of heavy scrutiny. Through witness testimony, the public learned that Chavez had been having a number of affairs while married to Tera Chavez. Some of the affairs were with female APD officers.<ref>{{cite web|last=Owens|first=Ryan|title=Extramarital affairs take center stage in ex-cop murder trial|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/extramarital-affairs-center-stage-cop-murder-trial/story?id=19490180|publisher=ABC News|accessdate=14 December 2013|archive-date=16 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216064736/http://abcnews.go.com/US/extramarital-affairs-center-stage-cop-murder-trial/story?id=19490180|url-status=live}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.abqjournal.com/search?q=levi+chavez Albuquerque Journal] articles regarding Levi Chavez
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chavez, Levi}} Category:21st-century American police officers Category:American people acquitted of murder Category:Law enforcement officials from New Mexico Category:People from Albuquerque, New Mexico Category:Living people Category:People from Los Lunas, New Mexico Category:Year of birth missing (living people)