Girlfriends. I know. She had told her boss that she had done something bad. I think the last statement within her diary said it all. We knew we would get here. We just knew that we had a lot of hurdles to get over. I will never forgive myself. Never. The life of a Police Officer. Its full of danger. And stress. The life of a Police Officer. Its full of danger. And stress. They have rough days at work. And they end up holding it in. Theyre our First Responders. It is hard. It is hard work. From one call to the next, you dont know whats going to happen. But our story is about what happened when a First Responder had to face a crisis in his own home. Baby, please wake up a cop pleading for help, from his fellow men and women in blue. Tell them im a cop, please. Tell them to hurry, please. In one moment, a family is shattered. It was like disbelief. Its a surreal moment. And over time, an entire communities secrets would be revealed. I laid there and cried. It does not make sense. It starts here in the village of los lunas, mexico. 25 miles south of albuquerque. Tera chavez grew up in a loving family with her twin brother, josh, and young brother, aaron. Joseph cordova and Theresa Cordova are the parents. She was a loving girl. She was always working with drawings and poetry. Or just writing. Melanie gonzalez was teras best friend growing up. She was amazing, she was shy. I know a lot of times in school, people thought that she came off kind of stuck up. That wasnt her . Not at all. Then one day at summer camp, that shy girl met a handsome boy who would change her life in so many ways. Levi chavez. How did she talk about him . She loved him. It did not take very long before she fell for him. He was charming towards her, and she thought he was gorgeous. Tera was quiet and artistic. Levi was a guys guy, who loved boxing. They were in the desert. Tera got pregnant when they were still in high school, and they got married just before her graduation. He was happy about, and scared as well, just like she was. Something that neither one of them expected. It just happened. Every time we would see them, they were happy. Michael romero is levis uncle. And as the town magistrate, he performed the ceremony. On the wedding day, the whole town was there . Yes, the whole town is there. It was a joyous occasion. A loving couple. And together, they dreamt of a life that theyd have. Tera worked as a hairstylist but had bigger goals. She was really wanting to start her own business. Her own business meaning her own salon . Yes. So she approached me. Im all for it. I will be a silent partner. Although, she did laugh at me. Because i was not silent. Levi chavez worked long hours as an officer at the Albuquerque Police department. It was his dream job. In his world, police work was known as the family business. His grandfather from his fathers side was a Police Officer and he has four or five uncles that are Police Officers. And i am an ex Police Officer myself. So he was a natural . He was a natural. By 2007, they were raising two children. And had settled to a new house in los lunas. While levi was out fighting crime, tera was finding out that life in the suburbs was not entirely crime free. Terrys brother aaron. She called us and said someone is trying to break into my house. We checked and it looked like someone tried to mess with it a little bit. Whoever did that did not steal anything, but it put levi and tera on alert. She suggested he keep one of his onduty guns at home to protect herself. When they have a high crime rate. There are a lot of breakins, a lot of crime in the area. And levi and tera were about to experience it firsthand. Levi bought an expensive new truck. Late one night, tera was home alone and heard her dog bark. She looked outside, and the truck was gone. She said, hey, levis truck got stolen. And i said, well, what happened, is levi home . She said no, he was at work last night. That made melanie worry, and it turned out, there was plenty to worry about. Two weeks later, on a sunday, the kids were away, visiting levis dad. Levi himself had a quiet weekend on patrol. But when he stopped to check on tera, and saw what was in front of him, this Police Officer found himself on the other end of an anguished call to 911. Please have somebody come here right away. Please. Coming up the distraught husband, overcome by guilt. I will never forgive myself. Never. When dateline continues. Its the most wonderful time of the year nondrowsy claritin knocks out symptoms from over 200 allergens. Without knocking you out. Feel the clarity and make today the most wonderful time of the year. Live claritin clear. Mom i got the job yeah, i feel like its all coming together. Introducing the allnew 2024 chevy trax. With all the tech. Here we go. Were going home monty. And all the room. For all of lifes firsts. Your first new car is here. The allnew chevy trax starting under 22,000. 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Plus, fastworking crepe corrector diminishes wrinkled skin in just two days. Gold bond. Champion your skin. After advil. Feeling better . On top of the worlddddd before advil. Advil targets pain at the source of inflammation. When pain comes for you, come back fast with advil liquigels. It was a blustery october night. With high winds, gusting over new mexicos sandy mountains. Albuquerque Police Officer, levi chavez, called 911 from his own home. Baby, please wake up. Please. He told police he had found his wife lying in a pool of blood in their bed. In a panic, levi chavez begged for help. They are on their way. Levi is it going to be easier if you go to another room . I cannot leave her. Okay. Oh my god. Aaron jones was a detective with the Sheriffs Department in los lunas. When i got a call from our sergeant that a Police Officers wife had been shot. It was just after 9pm when jones got to the chavez home. It was disturbing, there was a young, handsome Police Officer, a young, beautiful wife. Joan saw tera lying on the bed with a Gunshot Wound to her head. And he found this glock 17 by her body. It was the same gun levi said he had given her for protection. It was a Service Weapon . It was a Service Weapon. That he had left at home . Yes. And on the night stand, a three word note. Im sorry, levi. Jones quickly determined that tera had not been a victim of crime, but had turned the weapon on herself. She was only 26. We do have a high suicide rate. Unfortunately, Valencia County has a high rate of suicides. And it was a Police Officers wife. Within minutes, members of levis own Police Department in albuquerque came over to the house to offer levi support. As the news of teras death spread, one officer called teras best friend, melanie. She just came out and said it. Mel, tera is dead. And it took me a minute to process it. And i was like, what do you mean . I do not understand. At the scene, police saw an unconsolable husband. He kept referring to himself as a piece of crap, and other things. And that he should have just been a better husband. That he should have been with her. I will never forgive myself, never. Jones, the local detective, took a statement from levi, The Big City Cop who had bared his soul the rest of my life, i will never be able to move on. He told jones he blamed himself for the suicide. His wife was prone to depression, he said, but he did not take it seriously. Now, it was too late. How old are the kids . Ten and six. The detective did his best to bring a weeping levi chavez under control. Whatever is going on right now, take a deep breath. Youre trying to make this guy feel better . I am always concerned that, possibly, my sympathy and empathy had gotten to the point, he might hurt himself. Officers went through the scene in the bathroom, and stumbled on something. Tera, the writer, had kept a journal tucked under her mattress. Parts of it were very dark, it described a young woman that was having some dark times in their life. Tera had laid bare the depths of her despair. Writing, sometimes i just want to disappear. And, im depressed. I want to fall off the face of the earth. And every day i feel my time and work, kids and endlessly trying to make my marriage work. Im getting nowhere, i never do. Sounds like depression to me . Classic depression. And police found another page of writing that sounded desperate. Torn up and buried in the trash can. And levi showed Detective Jones Something Else. I got a text. A text he received from tera earlier that day. It says, im afraid im going to hurt myself. Im so, so, so upset and hurt. Open and shut. By 2 am, police were wrapping up their work at the chavez house, and Detective Jones headed to teras parent home to break the news. He introduced a deputy and chaplain, and said, it is about your daughter. So i am already feeling weak. What did you think . I thought that it was a terrible traffic accident. I never thought to hear otherwise. I asked him what happened, and aaron jones said, it is an apparent suicide. Possibly the most painful news a family can ever hear. But they were not prepared to accept it, and they felt a deep conviction that no one outside the family saw coming. When you hear suicide, what do you think . No way no way that girl loved those children. And i knew right then and there that she would not take her life and leave those children behind. Coming up heartbreak and disbelief. Thats not the tera i knew. I never wouldve in 1 million years thought that she would take her life. Was teras death definitely a suicide . Something about it just started stinking. When dateline continues coming up heartbreak and disbelief. Thats not the tera i knew. I never wouldve in 1 million years thought that she would take her life. Was teras death definitely a suicide . Something about it just started stinking. When dateline continues ive never been healthier. Shingles doesnt care. But shingrix protects. Proven over 90 effective, shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. Shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. An increased risk of guillainbarre syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. Fainting can also happen. The most common side effects are pain, redness and swelling at the Injection Site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingrix today. Meet the portable blender we can barely keep in stock. Blendjet 2 gives you icecrushing, big blender power onthego. So you can blend up a mouthwatering smoothie, protein shake, or latte wherever you are recharge quickly with any usb port. Best of all, it even cleans itself just blend water with a drop of soap. What are you waiting for . Order yours now from blendjet. Com before they sell out again loving this pay bump on our allowance. Wonder where mom and bdad got the extra money . Maybe they won the lottery . Maybe they inherited a fortune . Maybe buried treasure . Maybe it fell off a truck . Or maybe they switched to Xfinity Mobile the fastest mobile service. Save hundreds a year over tmobile, at t and verizon. Now i can buy that electric scooter. Im starting a Private Equity Fund that specializes in midcap. You do you. Family and friends awoke to switch to Xfinity Mobile today. A Piercing Sadness in this tight new mexico community. Tara chavez, the wife of an Albuquerque Police officer, had died by suicide. I lay there and cried. I couldnt believe it. Somebody that i talked to every day is gone and you dont know why, you dont understand it. It doesnt make sense when levis Uncle Michael tried to helped his nephew the next morning, he says he saw a broken man. He was in bed and i dont know what to say. Its the worst that could happen to anybody. What did he say to you that day . Do you remember . He was too emotional, he couldnt speak. Along with the shock, teras best friend was overcome with a sense of disbelief. Part of me was like, no, this isnt right. This isnt what happened. Like, theyre lying. Its not true. Thats exactly what teras parents were telling the detective, whod come to their home with that terrible news. For one thing, they told him there was simply no way tera would leave her children. You would not be the first family of a loved one who committed suicide, who did not want to believe that that was possible. Josh, i dont know about other families. But i knew tera. I knew tera. But, what about the depressed person who emerges from that diary that police found at the scene . Teras Family Points out, many of the darker passages in that journal were several years old. Her journal, i think, was an outlet for her to vent sometimes. Gena cordova is teras sisterinlaw. I mean, im married. I have kids. Sometimes, i just want to disappear. It doesnt mean that im going to harm myself in any way. The very last entry, three months before her death, suggests tera was, in fact, the opposite of depressed. Tera wrote, goodbye to the person i used to be. Welcome new day, happiness. I think the last statement within her diary said it all. Happiness. Her family says she had lots to be happy about. Tera was finally making plans to open that new hair salon she had long dreamed of. She was even starting to look at real estate. She was so excited to do it. Gina says tera had an appointment to look at this location with her dad, scheduled for just two days after her death. She was thinking about how she was going to decorate and how it was going to be, you know, girly. She was just really excited about it. Thats the tera her brother, aaron, saw all the time. He says, two days before she died, tara had sent him this funny video of her kids. Sounds like you are dancing. They were dancing around the shop, just being goofy. They were joking around. It was pretty funny. Nothing on that video suggests that she was in a miserable place. Theres a little second that you see her, shes laughing because her daughter and her little boy are just goofballs, you know. Teras best friend, melanie, Reread The Last text tera sent her around that same time. She saw nothing frightening. It was real simple. She just said, hi, i havent talked to all day. How are you doing . Doesnt sound like someone in the middle of a terrible depression. Not at all. Could you have conceived of her taking our own life . Its not the tera i knew. I never wouldve in 1 million years, expected or thought that she would ever take her life. Melanie and the cordovas say, their instincts were telling them that something was wrong in that Suicide Scene at the house. And they let Detective Jones know it. I talked to aaron jones, i dont think he believed you. Im sure he didnt. It look like a suicide. Thats correct. Something you said to him or some way you said it made him think that he needed to dig a little deeper. Yes. I promised teras mom and dad that i would look at it. I knew that i couldnt just close this case without looking at it and digging into it. To begin with, jones knew from experience, that Bedroom Scene was very unusual. Women make up just 10 of gun suicides. And he wondered about that recent break in attempt and levis stolen truck. Had someone been casing the neighborhood . Maybe targeting the officers house . I wanted to check and make sure that there wasnt any kind of indication of any kind of breakin or maybe Somebody Else had done this. Nothing seemed to be missing from the house. And jones could find no sign of forced entry. Still, he went back to the photos in the bedroom. He started noticing things. Like, what appeared to be a swipe of blood on the bed. What could that smear of blood on the bed sheets indicate . Well, it could indicate the fact that she didnt commit suicide. The fact that the person that fired that fatal round wouldve had blood on their hands. And the detective remembered Something Else from that night that now struck him as odd. A Red Substance in a toilet, on the other side of the house. Was it teras blood . And if so, how did it get there . Youre in a situation where someone died, they certainly didnt get out of bed and go bleed in the toilet. Jones also focused closely on that gun and noticed the patterns of blood on it. To the detective, it looked like whoever had fired it had to be left handed. The areas of the gun that didnt have blood on them. Its like a perfect handprint. It looked like a perfect handprint of a human hand. A left hand . Yes. Tara was righthanded. Yes. Was it suicide or could it be homicide . Jones turned all of it over in his mind. He even handled the gun himself. You physically put a glock in your own mouth . Yeah. Unloaded, i hope. Of course. The Medical Examiner, however, had ruled teras Death Suicide the day after she was found. And the lid on this case might have been shut then and there. But jones hesitated. It was written as a suicide, unless i came up with something pretty contradictory to that then my job was to write it up as a suicide, closed case. Why didnt you . I just couldnt do it. There was just something about it. Something about it started stinking. After three weeks of investigation, instead of closing the case, jones asked the Medical Examiner to change the manner of death from suicide to undetermined. Now, the hard part, determining what really happened to tera chavez. Coming up, tera had a secret. She had met another man . Yeah. Its a big, Messy Triangle. But, was it a motive for murder . When dateline continues. It was time for a nunormal with nucala. Nucala is a oncemonthly addon treatment for Severe Eosinophilic Asthma that can mean less oral steroids. Not for sudden breathing problems. 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We make money from ads, but they dont follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. Hi Richard Louis with their hours top stories. In libya, authorities are investigating after a dam collapse caused devastating flooding killing more than 11,000 people. The torrence swept Generational Homes and entire families into the mediterranean sea. And thousands remain without power at this hour due to post Tropical Cyclone lee. The storm brought torrential rains, coastal flooding, and 70 mile per hour winds to eastern canada, and parts of new england. Lee is expected to turn northeast and move across Atlantic Canada through sunday. Now back to dateline. Teline the more detective aaron jones looked at that scene where tara chavez died, the more questions he had. Then, he said, a light bulb went off. Something that seemed like the key to the case. Jones said that when he found the gun next to tera, the magazine with the bullets was not locked in place. It had been partially released. Suggesting what . Suggesting that the scene was tampered with. So someone uses the gun to shoot tera, the gun recycles. And then what . In putting it down or dropping it it accidentally released it . Thats what i believe. Yes. But if tera did not shoot herself, who shot her . Now jones would have to delve into teras life and relationships. And soon, he learned that tera had a secret. She had another man . Yeah. Jones heard from melanie and others that tera and her husband had been growing apart for years. And three months before she died, tera stepped over a line. His name was nick wheeler. Like levi, he was another handsome Police Officer in the pd. Nick would get his hair cut by tera every thursday. And sparks flew. What drew tera to this guy . His personality. He treated her great. Another guy that comes in and is nice to her, and shows her attention. And treats her good. And youve got the recipe for an affair . Exactly. But there was a problem, tera was married to levi, and nick . He was married to a friend of ours. A friend of yours . Yes. A big, Messy Triangle. Now the big, Messy Triangle was suddenly part of detective erins investigation and a tricky one. Back in 2005, we worked in the field. He was a good guy. And they said it wouldnt get in the way of the investigation. He was going to take a long look at his friend. And he was gonna go over something that now seems suspicious. The night tera was found, nick had caught him digging for information. Probably within an hour of being on the scene. I got texts and phone calls from him. Nick wants to know what . I wasnt sure at first. He was asking questions about what was going on, if i knew anything. Wasnt it concerned about keeping his affair with tera under wraps . Or Something Else . Melanie told the detectives that tera had broken things off with nick before she died. And told melanie that it had not ended well. She just told him, its not right. Were both married. What we are doing is not a good thing. Her conscience . Yes. He did not want to let her go . Did not sound like it. Now, jones thought nick could be another suspect. So he visited nicks home, and did not tell him the conversation was being recorded. Nick quickly admitted the affair. The wife was there to hear everything. Theres gonna be some things on here, this is your husband. I know. Tell me. Tell her. Tell me. Detective jones saw himself witnessing the type of domestic argument that witnesses only hear after the fact. Did you sleep with her . And when were saying sleeping. Were talking about sex. How many times did you touch her . Well, she kissed me in the truck. And you kissed her back . And i pushed her off. Why dont you just leave me . Because i didnt want to. But she wanted to kiss you. Then, samantha said something that surprised jones. She had known all about the affair because tara had confessed, and apologized. She was so nice and i told her and said, im not gonna say anything until nick tells me. Because thats his responsibility, as a husband. What did she say . She said she didnt want me to kill her. She didnt want me to go after her and ask. I would never do it because i understand where she was coming from. So did you believe that the two women in the Love Triangle had made peace. Did you believe that. Did you believe it was possible that nick or his wife had killed tara . Absolutely. Well, let me ask you a question, did you kill her . Now. I really loved her. Really i did. I did. That left one more question about the man in the middle. Neck. Where was he that weekend tara died . Well, ill make sure the main thing i need to make sure. That youre not with the care. She was with me. He was her alibi and she was . Hes pretty much yeah. And that doesnt necessarily mean anybody is lying sometimes it just works out. Yeah, they were a couple. And i know by experience they spent a lot of time with friends, family, or themselves at home. The investigator says that he did not dismiss them as potential suspects that he had no evidence to link them to the death. So john strident focusing on the man that they needed to look at. Taras husband levi. And joan says that there was plenty to examine. Their whole relationship seems like it was just a rollercoaster. Coming up investigators find out that levi had a lot more to hide than his wife dead. How many more besides you where is he having an affair with . Ten. When dateline continues ahhh with flonase, allergies dont have to be scary. Spray Flonase Sensimist daily for nondrowsy long lasting relief in a scent free, gentle mist. Flonase all good. Also, try our Allergy Headache and nighttime pills. I gotta good feeling about this, yeah flonase all good. 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Or even worse. Too much . Thats the point. Get real about your risks and do something about it. Talk to your Health Care Provider about ways to lower your risk of stroke, heart attack, or death. Learn more at getrealaboutdiabetes. Com [coughing] when caroline has a cough she takes robitussin. So, she can have those one on ones again. Hey jim hey can we talk about your yoga breaks . Sure. Get fast, powerful cough relief with robitussin, and find your voice. Robitussin if tera traviss death was a homicide and not suicide, then her husband, levi, would be a natural suspect. And it didnt take long for detective aaron jones to find out that when it came to levi chavez, the albuquerque cop, there, apparently, was something about a man in uniform. Levis a very charming guy. Very charming guy. He clearly knows how to talk to women. He clearly does. Theres no evidence that levi knew about taras brief affair with nick wheeler. It turns out, levi was carrying far more secrets than his late wife had. Levi had been cheating on tera, but that doesnt quite tell the story. Levi travis was racking up so many infidelities, he could barely remember some of his girlfriends names. Teras friend, melanie, says that kind of thing had been going on ever since high school. It wasnt just one girl, two girls, it was numerous girls. So you never really stopped . No. Detective jones tracked down this woman, rose, a married mother of three. Rose says, at the time of teras death, she and levi had been sleeping together for two years. By the time i came around, i was shocked to be number three. Number three . He was having a third affair . No, when he opened his phone, i was number three on his phone speed dial. Llevi was open with you, not just that he was married, but in addition to being married, in addition to having an affair with you, and another girlfriend, someone who was, well, a little higher up in the hierarchy than you were, and you are okay with that . Yeah. Juggling multiple mistresses while married was apparently nothing new for levi. Rose said, levis Multitasking Skills made it all possible. How many other women besides you was levi having an affair with . Ten. Ten . Yeah. You and ten other woman . Yes. How did levi find the time to be with ten different women and still, presumably, fight crime . We were actually almost neighbors. We lived really close to each other. That would be essential in a situation like that. Yes. You couldnt have a one hour commute to see somebody when theres others. I think a couple others lived around. What did you guys the running trails, the kids, school my school, the deposit between our houses. So there was meeting up outdoors . Yeah. Even if i went to his house, the kids were there, he would just pop in a movie and have the kids watch a movie and we would take off and do adult things. Rose says, those adult things didnt have anything to do with love. I dont love him. This was just facts . Just sex. Listen to this, one time when rosen levi were together at his house, she noticed a photo near the bed. I put two and two together and asked him, he said, yeah, were married. Rose recognized the woman in the photograph because she knew tara, and had just figured out she was sleeping with her hair husband. And you say, great, honey, lie down. Not, i gotta get out of here, this is weird. It was a little weird, im not going to lie. But, there seem to be no love lost between us. I was like, theres no love there, so i dont care. Rose told Detective Jones a lot about her affair with levi, but didnt seem to know anything useful about terrorist death. So, jones turned the others on levi speed dial, including heather handy, a fellow cop and levis department. Jones interviewed heather, but she didnt seem to have any leads. So he found his more serious girlfriend at the time, another cop, named debra romero. I think she believed that levi was going to be the real deal for her. Levi had admitted to jones in the very first conversation that hed been with another woman the night tara died. Now, debra romero would become a key part of joness investigation, as he began to track levis whereabouts that weekend. He said he hadnt been home until he discover the body. All right. The detective believed tara had been killed, sometime on saturday night. Levi story was that hed been on duty until midnight and then went to deborahs house. Jones went to talk to her. What is the first, first recollection that you have of seeing him, physically, at your house . When i woke up. He came into the bedroom. He was in his uniform. Debra confirmed that she was with levi from the time he got off work that night, until the following evening. So, mistress as alibi, maybe not a squeaky clean defensible, for now, at least, their stories were in sync. Jones still had questions for levi. The next time levi came to his office, john set up a camera to record their conversation, without levi knowing. He wanted to see how levi would react to the suggestion that tehran had not killed herself. Seems like you caught him offguard. I did. I wanted to make him know that i had some concerns about some of the behavior that was going on. At first, it was all pretty routine. But whatever you need, i mean, i understand. I have nothing to hide. Then, jones told levi he was suspected terror had been murdered. You understand why this whole thing looks like no. I really dont. I walk into your house at night, and i really, honestly believe its a suicide. The problem is somebody killed her wife. I dont know. That blows my mind. It would be easier to tell my kids that. I cant i think i wouldve saw something. Jones tells levi, he has some questions about all those women. You know the problem is, what it looks like as youve got so many freaking girlfriends. I know. You dont even know their names. I told you. That i know. Your major rodeo, dude. A major romeo who said he still cared for his wife, despite all those infidelities. She was my partner. Who . Tara. We might not be in love Business Partner or paraphrasing partner . We did so much together. It almost look like she was or nanny. Im sorry, man. I dont know you want me to tell me. Bad husbands, ill probably take the cake. I dont know what to tell you. Day i had nothing to do with this. He admits to some of the affairs, admits to being a bad husband, but he says hes no murderer. I dont see a guy who looks tremendously guilty there. But you did. Not necessarily over just that. I mean, it was the totality of everything. Thats because the totality Of Everything For Jones included some starting information he was getting. Something taras family and friends say she told them just before she died. Coming up, she made a couple statements to me that if anything ever happened to her that levi did it. Did tara have a premonition about her own death . When dateline continues. D before advil. Advil targets pain at the source of inflammation. When pain comes for you, come back fast with advil liquigels. What even is this . Dont touch my things. Gross. Janice, when you bundle your home or renters with your auto, progressive provides 24 7 protection for almost everything you own. But do you really need. My weighted hoop . Its for my snatched waist. Thats my dog chaise lounger. Foot treadmill. Thats my tuesday chalice. Purse that says purse. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber. I cant live without oxygen. Solid gold coffee machine. Lake making kit. Really . Can progressive cover that too . Yes, but hi its janice. Ill take 5. Is my voice on tv right now . [sneeze] astepro allergy, steroid free allergy relief that starts working in 30 minutes, while other Allergy Sprays take hours. With astepros unbeatably fast allergy relief you can astepro and go my asthma felt anything but normal. It was time for a nunormal with nucala. Nucala is a oncemonthly addon treatment for Severe Eosinophilic Asthma that can mean less oral steroids. Not for sudden breathing problems. Allergic reactions can occur. Get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. Infections that can cause shingles have occurred. Dont stop steroids unless told by your doctor. Tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. May cause headache, Injection Site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. Ask your Asthma Specialist about a nunormal with nucala. The family of tera chavez, goli, taste your goals. Ask your Asthma Specialist has never believed that she took her own life. And they also did not buy her husbands story about how he found her. There were a lot of, just suspicious things. Nothing added up. To tears sitter in law, gina, the socalled suicide note found on the Bedside Table did not make sense. For mostly what he did not say. I think my first thought was, i want to read it. Because i want to see it. And the note says im sorry levi but does not mention the kids. Can you conceive of her not mentioning her children . No. She would never have left her kids. She would not have left her kids. Detective jones had come to agree. But one sentence did not believe like a suicides note, at least not one she would write. She was a very expressive person. You would expect a more detailed and expressive . Note absolutely. Taras best friend also told the detective that the behavior of the levi, she knew was much worse than the philandering he admitted to. He would break or so down verbally. He would tell her all the time that she was worthless. That she was nothing without him. Tara tried to keep it to herself. But especially, from her dad. We did not like seeing our daughter go through, which he was going through with levi. And being the father, and wanting to fix everything, i think it created this curtain of, do not let dad know. But in the months before she died, tera did tell both of them that she was getting fed up with levi and that she was going to end her marriage. She was telling me that the kids would be fine, they were getting divorced, and she would be moving forward. After terrorists that, the Court Order Said that levi never appeared to be the grieving husband but seemed cold and distant. By the time of the funeral, levi had already wiped away all traces of his dead wife. Everything my daughter did in that house, was either in a box. Or somewhere. Somewhere else, it wasnt in the house and the longer. We were there to pick up clothing for a viewing that was going to happen wednesday afternoon. And there was nothing left . It was nothing. Who does that . Who boxes up the person that made that house what it is . Within 48 hours within 48 hours she was gone it made the family wonder if evidence of levis guilt was also being boxed up and hidden. Especially when they learned that potential evidence from the house had been destroyed the night tara was found. Remember that Red Substance that Detective Jones found on the toilet that night . It turns out it never made it to the crime lab. Were you going to collect that evidence . No. Because . Because it had been flushed by an Albuquerque Police officer that had been in the house. One of the friends that had come over to offer support . Friends. Coworker. So, was it taras blood . Was it even blood were never gonna now. No. And that bedding with the mysterious blood swipe was also removed by apd cops. Taras family could not shake the feeling that levis fellow officers might be helping out their friend. And that the local investigators in charge, shouldve stopped them. I was extremely angry with the Albuquerque Police department Sheriffs Department. I was beside myself with them. How could you allow another agency to come into your jurisdiction and enter that house . The jurisdiction of the man who found the body . Yes. Detective jones says there is no evidence of a conspiracy or coverup. And he blames himself for not immediately treating the house as a crime scene. Because of that, he was forced to work backwards to find both evidence and a possible motive. And soon, he found something interesting. A Life Insurance policy that covered tara. How much money would leave i get in the death of his wife . 100,000. What about suicide . 100,000. And, Terrors Family told the detective that the couple, heading for divorce, had financial problems. But the main reason that taras family and friends believed he had something to do with their death was this. She had made a couple statements to me that if anything happened to me, he had done it. Did you take that seriously . Obviously not serious enough. It took me awhile to think, oh my god maybe she was right and her mom said that a few months before she died, tara told her the same thing. She did tell me, if anything ever happens to me, leave i did it. And i immediately asked her if she was okay. And if the kids were okay. And she told me, everything was fine. But why Say Something like that . I couldnt tell you why she said that. But she did tell me that. Tara told her mother not to worry. And, not to say a word to her dad. And you didnt tell him . And i didnt tell him. I dont blame my wife for anything. Tara knew me well. She knew that i would intervene. Is there any part of either of you that things that he may not be responsible for this . No. Now, the family and the detective were on the exact same page. You dont believe that she killed herself . Now. You thought he killed her . Fake . That made it look like a suicide . Yes sir. But to feel like levi was responsible for the death was notched widely shared by Law Enforcement. More because he had that alibi, deborah omara, who said that they were together that night. Whos been on the scene that evening. And his many other mistresses for more information. But some, werent talking. After a year, the investigation had reached a standstill. I was allowed to officially work the case for sometime. But after that, i worked it when i could. And however i could. Levis uncle, and family of cops, Felt The Investigation was pure witch hunt. When the police start to focus on levi, what do you think . When you mentioned please, my thought is not police. It is aaron jones. You think this is all . All him. He was driving the bus . Here he was driving. And he was the only one on that bus, outside of the highway. While joneses bus was stalling, The Albuquerque Press Tour was rolled on with the story. Even though no arrests was made, levi was put on administrative leave at his job. And remained the one, and only, Person Of Interest in the case. To be honest with you, they did not have a case. And i think they were trying to make levi look like a bad guy. So maybe hes not a good husband. But hes not a murder . No. Definitely not a murder. She took her life and, levi found her. But jones refused to give up. And was determined to dig up new information anyway he could. He began to think outside the box. And suggested something highly unusual. I told the court at the time, if you have to sue me, to me. But in order to get some answers on this case, you have to file a civil suit. So they did. A wrongful death suit against levy. The city of albuquerque and members of the Police Department, claiming that they had all prayed a role in terry s death. It was a huge fishing expedition, but would they catch anything . Coming up. Levis first testimony under earth. And one of his girlfriends tells a new story about what happened the night he found his wifes body. He was like my wife just died while i was in the shower. When dateline continues Josh Mankiewicz voiceover tera chavezs parents tara chavezs parents were determined to help keep their soninlaw arrested for their daughters murder. So, for their civil suit, the familys lawyers subpoenaed more than 50 people for depositions, with the hope of learning something new. Please state your name for the record. Levi travis levi was called in to give it videotape deposition. Were you aware that officer wheeler was seeing your wife . Hed always been cooperative with police in the past but this time, levi was under oath. Now as his lawyers invoked his Fifth Amendment rights against self incrimination, levi was far less chatty. When do you remember receiving an alleged text message from tara, saying she might hurt herself . Were going to assert the same privileges to that. So little was learned from levi that day. Attorneys also put his talkative mistress, rose under oath. Something that she had never told police. Later, told us. The night that i had talked to him and texted him, he said, my wife just died. I said, what happened . He said, i dont know, i was in the shower. I heard a pop. Levi told you that he was there, in the house, in the shower . And he heard a pop . Yeah. When he got out, he found her dead. Levis story to investigators had always been that hed been one of his other girlfriends, debra romero that night. And only found her dead when he returned home to check on her slama. This story that roe says its quite different. You know youre the only person that tells that story yes you sure thats what he said to im absolutely positively sure. This new story was puzzling to jones but it did match one thing the detective recalled seeing at the scene, a wet towel. Rose had even more to reveal in your deposition. Remember, shed been sleeping with levi, but also had been a client of tara, at her salon. Presumably, you chatted with her the way women do with their hairstylists . Yeah it was this double edged role as paramour to levi, and as it turned out, confidant to tara, that would put rose slama at the center of this investigation. Lead investigators to a possible motive. The last time she saw tara, rose says, terry told you something odd about that truck that had disappeared from the family driveway. You had a conversation with terror about levis truck being missing. We were talking and i was, like well, whats going on with the truck . Have you guys heard anything about it she said income of stolen. Would you mean it didnt come up stolen. Roe says, terry told her the story of the trump being stolen had been a lie and that she believed her husband, levi, the cop, was mixed up in something very illegal. She said that leave i had some friends take it to claim the insurance, so he had the truck. Taken so tara was very upfront with you that she thought the trucks disappearance was part of an insurance scam by levi yeah she told me that she was going to call the police and tell them. And, when she later saw levi, roe says she told him his wife thought he was involved in some kind of scam. Well was levis response when you told him about that . She did know she was talking about would you maintain the truck was legitimately stolen yeah if terrell was telling row she thought her husband was a criminal, what might happen next i believe he was scared because she was going to turn him in and he had a lot to lose. To Detective Jones, that sounded like a reason for levi to want to make sure his wife disappears. And he found more evidence to suggest terral was planning to report her husband. Six days before she died, the new Mexico Insurance Fraud Bureau received a tip about a fake stolen vehicle. The investigators note say the callers name was sara, but later said he thought it couldve been tara. In fact, the womans Contact Number was for the salon where tara chavez worked. What did you learn from the people who work at the salon . About three days prior to her death, she told her boss that she had done something bad and if she ended up dead, levi killed her. I feel a sense of responsibility. For taras death. I never said anything about the truck to leave i then what maybe she will be alive. Maybe if i just kept my mouth closed, it wouldve been okay. She would still be here. But thats my cross to bear and i owe her family a great apology and i have apologized to them, and i hugged them. Thats something i have to live with. As the civil lawsuit wound its way through court, Detective Jones retired from Law Enforcement. The revelations that came from the suit jumpstarted the investigation into taras death. Eventually, it caught the attention of prosecutors. Bryan mackay was an assistant da. You thought the truck was a motive . We thought the truck was the motive in a really simple sense. Hes just moved to a pd, hes wanting to move up the ranks. Im sorry, you know the brass is going to do something if everyones going around your wifes reporting that youre committing fraud. All of the defendants, except levi, settled there parts of that civil suit, denying any lie ability. The court of a family got what they really wanted. In april 2011, more than three years after terrells death, levi chavez was charged with her murder. Coming up theres no way that he couldve done this. Levi chavez goes on trial. The perfect homicide equals suicide. When dateline continues. Nondrowsy claritin knocks out symptoms from over 200 allergens. Without knocking you out. Feel the clarity and make today the most wonderful time of the year. Live claritin clear. Mom i got the job yeah, i feel like its all coming together. Introducing the allnew 2024 chevy trax. 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You can age on your own terms. Retinol overnight means. The smoothing benefits of retinol. Are now for your whole body. Plus, fastworking crepe corrector diminishes wrinkled skin in just two days. Gold bond. Champion your skin. After advil. Feeling better . On top of the worlddddd before advil. Advil targets pain at the source of inflammation. When pain comes for you, come back fast with advil liquigels. In june 2013, levi chavez when pain comes for you, in june 2013, levi chavez was to stand was to stand trial in new mexico court for killing his wife, tara. He had been on bill, fired from his job as a albuquerque cop after he was indicted. The trial for an apd officer, accused of killing his wife is finally underway. Taras Family And Friends Thought Justice was near. Was there a time when you thought the levi was never one to be prosecuted . No. We knew he would get here. We just had a lot of hurdles to get over. Levis family saw the trial very differently. As a chance to clear his name, and theirs. You ever have any doubt as to whether he was capable of . This i had no doubt, from day one, advocating theres no way that he couldve done this. David serena is levis Defense Attorney. I think the evidence strongly suggested that the investigators ignored all evidence other than evidence pointing to levis guilt. All rise. Two families, once joined by marriage could now hardly look at each other as they sat on opposite sides of the courtroom. The state set out to prove levi, the cheating husband, killed tara and stage two suicide. Keeping her from exposing a big secret. This was not a suicide. It was a purely circumstantial case, but lead prosecutor, ryan mackay, thought he had more than enough to brandi levi a cold blooded killer. So, the perfect homicide is a suicide. You begin by talking about the perfect. Murder is that why you think this was yeah. A cop knows that a suicide, if theyre convinced early on of this is a suicide, its coast. Its over, its done. There is an investigation. Mckay thought levi didnt count on the determination of tears loved ones, who took the stand to make their own passionate case. That tara would have never killed herself. Theres no way that terror wouldve done this, no way. She said that she was done, she was done putting up with him and his shooting. She was ready to move on with her life. Prosecutors thought a big part of their case would be levis alleged involvement in a stolen truck scam. Rose slama came to court to testify about what shed heard. I had asked her about the Truck Situation and she had told me that levi had had it stolen for insurance. Prosecutors told the jury, they would prove this was levis motive for murder. Tara is telling people that he is involved in some kind of fraud. Thats bad news. The state couldnt really deliver on that supposed motive. Levi always maintained the truck really was stolen and fraud charges were never really filed against him. The judge wouldnt allow any testimony in a trial that would back up roses story. The jury also never heard family or friends testify that tara thought levi might hurt her, perhaps over the truck. All of that was hearsay. Still, mccain and his cocounsel, anne keener, believe that they had much more evidence against levi and made his infidelity the centerpiece of their case. They said levi had simply grown tired of tara. How would you describe him . Levi chavez was a very me centered person. Everything about levi is about levi. Coming up, levis lovers take the stand. When you went to the residence, did you have a sexual encounter yes, i did. One mistress, his alibi, changes her story. Is there any way for you to actually know what time you got there i do not know when dateline continues. To duckduckgo on all your Devie Duckduckgo comes with a builtn engine like google, but its pi and doesnt spy on your searchs and duckduckgo lets you browse like chrome, but it blocks cooi and creepy ads that follow youa from google and other companie. And theres no catch. Its fre. We make money from ads, but they dont follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. Prosecutors in the levi joprosecutors in the Levile Takchavez Murder Trialacy chavez murder trial were dealt two major blows. First, the judge blocked testimony supporting their theory, that levi was involved in an insurance scam. Second, he blocked statements from friends and family, who alleged tara felt threatened by her husband. The state had another card to play. It was time to put their cheating on full display. Among the mistresses who arrived in court, katrina gourley. A Verizon Store clerk that levi met shortly before taras death. They began an affair the day they met. A few weeks later, they were in bed together again, in the same home where tara had died. When you went to the residence, you have a sexual encounter . Yes. Were the children there . He said they were but i did not see them. Next, up a fellow apd officer. Regina sanchez. Tara had called her when she learned regina had been sleeping with levi. The nature of the phone call was to get mad at me, ask what was going on. Was she upset . Yes. Very. Investigator showed that not long after that phone call, someone had typed in a web search on levis computer, how to kill somebody. After the how to kill somebody search, there was a web page that was visited and thats on how to kill someone. The states implication, levi thought murder might be easier than divorce. The prosecution said levi had grown tired of tara. That computer shows you that something is going on. He tells tara she is holding him back. Calls her a worthless piece of skin. The prosecution suggests that levi had a plan to get rid of tara for a new girlfriend, heather hindi. She was the other albuquerque calk, who got to know levi in the weeks before taras death. You indicated that you didnt start a sexual relationship until the end of november of 2007. Correct . 63 days after tara died, the man who once tearfully told aaron jones he would never get over his wife suicide, gave heather a diamond ring. And when did you get married . July 5th, 2008. The official story is that heather and levi met just a couple weeks before taras death, but things didnt evolve until long after taras death. Knowing what we know about levi, do you believe that . No. I think she was ultimate goal. The state had Something Else. Debra romero, the mistress who had been levis alibi, now took the stand to testify for the prosecution. I actually think he called me that evening. Romero, originally told investigators that levi was with her, right after his shift ended. During the period when its believed tara was killed. Now, years later, she testified that she couldnt be sure when he arrived at her house. Is there any way for you to actually know what time you got there . I do not know. According to the prosecution, levi got off work at midnight and its something that his cell phone records show was highly unusual. He shot off his phone for 15 hours. On october 21st, after midnight, 2007, the defendant turned his phone off. His phones off for a longer period of time than it had been off in a very long time. Yes. That was a huge piece of evidence because of the timing. I mean, really . Thats the only time this big break, and it happens to be when your wife is killed . Prosecutors laid out for the jury exactly what they believed happened that night. They said levi walked into the house, walked inside the bedroom where he found his wife asleep. Slams that gun in, and pulls the trigger. Instantly killing tara travis. And then he pulls the gun out, turns it over and he lays it down. And then . And then at that point in time, is when he hops in the shower. Comes out, nothing, nobody is responding. Towel, thats when he says that text. Prosecutors said, it was levi who sent that text from taras phone. Im afraid im going to hurt myself. Im so upset, sad and hurt. It was the text levi would later show investigators but Detective Jones took the stand to describe what he believed was levis one mistake. Did you push the magazine release, in this case . No. Detective aaron jones testified that he had found the gun at the scene with the magazine already released. The state called experts to the stand to say that if tara had shot herself, she wouldnt have been able to release it. Five pounds of direct pressure, in order to release this magazine. Prosecutors believe that the person who did release the magazine was levi, the cop. They said levis perfect plan wasnt perfect after all. This is not a suicide. That man killed tara travis. The defense was ready to tell a very different story. One of a loved sick woman and the spiral of despair. Coming up, the case for the defense starting with a Cross Examination of the lead detective. Youre a worldclass cop, maybe your clairvoyant as well. Im working on it. I bet you are. I have no doubt. Turns out, he had a troubled past. We found you mentally unfit to be a Police Officer, right . Thats whats said. When dateline continues. It was time for a nunormal with nucala. Nucala is a oncemonthly addon treatment for Severe Eosinophilic Asthma that can mean less oral steroids. Not for sudden breathing problems. Allergic reactions can occur. Get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. Infections that can cause shingles have occurred. Dont stop steroids unless told by your doctor. Tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. May cause headache, Injection Site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. Ask your Asthma Specialist about a nunormal with nucala. Its the most wonderful time of the year nondrowsy claritin knocks out symptoms from over 200 allergens. Without knocking you out. Feel the clarity and make today the most wonderful time of the year. Live claritin clear. Every day, businesses everywhere are asking the most wonderful time of the year. Is it possible . With Comcast Business. It is. Is it possible to use predictive monitoring to address Operations Issues . We can help with that. Can we provide health care virtually anywhere . We can help with that, too. Is it possible to survey foot traffic across all of our locations . Yeah absolutely. With the advanced connectivity and intelligence of global secure networking from Comcast Business. With you our top stories. Its not just possible. Its happening. Goli, taste your goals. Republican Texas Attorney general ken paxton was fully acquitted of Corruption Charges in his impeachment trial. Paxton was impeached for allegedly taking bribes, but the vast majority of his party chose not to vote for his conviction and removal from office. The texas a. G. Is now expected to return to work. Hurricane lee brought heavy winds and coastal flooding to parts of new england and canada. The storm made landfall in nova scotia on saturday. Now back to dateline. It seemed all of albuquerque was transfixed on the sex drenched narrative of the levi chavez trial. Prosecutors argued the former Police Officer killed his wife and staged it to look like suicide. Now, it was the defenses turn. Their first argument, the reason investigators initially thought that dara took her own life was because she did. Defense Attorney David serena. It was called a suicide because their own investigators, whose job it is to go and see what kind of death it is, called it a suicide. Stating what he knew the jury must of been thinking. Serena admitted levi was a failure as a husband, with said that didnt make him a murderer. He was completely unfaithful to her in just about every way. Absolutely. Just about every opportunity. Absolutely. But, you know, he talks about tara being his partner. She was his partner because they had gone through so much, they had children together. All along, levis family Felt The Investigation into taras death was flawed and fueled by an obsessed detective. When one theory came up and it didnt pan out, then he had another theory. I think in police work, you could have evidence, you have to have something to hold on to. In a series of testy exchanges, the defense tried to discredit aaron jones on the stand. Thought of as a world class cop, maybe you could be clairvoyant as well. Im working on. It i know you are. I bet you are. I have no doubt about that. Serena grilled jones about his work history. It turns out he had been fired twice and formally reprimanded for his handling of cases, including one that caused jones to be written up as unfit for duty. Mentally unfit to be a Police Officer, right . Thats what he ultimately said, yes. Jones was later found fit to serve. And left Law Enforcement voluntarily. But the defense argued that his troubled record cast a cloud over all of his police work. How important was it to, sort of chip away at aaron jones . It was absolutely necessary. Absolutely necessary that the jury see aaron jones for what he is. Remember jones theory that the Blood Patterns showed that the shooter was lefthanded while the shooter is righthanded . Well it never made it to court. Because it couldnt be backed up by forensics. And the Insurance Policy Covering Suicide that they found suspicious . The Defenses Shows that it was an old policy. That had been in place for years. Through levis military service. My clients never changed the amounts or coverage, or clauses, or anything of his Insurance Policy right . I didnt note that. And took oust more doubt on the investigation, the defend said that he never took a closer look at terrence, and his former buddy nick wheeler. So they never took your dna, did they take fingerprint exemplar from you . No. In the and the Sheriffs Department concluded that there was no evidence that nick wheeler and his wife had anything to do with taras death. As for rose . Hes scratched it. And that was at. You had an itch and he scratch that. That was it. In fact, she was facing Felony Charges of her own. You are arrested for fraud over 2,500 right . Yes sir. And forgery over 2,500 right . Yes sir. The defenses suggested that rose made up the stories, hoping for leniency with her own legal problems. Which he says all stem from a messy divorce. She would later plead out the lesser charges and get probation. But she swears that all of her testimony was the truth. I got no deal. I testified because it was the right thing to do. And the rest of that parade of mistresses . The defense argued those women would only bolster levis case. Proving that he was a lousy husband in our crumbling marriage. Which gave tara ample reason to be depressed, even suicidal. He was not a good husband, and he was not there. And he did not respond when she was making these cries for help. And he feels horrible. The defenses suicide expert, Andrew Berman testified, all the evidence pointed to tara taking her own life. She had a number of chronic and acute Risk A Factors for suicide. And the im sorry note left on her side table . They said that was too ambiguous to call it a suicide note. But the wrapped up page found buried in the garbage, the experts said that had the hallmarks of a real suicide note. The line, im hoping it will be happy now. Is something that we sometimes see in suicide note. Originally, they suspected that both notes wears forgeries. But their own Handwriting Expert confirmed that tera wrote both of them. So you came back with your opinion that tara wrote both of these, socalled, suicide notes. I dont know what kind of notes they are sir, but they are those most. One thing to keep in mind, no expert on either side could say when those were written. That day tara died years earlier . No way to tell. But the weekend tara died, the defense said that there was no evidence of her spiraling out of control. She called levi 315 times. And that is the reason that levi shut off his phone. Not to escape detection, but to escape his wife. If he doesnt want to be having his wife bugging him, when hes hanging out at his mistresses house. He wants no record of where he is. Look at this, the prosecutions theory said that he knew about all of these cell phone tower pingings. He didnt know anything about that there is no Police Officer in america that doesnt know about that. Well, he doesnt know that there is going to be a trail of where he is every minute. I have to tell you, levi is not a criminal mastermind. Thats still left the question of how tara could have shot herself. And then partially released the gun magazine. The defense hired a Crime Scene Expert to make his video. Demonstrating how they believed it could be done. Let the magazine released. But when it came to court to do the same demonstration in person, he failed. If you work the trigger, and get around to the magazine. Sometimes i, can sometimes i cant. Sometimes you hit the magazine released, after you fire a gun. But today i cant there are smiles on your faces when that happens. Im sure there were did you think that was a Pivotal Moment of the trial . I did. Because ive handled the same handgun. My daughter was i have big hands. And, i Cannot One Handedly release the magazine. It just does not happen. It is not a tap of the button. You have to press it and release it. And when that did not happen, yeah. I felt pretty good. It was a high five moment for the prosecution. Did you think when thats happening, this is like the greatest thing . absolutely. And the fact that he gets up there to show how his theory would work and is unable to do it. Once again, absolutely in tune with what we were saying. She could not have killed herself. You think you are gonna get a guilty verdict at that point . I dont know what we are gonna get. Did i think that that was very crucial key evidence . Absolutely. But ive been doing this too long. Some people sit there and have to come through a unanimous verdict. I gave up trying to guess what they were going to do years ago. Would that one mistake cost levi his freedom . The Defense Attorney did not think so. Because he had another strategy. A surprising, and risky move. The defense calls levi chavez. 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Robitussin Teresa Cordova says the woman that was described at trial, was not her daughter. Tera was a very needy person. A very desperate wife. I, walked out of their numb. It was horrible. Attorney david said tera chavez was as sad, needy woman desperate for male attention. And the breakup with nick wheeler sent her over the edge. That was the double whammy because she thought she found someone else to latch her star to. And he said, no to her also. Latter start to . How about, you know, make her feel happy and not cheated on. There is very little to suggest that she was going to latching her star to anybody. I think youre right. She wanted someone who trudge her right. Now, the man that had treated her so wrong was going to take the stand himself. Please spell your last name. Levi chavez. C h a v e z. He said that he they had been Living On The Edge of divorce for years. And she had become lonely, and depressed. Did she express ever thoughts to you that she just wanted to disappear off the face of the earth . All the time. And he said the weekend that she died, he did ignore the 315 phone calls his wife plays to her. She would call and i would hit the end button. I didnt want to be bothered by her. Levi says he worked till midnight on saturday, then went directly to his girlfriends house. Debra is nice, she is a nice person. I liked her. I did not want to take my phone in there, ringing off the hook. And have to explain, thats my ex. Im sorry. So i turned it off so i wouldnt have to deal with it. His attorney said the account of the next day. Sunday. The kids were out of town at his dads. He went from deborahs house to his moms house. Where she was watching desperate housewives. His mom said she couldnt reach tara and was concerned. When i was talking to my mom, its coming together in my head, the threats. And 200 phone calls. What do you mean by threats . Im gonna hurt myself. Come home. Threats to herself . Yeah. Okay . So i had that information and she just corresponding totally. And then my mom said, she called in sick and didnt want to go to work on sunday. I was afraid. He said fear made him race to the house to check on tara. I walked in, and the house is dark. [inaudible] [crying] do you need a little time . You need a little break to collect yourself . [inaudible] so i walked in. And our bedroom is to the last. And there was a little [inaudible] a little light on from the tv. Couldnt believe what i was seen. He says he instantly knew what had happened. And that he was to blame. It felt like i was telling myself, this is your fault this right here its your fault because i didnt answer the phone, i blamed myself. What emotions were you feeling . Guilt. But guilt does not begin to describe it. I was not myself for the first time. And it felt like god was telling me, this is all your fault. This is all your fault after his emotional account of finding tara. The attorney gave levi a chance to explain away a series of other prosecution points. That Computer Search for how to kill . Levi told the jury, that all came from his passion for martial arts. I remember looking up, how to rip somebodys throat out. Because i wanted to find that martial art. And roses llama . Levi testified the rest of her story that it was a lie. She told you that she thought that your truck wasnt really stolen. Did she ever say such a thing to you . She never told me a thing like that. I dont even know for sure if tara really cut her hair. And remember how teras things were so quickly packed up . Levi said that his family did that all on their own. Did you know anything about Family Members of yours boxing stuff up . No i didnt have anything. All i know is, the bed was gone. To close, the defensive lawyer had two more questions for his final witness. Did you kill your wife, the mother of your children, tera chavez . Absolutely not. Did you temper with any evidence to make her death look like a suicide when it was really a murder . Absolutely not. The prosecutor, mckay, tried to rattle him. Grilling him about texts the state believed that he had fake from her phone. And showed investigators. You thought that was an important text into . Of course i did. The prosecutors found it suspicious that levi deleted all of other texts that weekend. Yet you deleted every techs except for that one how is i supposed to know how many texts i deleted . It and put him as a lying philanderer. The answer . That was the old levi. And he was now a changed man. Is it possible for any person to change in one day . There is a process. And levi was not afraid to interrupt to make his points. And it tells us that. I was telling the jury thats a process. Let me speak to my jury please. Referring to the jury as my jury. Can i speak to my jury please . Your honor. No. You need to answer the question. In nearly six hours of testimony. Levi chavez tried to show he had nothing to hide. And that he did not kill his wife. Turns out, levi did not do it. No one else did it. Tara wrote the suicide notes. And they are suicide notes. But with his jury agree . Coming up. As they begin deliberations. Jurors are unanimous on at least one point. Someone made the comment, can we all agree that levi chavez is a dirt bag . But would that change the verdict . When dateline continues advil targets pain at the source of inflammation. When pain comes for you, come back fast with advil liquigels. What even is this . Dont touch my things. Gross. Janice, when you bundle your home or renters with your auto, progressive provides 24 7 protection for almost everything you own. But do you really need. My weighted hoop . Its for my snatched waist. Thats my dog chaise lounger. Foot treadmill. Thats my tuesday chalice. Purse that says purse. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber. I cant live without oxygen. Solid gold coffee machine. Lake making kit. Really . Can progressive cover that too . Yes, but hi its janice. Ill take 5. Is my voice on tv right now . [sneeze] astepro allergy, steroid free allergy relief that starts working in 30 minutes, while other Allergy Sprays take hours. With astepros unbeatably fast allergy relief you can astepro and go my asthma felt anything but normal. It was time for a nunormal with nucala. Nucala is a oncemonthly addon treatment for Severe Eosinophilic Asthma that can mean less oral steroids. Not for sudden breathing problems. Allergic reactions can occur. Get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. Infections that can cause shingles have occurred. Dont stop steroids unless told by your doctor. Tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. May cause headache, Injection Site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. Ask your Asthma Specialist about a nunormal with nucala. Every business ask your Asthma Specialist thats why Comcast Business de is launching theal. Mobile made free event. With our business internet, new and existing customers can get one year of unlimited mobile for free. Its our best internet. Powered by the next generation 10g network and with 99. 9 reliability. Plus one line of free mobile for an entire year. Its the mobile made free eventhappening now. Get started for just 49. 99 a month. Plus, ask how to get one free line of unlimited mobile. The trial levi chavez was Comcast Business, powering possibilities. The trial of levi chavez was drawing to a close, drawing to a close as the judge charged the jury to deliberate. Going to the jury room. Select was tara chavez death a suicide or a murder . If levi was convicted, life in prison. Yeah, life in prison. Or he walks free. Yeah. Behind closed doors, after five weeks of testimony, the jury could finally discuss the evidence. Its mentally, emotionally draining. We spoke to six of the people levi called, my jury. What did you think of him referring to you as my jury . That was a little disturbing. Yes. I personally didnt have an issue with it. It was no doubt that it was about him. I didnt take it personally, but some jury members were very offended by that. I think what offended some people is that you say, like, you are my jury. My friends or something. Taking for granted that youre on his side. Almost implied level of collaboration that youre never going to get. They began deliberating, and took a quick vote. And realized they were far from unanimous. But they did agree on some things. All of you know someone whos had an affair . Yes. Yes. Anyone know anyone who has had as many affairs as leverage of us . Someone made the comment, can we all agree that levi chavez is a dirt bag . And apparently, they could agree on that. While simultaneously setting it aside, concentrating on the evidence and not levis bad behavior. We all felt that we couldnt judge him on his character. It was our job to judge him on the facts that were presented to us. But some of the comments the state said levi made about his wife they couldnt get over. He called her a useless piece of skin. To me, that meant im done with tara. So thats what made me think he killed her. They thought long and hard about how tara was found and the gun that killed her. They asked for the glock to be brought into the jury room. We played a lot with the gun. We put the magazine in. We took the magazine out. We put it in. We compared to the photos. After a day of examining the evidence, they couldnt agree. My question was, what happens if we can make a decision . I thought for sure there was no way. We were too far apart. The jurors went home for the night, and when they came back the next day, they took a vote. Now, they were unanimous. The court summoned the cordova and chavez families. I was shaky. I wasnt quite prepared for that moment. How did levi look . He looked very worried, yeah. Before i call the jury to find out what the verdict is, ive been observing throughout this trial that there is a lot of animosity in this courtroom, you could cut the tension with a knife in here. The judge ordered quiet in the courtroom and instructed the families to leave separately after the verdict. Okay, during number 51 has the jury reached a verdict . Can you have the verdict for us . Mr. Chavez, please rise. We find the defendant, levi chavez, not guilty of first degree murder. Not guilty. Levi chavez was about to walk free. Are you looking at levi at the moment i read the words . Yes. All of us were hugging and saying a prayer after. It was over. But the other family in court listened in agony and quickly left. Justice has not been served. Justice has not been served . I immediately put my arm around teresa and got her out of their. I wanted to get her home. I was shocked. Disappointed and disgusted with our system. So how did the jury reached that not guilty verdict . Prosecutors, they said, had simply failed to make their case. Several said they were baffled at how little evidence was presented. The prosecution rested and i was like, seriously . I was expecting much more from them. I really would have hoped them to take out two of the mistresses and put in Something Else that would give us more hard evidence. But they didnt. Many told us they specifically didnt believe one of those mistresses. Rose . No. Didnt trust her . No. Not at all. Dont trust her with a ten foot pole. Aaron jones, good Police Officer . Definitely not. Jones testified that the guns magazine had been released, but when the jury looked at the photos, they werent so sure. For me, no one proved to me that that magazine was unseated. So the fact that the defense expert tried to show how it could be done and couldnt do it, that wasnt some huge fail for the defense . No. Not at all. Remember, the jurors never heard the comments attributed to tara from her family and friends. But if something happened to her, leave i did it. In the end, all of the jurors we spoke with said it came down to reasonable doubt. One was upset that they werent able to convict. It was not a decision that i wanted to give, but i had to because of the reasonable doubt. So you think levi got away with murder . Unfortunately, i do. The jurors that i talked to said they were stunned when the prosecution rested. They thought to themselves, thats it . There is no more . Did you guys screw this up . No, we gave them the evidence, one, we were allowed to give, and two, that was out there. We dont get to create the evidence. So my question is, was it worth it . Yes. Even though you didnt get the result you want to . Yes. We know the truth. We know the truth. And taras words, even though they werent heard in that courtroom, theyre being heard today. Im not guilty. Im innocent. After the acquittal, levi charged out of court and straight through the press corps he felt had been harassing him for years. I knew id be acquitted. I didnt do anything wrong. You are the only member of levis family who was willing to talk to us. How come levi doesnt want to talk . I feel that the media has i dont think they give him a fair chance. None of my family has ever said anything bad about were all victims. And i really do feel sorry for them. I really do. They could take this apology from my family, but, you know what . Levi is when we last spoke, levi said he had no plans to return to Law Enforcement, and hope to go to law school one day. After the trial, he remarried in the Albuquerque Area with his wife heather. Their young son, and levis to kids was tara. I think levis about her husband to her than to tara . Levis an excellent husband and father. The court cordova later decided to drop the lawsuit against their former soninlaw. Were all here to remember tara. A few weeks after the trial, family and friends came together in los lunas to remember tara chavez on what would have been her 32nd birthday. For all of those who loved her, tara is never really that far away. Ill be in good company if something ever happened to me, when i, and josh . I have i have my baby. Shes looking over me. Shes my angel. Im injury cannon, and this is dateline. What i focus on what im working in a case, what drives me the most, is the victims. I wanted to speak for them. I want to speak for helene. I just turned on the news, woman found murdered in denver, colorado. I just grabbed my son and screamed and cried. Was it somebody she worked with at the Radio Station . Could it be the boyfriend that she just broke up with in december . Youre giving the detectives names of people
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