EXPOSE’: The Murder and Cover-up of a Small Town Girl; Tera Chavez

PART 1 OF 5 in THE EYE ON ALBUQUERQUE EXPOSE’

PART 1: The Dirty Play Begins

Over the weekend of October 21st 2007, a young woman in Los Lunas died a brutal death. Around 9pm on Sunday October 21, former APD Officer Levi Chavez called 911 to report that he found Tera Chavez, the woman Levi Chavez was married to, deceased from a gunshot wound.

However, as we have been reporting here at the Eye since this incident occurred, nothing involving any of the players in this case is clear and straight forward. Over the next five days we are going to do our best to provide an analysis that many of our Eyes have put together concerning this horrible tragedy. We are going to do it in a level of depth that heretofore has not been presented to the public. Beginning today we are going to analyze Levi Chavez's hiring, then Friday we will analyze his work history, the events of October 20, 2007, his statements and representations, the crime scene, and then finally what came out in court and what we expect in the pending civil lawsuit.

Why now? Because in many ways, this incident and this case unfolded from October 21, 2007 to July 16, 2013 exemplifies the worst of New Mexico politics, law enforcement, and crime. This case helped remove Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez, and in ways that defy belief, has been aggravated by Albuquerque's current Mayor Richard Berry. Whether or not Berry shares in the downfall of Martin Chavez remains to be seen until the election in October.  The common denominator in both mayoral administrations is APD's current Chief Raymond Schultz. It was Schultz who hired Levi Chavez, it was Schultz who retained Levi Chavez, and it was Schultz who complicated and tainted the murder investigation of Tera Chavez.

This saga begins with the hiring of Levi M. Chavez II by the Albuquerque Police Department.

Levi Chavez started working for APD in January 2007.  Levi Chavez gained his certification after having the costs fronted by the City of Rio Rancho. You see, in 2005, Levi Chavez was hired by Rio Rancho's Department of Public Safety and they covered the cost of sending him to the State of New Mexico's Department of Public Safety peace officer academy.  However, no sooner had he completed his training and gained his state certification as a peace officer, Levi Chavez did what would be a recurring pattern: he abandoned his commitments and responsibilities. Instead of honoring the city and police department that had provided him income and benefits while paying for his certification by fulfilling his contract, Levi Chavez breached his employment agreement with Rio Rancho and pursued employment with the City of Albuquerque's Aviation Police Department. Not being afraid to steal certified candidates from other departments, ABQ Aviation Police Chief Marshall Katz readily brought Levi Chavez on to his department.

However, Rio Rancho did not sit by and simply let a breach of contract occur by a person they had invested so much time and money in. At the very least they wanted to be paid back. Despite sending numerous demand-letters admonishing Levi Chavez to reimburse the city (that is the public), Levi Chavez simply ignored them. Finally, on November 7, 2005 Rio Rancho filed a lawsuit against Levi Chavez for breach of contract. This case, D-1329-CV-200501253 landed in the courtroom of Sandoval County District Court Judge....George Eichwald.

In what would be one of the fastest district court level civil cases to be settled, on December 1, 2005 LEVI Chavez agreed to a stipulated judgment against him, whereby, he agreed to pay Rio Rancho $14,400 in costs and interest. What's odd about this is that a settlement could have been reached where a judgment was not required. A judgment has a particular sting on one's credit history, and to no surprise, this case remains open with no satisfaction of the judgment having been filed by Rio Rancho. In other words, if Levi Chavez came to you for a loan, upon reviewing his credit history it would show that he was sued by the city of Rio Rancho, agreed to pay at least $14,400 and has not fulfilled that amount. Does Levi Chavez sound like a safe and secure borrower or a high risk borrower?

Levi Chavez's time at Katz's department would prove to be short-lived. In 2006, APD promoted and offered a six week lateral academy. Enticed by even higher pay, Levi Chavez completed an online interest card and applied to be a lateral officer to APD. "Lateral" is just another way of transferring between departments. Because he was already state certified as a police officer, Levi Chavez would not have to go through the basic academy. APD offered a six week academy for such candidates to help familiarize them with APD operations. However, all candidates, whether laterals or new hires, had to pass the same qualifications. Upon being accepted, Levi Chavez abandoned his commitments to Katz and started the process with the department's big sister: APD.

Under APD's hiring process and standards, Step #4 requires each candidate to undergo an intensive background investigation (go to apdonline.com). Such BI includes providing a credit report to the recruiter and an investigation into the candidate's credit history.  This is a significant component to assessing any candidate's honesty and trustworthiness. What good is a police candidate if they have a poor credit history and references? Do they follow rules and do they honor obligations once they agree to take on responsibilities? If the answer is no, then there is a strong likelihood that they will abuse their authority as a police officer. As we all know, lying is one thing a police officer is not permitted to do. And the reason is simple:

Police officers are granted significant credibility in court because they are supposed to not only be law enforcers, but law abiders.

However, Levi Chavez somehow managed to surpass this stringent requirement. Not only had he breached a contract with another police department, he had failed to honor financial commitments to that department. Then when given notice about those responsibilities, he ignored them. Finally when confronted with the reality of being sued, Levi Chavez agreed to a judgment amount.

This should have been an instant bar to candidacy as an APD officer. Our Eyes confirm that even with this and signs of deception in his polygraph and concerns about his accuracy in his application, Levi Chavez was hired at the recommendation of then DCOP Mike Castro and confirmed by current APD Chief Ray Schultz.  This decision was made purposefully and willfully over the aggressive objections of APD Academy personnel.

Upon being hired, completing his lateral academy and finishing twelve weeks of in the field training, Levi Chavez would find himself in an environment ripe for exploitation. Not only were supervisors rarely seen allowing for endless opportunities of abuse, but there were so many "customs" that led to philandering it seemed too good to be true. The opportunities for making the most (that is abusing) of one's authority, self-promotion, power, and sex seemed limitless....

EXPOSE’: The Murder and Cover-up of a Small Town Girl; Tera Chavez

PART 5 OF 5 in THE EYE ON ALBUQUERQUE EXPOSE'

PART 5: A Family Ripped Apart

On September 27, 2007, Tera Chavez reported Levi's Ford F-250 was stolen from their driveway. In addition to a police report, in the report to Allstate Insurance on October 6th, an affidavit was completed whereby Levi Chavez claimed all of the keys to the truck were accounted for. However, neighbors state they recall seeing Levi drive away in the truck in late September followed by at least one marked Albuquerque Police Department vehicle (police unit). Several hours later, Levi is seen returning to the house in his marked unit but the truck was never seen again at the Chavez home. Not again until it was recovered in Mexico around March 30th, 2011, with a changed VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) from a vehicle owned by former APD police officer and police APOA Union President, Pete Dwyer. And oddly, the truck had no damage to its steering column...

Dwyer would later be terminated by APD for his posting of inappropriate comments on Tweeter. Dwyer was also under suspicion by the APOA Union for unaccounted debts he racked up while he was president of the union.  Dwyer was pressured to resign from the Unions’ top spot.

On October 15th, the NM Insurance Fraud Bureau received a call concerning how to report a "fake stolen truck." A name similar to Tera's is left and the callback number left is the one for Tera's salon. Also in October, Levi opened up a new bank account and changed his APD direct deposit information to the new account so Tera could not see or access Levi’s income from APD.

Tera Chavez told fellow workers at the Salon, she owned, and her family if she turned up dead it was Levi who killed her.  You see Tera felt guilty about succumbing to Levi’s pressure and reporting his truck stolen. Levi reportedly told Tera and his friend that he wanted a “Caddi.” The purpose of reporting the truck stolen was to do insurance fraud which would allow Chavez to purchase his “Caddi.”  Tera was reported as telling friend and family that Levi threatened her; if she ever told, he would kill her.

Since 2005, Levi has been overextending himself with loans and credit card debt. The City of Rio Rancho sues him for breach of contract. Capital One credit card sues him for non-payment. Levi Chavez, Sr. takes out a credit card in his son's name and he defaults on that account leaving the credit card company to go after his son. They have high interest truck payments for the F-250 (which at that time has a resale value of around $20,000...so the payments are almost as large as a mortgage), they have high interest payments on the house because of his Zero-Down VA loan (in fact they owe more than it's worth), they have monthly bills and expenses, and Levi of course is living it large as he bounces from bed to bed with his various sex partners who are all cops. 

Over the weekend of October 21, 2007, Levi states that Tera called him "hundreds" of times. Yet his Verizon cell phone records show only sixteen calls on October 20, 2007, with his last call to his voicemail at 11:26PM. Then on October 21, 2007, he makes nine calls with his first one at 3:32PM to a City of Albuquerque phone number. At about 8:45PM he calls Debra Romero and talks with her for about 8 minutes. He then states he calls 911 around 9:01 stating he found his wife deceased and quickly plants the notion that her death is from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. From this call an avalanche of issues ensue, and intentionally lost in the debris is a crime scene.

VCSO deputies arrive and meet Levi in front of his house. He is quick to show them a text on his phone that states, "I'm so sad..." and shows a time of 1:06AM earlier that day. Levi keeps asserting it's her fault she did this. That he should've known. VCSO Detective Aaron Jones arrives and completes a brief interview with Levi. Levi has not given anybody information regarding Tera's parents. He has not expressed concern about Tera's children or Tera's family--especially Mr. Cordova who had given them a loan earlier to help them with their financial difficulties. Jones eventually obtains Tera's parents information and leaves the scene in the care of fellow VSCO deputies while he goes to provide notification to Tera's parents.

While Jones is away, Levi's lieutenant, former APD officer Shawn O'Connell was notified about the incident. He briefs his then commander, and current U.S. Marshall for New Mexico, Conrad Candelaria, that he is headed down to Tera's house on Ash Place.  Also en route is Sgt. James Silver of APD Internal Affairs, APD Officer Rick Ingram as a police union representative, and none other than APD Officer Ron Olivas. There are allegations that there were at least four other APD officers in addition to these four but they, as of today, have not been identified.  APD Standard Operating Procedures require that when an officer's duty is discharged an IA sergeant is sent to investigate. Consistent with that policy would be that the sergeant bring along a Field Investigator to examine the scene and discharged weapon. Given that there is City of Albuquerque property involved and harm stemming from the discharging of that property (the gun), it would be poor policy for the city not to inspect the scene or at least show that they made an effort to.

While this entourage of APD officers heads down to Los Lunas, Tera Chavez's father is notified of his daughter's death by Detective Jones. "Lock down the house" is Mr. Cordova's immediate response. Not denial that his daughter is gone, not disbelief at what he is being told in the early hours of October 21, but immediate problem solving.

But by then it's too late.

Inside the house, at least Lieutenant O'Connell, Sergeant Silver, and Officer Ingram go through the property walking past VCSO deputies and OMI personnel. Conveniently outside is Officer Olivas. Later Olivas would forcefully argue and sell that he "didn't go inside" sensing that something was wrong. Without speaking up, Olivas either let the others destroy the crime scene OR in fact helped. This would happen again almost two years later when Olivas "didn't go inside" but led former APD Officer Brad Ahrensfield believe that his son's arrest was imminent.

Inside the house, instead of throwing away a mattress that he claims was "cleared" by OMI and VCSO detectives, O'Connell cut away a patch of blood stained mattress fabric while Ingram and Silver later rummaged through furniture and personal effects. Something bloody is flushed down the toilet. Even though the weather had been very warm, VCSO detectives note that there are damp towels draped across chairs in the house.  Whatever other information the scene may have told about what happened is now gone under the footprints and manhandling of the Levi’s buddies evidence eradication team. This incident of flooding a crime scene (murder set up to look like a suicide) with cops would be repeated again but on a much grander and more macabre scale nearly three years later but this time with APD Deputy Chiefs and Captains.

With the scene walked over, Tera taken away, and Levi propagating a story that Tera was so troubled, despite getting divorce paperwork finalized, that she was so worried about finances, despite putting things in place for her own salon, and that her life revolved around him, despite her using APD Officer Nick Wheeler as a stepping stone to get out from Levi's manipulations, it seemed too late for there to be open consideration that this young woman's death was the result of a homicide.

In the years since this happened, former Officer Russell Perea was ultimately fired from APD. It turned out that HE tagged the belt tape and not Levi. But despite there being this absence of any activity where it is clear with clear and convincing (as the standard goes) evidence that Perea lied and covered for Levi Chavez, APD couldn't even fire him correctly. They terminated him not for lying to the dispatcher or his supervisor or his colleagues about being out of service and what he was doing (covering for Levi Chavez) but for not being "forthcoming." In other words, instead of relying on all that they had in hand, APD speculated about why Perea lied. Perea appealed his termination in the 2nd District Court room of Judge Bacon last month.  If Perea would have told the truth in the Levi Chavez murder trial it would have proved the City’s case against him.  Perea had to lie to save his job he was terminated from with APD and that is still on appeal.

In the summer of 2007, Perea had just lateraled over to APD via the 7th Lateral Academy class. He did not have a car yet and was assigned to work Team 5 of the Westside area command and to work with Levi Chavez. On the night of October 20, 2007, Perea drove Levi's car and Perea did all of the work while, in Perea's own words, "Levi texted all night." 

Levi would remain on the city's payroll until he was indicted in April 2011. Shortly thereafter, APD's chief would finally fire him. After endless occasions where it was clear Levi had lied to supervisors, citizens, and colleagues about his whereabouts and what he was doing, had falsified police records in the computer dispatch system, had dispatcher Desiree Gonzales falsely log him at places he wasn't at, had injured untold numbers of fellow officers....Chief Schultz waited to fire him until he had the cover of an indictment to terminate the officer. In true Schultzian fashion, Ray Schultz waited until it was not his decision to make. Keep in mind, when the murder occurred, Levi Chavez was still a probationary employee and could have been terminated for “any reason or no reason at all.”

Current CACU detective, and Levi's wife, Heather Chavez, was married to another officer in 2007. Upon returning home in mid-November not even a month after Tera's murder, that officer saw a car parked around the corner from his house. He pulled up the call history for the officer on his patrol computer and found it was a car assigned to Levi Chavez. But Chavez was logged on a call nowhere near his house. The officer pulled adjacent to his driveway, walked into his house, and inside found his wife with Levi Chavez.

One has to ask, if a person will falsify a police report, will lie about his location to a dispatcher, will seduce a fellow officer's wife in that officer's very home in the presence of their child....what won't that officer do?

EPILOGUE

Much of the details in this narrative over the last week come from public record sources. Sadly, much of this information was not presented to the jury in the trial because of weak lawyering by Valencia County Prosecutor McKay.  We at the Eye were so disgusted with the miscarriage of justice in the trial of Levi Chavez that we hope this effort over the last week tells the Cordova family that you are not alone and while many are afraid to speak out, we are not. And given the recent events over the last week, we will be even more aggressive in our exposure of misconduct and crimes by those in power. If you think we've been a pain to corrupt office holders over the last six years, stand by...

APD's new Chief, Allen Banks will take office this Friday. A few years ago when he was asked in a deposition about whether fraternization issues could negatively impair performance by APD officers given all that had happened with the Levi Chavez. Banks hesitated and then tried to evade the question by asking for clarification. When the interviewer reduced it to simple terms such as, do you think officers sleeping with fellow officer's wives would be problematic for the department, Banks answered, "I truly don't understand what you're asking me."

 

Who is the guilty one...

 

Disclaimer: The Eye On Albuquerque is not for profit and is a public opinion information blog. This story is based on facts gathered and our opinion as to what transpired based on those facts.

 

You Can Always "Bank(s)" on a Liar

The credibility issues challenging the Albuquerque Police Department are not the result of sporadic officer misconduct incidents. Rather they are the consequence of persistent deviations from sound management practices and leadership. As echoed throughout the EYE there are endless examples of these deviations. Most recently the violence that unfolds each weekend night downtown was given special attention. The fights and mayhem that occurred during Fat Tuesday are nothing new to any officer who has worked Valley graveyard for the last twenty years. Despite the downtown shootings which occurred on New Year’s Day, APD again failed to adequately prepare for another holiday distinctive for its celebration and partying: Fat Tuesday. APD’s response was to present an effort represented as novel and new: out came a watch-tower, horses, and additional cops on the front page of the Albuquerque Journal. Sadly, nothing is new. The watch-tower was purchased over four years ago. Horses have always been used to combat the crowds, and officers have always been expected to be present at bar closing time. This information may appear to be new to average citizens, but to the ranks of officers throughout the department this representation is false. What message does this send to officers when their chief openly lies to the public when addressing a legitimate safety concern? What issue does this raise for patrons of downtown bars/restaurants expecting a safer environment because of Chief Schultz’s representations when in fact they are simply the same?

Discipline practices continue to be disparate and arbitrary. Some officers seem to do no wrong despite egregious misconduct while others are subject to unprecedented scrutiny. Frequently, officers become scape-goat targets when there is media generated negative publicity concerning APD. Last summer, Detective Russell Perea was named as a target in an IA investigation related to former officer Levi Chavez. The media focused significant attention upon APD’s leadership for the ongoing employment of Levi Chavez who for years had been on administrative reassignment pending a Valencia County investigation. With Chavez’s employment with the city finally terminated when he was indicted for the murder of his wife, attention was given to officers associated with Levi Chavez and those that responded to his house the night it seems Tera Chavez was murdered. This attention immediately followed negative publicity in the Albuquerque Journal. Russell Perea was named as a target because he is Levi Chavez’s alibi as they were working together as a two-man unit that night. Despite the fact that APD had recently just praised Perea publicly for his involvement in some highly publicized cases, APD conducted an IA investigation into Perea. It’s not clear what the triggering offense was that Perea did other than be assigned to work with Chavez but nonetheless he became a target. Ultimately, Perea was found to have violated a few SOPs carrying low levels of discipline (a verbal reprimand for being profane for instance) but was terminated for “untruthfulness.” The issue of untruthfulness draws from inconsistencies Perea made in statements to IA investigators when compared against answers to similar questions made during a deposition of a civil case. APD claimed Perea’s statements to the lawyer of Tera Chavez’s estate were not identical to the statements he made to IA investigators. The statements that were inconsistent or (unforthcoming as DCOP Allen Banks likes to say) involved whether or not Perea remembered seeing Chavez texting a lot the night Tera Chavez died. The difference was much like “Not really” and “I don’t know.” In January, Perea won his labor hearing with the hearing officer finding that APD was without cause in terminating Perea never mind disciplining him.

Yet, in the midst of Perea’s investigation, APD found no issue with almost all of the other officers involved with Levi Chavez. All the APD officers, including APD Lt. Shawn O’Connell, who went out of their jurisdiction to a violent death scene, who removed and destroyed personnel effects not belonging to them, and who intimidated in jurisdiction officers were found to have NOT violated ANY SOPs. That is except for Officer Nick Wheeler who was disciplined with hours off for having a personal relationship with Tera Chavez. Keep the elements of this incident in mind as another tragedy equally as disheartening yet involving even more and higher ranking APD personnel is starting to unfold....


Below is a recording from the closing arguments at Russell Perea’s public labor hearing. While you listen to the representations made by SID Commander Doug West, Deputy Chief Paul Feist, and Deputy Chief Allen Banks, ask yourself the most glaring question of all that remains unasked and unanswered: If Russell Perea in fact lied as he covered up for Levi Chavez, why is he not the subject of a criminal investigation law enforcement? It stands that IF indeed Perea lied in his actions and statements then he is guilty of numerous felonies from tampering with public records to being an accomplice in a murder. Yet, he has not been investigated, nor seems will he be investigated, for these offenses because if he is named as a target than all of APD’s involvement with Levi Chavez is subject to scrutiny—including the numerous attempts of other supervisors who tried to have Chavez terminated before his wife’s death. Ask yourself if the statements and representations made by two of APD’s Deputy Chief’s reinforce confidence in their ability to run a major city police department? Ask yourself, if Perea’s discipline for discrepancies between two sworn statements is termination, what level of discipline for Deputy Chief Allen Banks’s intentional misrepresentations are justified?

Sadly these two examples of APD’s challenges are not isolated but are part of a management culture that has lost all value of what it means to be a police officer. Being a police officer means more than maintaining order and enforcing laws, it means setting an example and doing the right thing ESPECIALLY when nobody is looking….

Due to overwhelming requests;please click here to hear the actual recording.

Update: Tera Chavez

From time to time we receive emails from folks who want to know what ever happened in the Tera Chavez case. If you'll remember, Tera Chavez was the wife of APD Officer Levi Chavez whose October 2007 death was originally called a suicide. The cause of death was later changed to "undetermined" and suicide was ruled out (read it here and here).

Unfortunately (except perhaps for Levi Chavez), there has been little movement on the law enforcement front. That's more than likely due to the arrival of several APD officers at the scene shortly after Ms. Chavez' death - even before the Los Lunas Police showed up. Of course, the officers didn't have any business entering a potential crime scene in another jurisdiction but that didn't stop them from mucking up the criminal case from the get go.

As usual in these suspicious death cases, a civil suit is filed and often runs parallel to the criminal case. Sometimes due to screw-ups or incompetence, the civil case is the only way for families to seek justice (think O.J.).

The Tera Chavez Estate filed suite back in Augusts of 2008 (read it here). The suit names Levi Chavez II, Chief Ray Schultz, Lt. Shawn O'Connell, Sgt. Ron Olivas, Sgt. James Silver, and "APD Officers John Does 4-6." (Read the original filing here.)

In a wrongful death suit, the plaintiff's attorney hires their own investigator to dig up evidence to support their case. It looks as if their investigation is starting to bear fruit for attorney Brad Hall and his clients.

According to our Eyes, a forensic analysis of Officer Chavez' city issued and owned computer - the one used in his vehicle - revealed that Chavez had been doing a little research on how to commit murder and make it look like a suicide. In addition, Chavez seemed to be stocking up on cold medicine by purchasing 6 bottles right before Tera's death. Toxicology found that Tera Chavez had three times the recommended amount of cold medicine in her bloodstream.

Is it possible that Tera Chavez had a thirst for cold medicine and that Levi just happened to be doing research about making a murder look like suicide? Sure. But anyone can see that it doesn't look real good to be running around with other women, taking out insurance policies, keeping marijuana on the premises, buying copious amounts of cough medicine, and researching how to make a murder look like suicide.

Remember under our system of law unless you've received a scam-era citation, you're innocent until proven guilty. But in civil cases, the burden of proof is "preponderance of the evidence" not "reasonable doubt" - a considerably lower standard.

What has really gotten us annoyed at this point is that our best information is that Levi Chavez is still on paid administrative leave. We are all paying for Chavez to do, well... nothing. And he's been doing nothing since November 19th, 2007.

The standards for termination at APD are even more difficult to defend than the standard in a civil trial.

The allegations against Chavez don't just include well... murder - they include financial difficulties and insurance fraud. At the time of his wife's untimely demise, Chavez was a probationary officer which means he can be terminated for just about anything. We've said it before, but wouldn't the circumstance of Tera Chavez' death qualify as a reason to send Chavez packing?

- EyeOnAlbuquerque.com

How long are the taxpayers of Albuquerque going to have to continue to pay an officer not to be on the force when there seems to be plenty of reason to take him off the payroll regardless of his guilt or innocence in his wife's death?

Who is Responsible for Hiring Levi Chavez?

Former APD officer and accused murderer, Levi Chavez, is on the hot seat again. Officials recently received the Ford F-250 truck that Chavez claimed was stolen. According to the Journal (read it here), Chavez stated that he “still had the original, factory keys and its ignition was undamaged when it was recovered in Mexico earlier this year.” Murder, insurance fraud, womanizing; who hired this guy? And the answer is; Albuquerque’s Police Chief, Ray Schultz.

Chavez is alleged to have murdered his wife, Tera Chavez, in October of 2007, because Tera refused to go along with his fraudulent acts. Tera Chavez had told friends and family that if she ended up dead, it was her husband, Levi Chavez. In the documents filed in the civil lawsuit against the City of Albuquerque’s Police Department, Tera claimed that Levi Chavez did not want his truck anymore but a Cadillac. Tera also claimed that Levi and his cop buddies were going to stage the theft of the truck in order to defraud the insurance company. Strange how after Tera’s murder, Levi Chavez bought a Cadillac? Right? Strange?

The Journal stated, “According to state MVD records, the dashboard VIN plate identified in the Mexican police report was registered to a vehicle formerly owned by APD white-collar crimes Detective Pete Dwyer.”… “Dwyer’s truck had been totaled in a 2008 crash on I-25 and had been sold at auction by his insurance company.” Why don’t they disclose “who” purchased the vehicle? Most companies allow the original owner first “dibs” on a stolen recovery. The Journal also fails to mention that Dwyer also served in the APD Auto-theft Unit and was forced to resign as President of the APOA for alleged spending improprieties.

Chief Schultz had knowledge concerning the Union issues and allowed Dwyer to transfer into a cushy job. Why?

Don’t forget Schultz authorized the settlement to the Tera Chavez Estate for $230,000.00.

This is just another example of poor decision making on Schultz’s behalf. One would think that there were other red flags in the Levi Chavez file that Schultz should have seen. Schultz was desperate for numbers and error on the side of bad decision making and hired Chavez. This was just another fine mess that Schultz got the City involved in.

Chief Schultz has a proven past of poor and misguided leadership at best. When is there going to be a “changing of the guard?” Mayor Berry, the Eye told you about the big White elephant on your desk, now you have a pink elephant on your desk; when are you going to take the appropriate corrective action?

EXPOSE’: The Murder and Cover-up of a Small Town Girl; Tera Chavez (PART 3)

PART 3 OF 5 in THE EYE ON ALBUQUERQUE EXPOSE'

PART 3:LEVI CHAVEZ LEAVES "HIS" ISSUED APD GUN WITH HIS ESTRANGED WIFE

While an officer with Albuquerque’s Aviation Police, Levi Chavez, chose to carry a Kimber 1911 style pistol instead of the department issued Glock 17. After going through APD’s 6th Lateral Academy class and going through three months of OJT, Levi continued to carry his APD issued Glock 17 until about the patrol officer’s 2007 bid.  Thereafter, he carried his Kimber pistol. 

Under APD operation rules and procedures, only officers who are no longer probationary, or “P 2/C” status may apply and qualify to carry an approved non-department issued gun, such as, a 1911 styled gun.

A 1911 is generally configured to fire larger .45 caliber bullets and has a grip and thumb safety. In order to carry a non-department gun not only must the officer be non-probationary, but they must satisfy a list of department requirements. They must complete and pass a 100 bullet state regulated day and night qualification shoot. They must also have a form signed off by their entire chain of command: sergeant, lieutenant, captain, deputy chief, and chief detailing the gun and qualification scores. APD range staff must inspect the gun and document details of it including trigger pull weight. And to carry a 1911, the qualified officer must also take a half-day “1911 Transition Course” offered by APD range personnel. Then and only then is the officer qualified and allowed to carry his non-department pistol on duty and loaded with specific department issued ammunition.

Levi has said under oath both in depositions and in open court that he had approval to carry his Kimber but this is refuted by an absence of any documentation at APD’s range showing he qualified with the gun, he didn’t take the course, he didn’t get the form signed off on, didn’t take the training, and of course he was still a probationary employee.

Where was the APD issued Glock?

If we are to believe Levi Chavez’s version of the events of Saturday, October 20, 2007, his loaded and chambered Glock was sitting in an unlocked armoire at his and Tera’s home in Los Lunas. Levi Chavez left his APD issued gun with a person he stated during trial; was "bugging him." We are asked to believe that he intentionally kept a loaded gun that fires by the simple action of a trigger pull in an unlocked cabinet on a shelf that is about waist high and in reach of children. And that out of sadness and desperation Tera killed herself with that APD Glock 17.

With the children out of town and in Santa Rosa, Tera prepared for a weekend to put closure with Levi. She had told friends and family they were going to have one last go around and finalize details about co-parenting their kids. But once again, Levi did not fulfill his responsibilities and failed to show up Friday night for his weekend with Tera. He spent it with a girlfriend APD Officer Deborah Romero. Then after his Saturday evening dispatch at 1909 hours to the mobile home on Central SW with Russell Perea, Levi seems to have disappeared until Sunday morning when he wakes up in bed with Deborah Romero. But in testimony that is against her own interests, Romero states she does not know when Levi Chavez climbed in bed with her early Sunday morning.

Back in Los Lunas, Tera seems to have set the house up for a guest. She had called in sick to take the day off and spend with somebody. Perhaps it was for Levi like they planned. But when Levi once again failed her Friday night, perhaps it was for somebody else. A neighbor confirms that when they were backing out of their driveway Saturday they saw a marked APD police car also backing out of Tera Chavez’s driveway with Levi at the wheel.

But either way, Saturday evening Tera changed into her sleepwear, climbed into bed, and settled down to watch television keeping the remote control close by. No glass of wine nearby, no marijuana, no cell phone, no notepad and no Kleenex tissues. Kitchen organized with no mess.

The house was clean, and it was ready for the return of her children on Sunday, October 21, 2007. But by then Tera would be deceased.

During the night, the Glock issued by APD to Levi Chavez would be thrust in Tera’s mouth, fired and then left on her lap in an effort to appear as if she had done this herself. As we have said before; women do not shot themselves in the face or head.  The pain is in the heart and yes, being vein, they want to still look pretty.

But just as Levi Chavez had made mistakes and lied about being authorized to carry a gun when he wasn’t, when he lied to other APD women about relationships, when he lied about his whereabouts on duty, when he lied about work he did/didn’t do as a field cop, when he falsified APD documents, when he lied to his supervisors, and when he’d been so careful and thorough to show people where he was and what he was doing, there would be glaring mistakes at the murder scene on Ash Lane in Los Lunas….and there would be more mistakes by others sworn to uphold the law. 

Levi Chavez GUILTY of Corruption and Deciept and ...

With the Levi Chavez trial and verdict now behind us, we have to ask ourselves, are we really here?

After skipping out on his financial obligations to the Rio Rancho police department, Albuquerque Aviation police hired Chavez. Despite being sued by the city of Rio Rancho for reimbursement for his police certification costs, Schultz hires Chavez even after strong arguments by APD Academy personnel objecting to his hiring. While still on probationary period Chavez is caught lying to supervisors on at least two occasions including one incident when he was driving his police car colliding into a child on a bike. Chavez reportedly failed to notify anybody until the Foothills Area Commander, Levi Anaya, hauls him on the carpet. Chavez of course denies the incident. This individual treats the department as his own private brothel, and while he runs amok, nobody does anything or says anything. And really, these female cops, Regina Sanchez, Heather whatever her name is, and SRO officer horrible Debra Romero have the audacity to say “I didn’t know…” Nice to know that Heather and Regina are still “serving” the public.

Then, in what must be the greatest example of milking a call since former officer Matt Kindle’s lunch date, Levi Chavez and his buddy Russell Perea take over four hours to book a misdemeanor DV offender, write a report, and tag a belt tape into evidence. Except of course there’s no record of Chavez doing anything. Some suspect it was during this time that Tera Chavez died. Those in the Levi Chavez camp would have us believe that Tera did this to herself in what would be the most unbelievably awkward way to fire a gun on oneself. Folks, let's call it like it is; women do not shoot themselves in the face or head.  It is a vanity issue, they still want to look good even after they pass.  The pain is in their heart; women most commonly shoot themselves in the chest or take pills. Notwithstanding, others would have us believe she did it to herself.

Either way, we at the Eye are not going to believe supporters of an individual known to have lied over and over and over. An individual who lied to his wife, girlfriends 1-5, his coworkers, his friends, his supervisors or his God. An individual who has lied from day one as an officer and lies like he breathes.

And we are not going to believe Ray Schultz either, the primary contributing factor to this mess, when he has been caught lying to his officers, his wife, his family, his friends, and worst of all, the public he serves. Remember Schultz when you said to one of our Eyes when asked why he hadn’t terminated Chavez in 2009, “There’s nothing I can do until he’s adjudicated in court.”
Chavez has received more breaks than is statistically possible. How is it his truck, supposedly “stolen” is also one which had its VIN processed by another confirmed liar, former officer and, surprise, APOA president Pete Dwyer?

Funny how all these people find cover from certain others but when it comes to stepping up and doing the right thing and showing INTEGRITY there’s nothing but the sound of crickets in the background. While we realize many of APD’s current officers probably don’t even know the details of this mess since it happened almost six years ago, you should know that from Good Morning America to the Washington Post, APD is synonymous with the worst of the worst departments because you will NOT POLICE YOURSELF. You cheat on each other. You steal from each other. You tolerate dishonor.

As a  police department you are not modeling what you would want to see from the best of your community. You are modeling the worst. By failing to speak up and stand together to say “enough” you endorse what is misconduct at best, and criminal offenses at worst.

We at the Eye express our condolences to the Cordova family. We hope that you truly find justice in your beloved Tera’s taking. We know that it will only be a matter of time before nature rebalances this mess. We are sorry the prosecutors failed you. But what do you expect when they are led by a District Attorney known to be intoxicated in the middle of the day after leaving a certain law office downtown. Hmmm, gee which office could that be?

EXPOSE’: The Murder and Cover-up of a Small Town Girl; Tera Chavez (PART 2)

PART 2 OF 5 in THE EYE ON ALBUQUERQUE EXPOSE'

PART 2: ONE SHIFT

With a six week lateral, or transfer, academy and three months of on-the-job training under his belt and behind him, Levi Chavez was ready to hit the streets. As a new hire, Levi was still a probationary officer, a "P 2 C" and that meant significant restrictions and exposure. As a probationary employee he was not bound to the same protections offered to fully classified employees as he was technically still under review. This meant that if at any time his employer and department director, Ray Schultz, felt his job was insufficient; his employment could be terminated without the usual due process protections offered to regular classified employees.

This is not without significance. All new hires are told that until they complete one year of probationary employment, they have significantly fewer protections than other non-probationary employees. This gives the city a chance to make sure the employee is indeed a productive member of the workforce and, if they are not, the ability to send them on their way and fire them. New hires understand this going into the position and generally do their best to avoid generating any controversy.

Under §3-1-8 of the City of Albuquerque Ordinances asserts that "A probationary employee does not have a legitimate entitlement to continued employment and may be terminated for any or no reason." Despite knowing this and being ten months into his probationary period, Levi Chavez took a bizarre approach to his "duties" during his shift on October 20, 2007. Even to the casual observer, one will notice a distinct deviation in his activities that fateful night.

Assigned to what is now the Southwest Area Command, Levi Chavez was attached to Team 5 under the supervision of then Sergeant Gabe Mares (Mares is now an APD lieutenant). Team 5 is one of three police squads assigned to "swing" shift which at that time worked 2 PM to midnight, four nights a week, with their week starting on Wednesday and their last workday being Saturday. Without a car, or at least claiming not to have one in service, Levi teamed up with an even newer officer to APD, Russell Perea. Sgt. Mares was off that night and as our Eyes have told us, Mares is a highly devoted and active member in his church and is routinely performing church related functions frequently while on-duty. (Lt. Mares' career remains distinctive in the frequent happenstance of disturbing and high profile events. Three years later it would be under Sgt. Mares' supervision that an event eerily similar to what unfolds with Tera Chavez occurs but with prominent civil rights attorney Mary Han and a year later again it would be under Sgt. Mares' supervision that former APD Officer Matt Kindle is caught having a lunch time tryst with a prostitute while on camera.)

Paired up with Perea, Levi rode shotgun while Perea drove. Computer Aided Dispatch logs indicate Levi logged on to the system at 1311 hours with the rider "Saint Michael." He the logged "75" which is an out-of-service code officers usually log when they are in briefing which is where Levi should've been heading to. The pair's activities, assigned as E139, took on the following assignments for what would be a most fateful shift:

At 1445 Hours they went to an audible alarm, or a "52," dispatch to an address on Sundoro Place NW. They logged en-route to it at 1512 hours, 27 minutes after being dispatched to it. They then arrived at the location at 1529 hours, 44 minutes after being dispatched to it. They then cleared it as a false alarm, or "89," at 1546 hours, or 61 minutes after being dispatched to it. No report taken.

At 1546 hours, they were dispatched to a criminal sexual penetration call or a "27-2" and were sent to an address on Camino Contento NW. They logged en-route and arrived at the same time of 1546 hours. They remained on this call, until 1611 hours, or about 25 minutes. No report taken.

At 1627 hours, they were dispatched to another audible alarm call to an address on Molten Place NW. They arrived there at 1638 hours, or 11 minutes after being dispatched. They then cleared it as a false alarm at 1650 hours, or 33 minutes after being dispatched. No report taken.

At 1650 hours they were dispatched to the Wal-Mart on Coors in reference to vandalism, "38" call. They logged 4 minutes after being dispatched at 1654 hours and then cleared it at 1700 hours, or 10 minutes after being dispatched. No report taken.

At 1703 hours the pair was dispatched to an accident without injuries, a "44," to a location on Ladera NW. They arrived about 12 minutes after being dispatched at 1715 hours. They remained on this call until they cleared it with a police report at 1757 hours, or 54 minutes after being dispatched.

At 1806 they were dispatched to a disturbance call, a "39," to a location on Bright Star NW. They arrived 13 minutes after being dispatched at 1819 hours and then cleared it without a report at 1909 hours, or 63 minutes after being dispatched.

So far the shift seemed fairly steady and the pair had taken six calls over the course of just over three hours. They had little down time between calls, or at least while they stayed logged on calls, and as soon as they cleared a call their dispatched assigned them a new one almost immediately. They were efficient and they seemed to pace their work steadily and remained in control of it. Things were about to change though.

At 1909 hours, the E139 was dispatched to assault/battery call, a "27-4," at a location on Central NW. They logged en route immediately and arrived at 1918 hours, about 9 minutes after being dispatched. At 1944 hours they updated their location to the Westside Substation, or "WSSS," with 1 person in custody, 26 minutes after arriving at the location on Central. They remained at the substation until updating their location at the Prisoner Transport Center at 2117 hours, about 93 minutes after arriving at their substation. They remained at the PTC at 4th/Roma until they cleared the call with a report at 2152 hours, or 128 minutes after arriving on the scene at the location on Central.

Except there was no "they" at the PTC, only Russell Perea was seen on the PTC's video monitor and only Russell Perea's property inventory and prisoner transfer sheet was signed at about 2135 hours. Perea asserts that Levi  remained at the Westside substation where he completed the report and tagged into APD's evidence system a single tape from his duty belt mounted audio recorder. The police report consists of a face sheet without a narrative and a single half page written narrative supplemental form.

E139 then logged out on lunch, or "61," at 2152 hours at "Chiles" and remained there for 50 minutes until they logged themselves "75" at 2242 hours and "WSSS Evidence/42s." They remained logged this way until they simply logged off at 2357 hours, 3 minutes before midnight. Doing what, nobody seems to know and neither Perea nor Chavez can adequately explain what they were doing. Even more surprisingly, IA investigators from APD even failed to identify this gap in their review, the pair's activity that night.

From the moment E139 had arrived at the location on Central NW, they had remained unavailable for service, unresponsive to any supervisor, unresponsive to other dispatches for 279 minutes, or over four and a half hours. E139 was unaccountable to anybody.

Aside from the call Russell Perea and Levi Chavez took on Central at 1918 hours, there is no verifiable history of where Levi was after Russell left him to book the suspect at the PTC. For a pair that tore through six calls earlier, did all they could to avoid writing any reports, they immediately changed pace, arrested and charged a male offender for throwing small religious figurines (probably a St. Michael) at his sister. They then milked a call to the end of shift with, as expected, no accountability from any supervisors. And in that 4.5 hours, one officer drove a suspect to the PTC while Levi spent the rest of the night writing a two page report and tagging a single item into evidence. And then after logging out for dinner at Chiles they returned to the substation to do just that.

After being so efficient with their calls, they now exhibit the type of conduct a probationary employee would most fear: neglect of duty. But was this neglect or was it design?

Tera Chavez's home as mapped out via MapQuest is just over 30 miles from the Southwest Substation located at 6404 Los Volcanes Road SW and is almost a straight shot down Coors SW. There is nothing in the record by Perea or Chavez that accounts for this gap in their time. The task to complete the police report and tag evidence doesn't cover it. Booking a non-combative suspect doesn't cover it.

The Office of the Medical Investigator put Tera's time of death between 2200 hours on 10/20 to 0400 hours on 10/21. Did Tera Chavez die during the time that Levi Chavez was unaccountable? Is it a coincidence that this is exactly the time that Levi is unaccounted for? Yet Levi would have us believe she sent him a text the day of 10/21 indicating she was afraid she was going to hurt herself...? If Tera Chavez died on 10/20; who sent that text message to Levi Chavez?

Suspicious Behavior

By now practically everyone has heard about the wrongful death suit filed against APD Officer Levi Chavez in the case of Tera Chavez whose death was ruled a homicide. This thing has everything, sex, drugs, financial difficulties, insurance fraud, obstruction of justice, interference in an official investigation, and we're just getting started (read the lawsuit here). [Hat Tip: KOB-TV]

Named in the wrongful death suit are Chief Ray Schultz, Lt. Shawn O'Connell, Sgt. Ron Olivas, Sgt. James Silver, and six other "John Doe" officers. Of course every lawsuit names just about everyone in the phone book, but in this case if even half of the allegations are true the 5th Floor isn't running a police department it's running a brothel.

The lawsuit alleges that in addition to his police duties, Officer Chavez was protecting and serving (emphasis on the serve part) multiple female APD officers simultaneously. And our Eyes tell us that since Tera Chavez' untimely demise last October, Chavez has married - you guessed it... another APD officer.

Meanwhile up on the 5th Floor, our Eyes have it that the Chief and his brain trust are deeply concerned that this story could grow legs. In truth they're afraid of the kind of media scrutiny that former Bolingbrook police Sgt. Drew Peterson received in the disappearance of his wife Stacy Peterson and they still haven't found a body (read about it here).

In the Chavez case, we have a death ruled a homicide by the medical investigator, where the weapon was an APD issued and owned handgun, marijuana found at the crime scene, and a number of APD officers running around in a crime scene outside of their jurisdiction. This story looks juicy even before you throw in the wrongful death lawsuit. We can see it now, live trucks everywhere and a gaggle of reporters waiting to ambush APD brass every time they stick their noses out of the Main.

What they're really afraid of is the possibility that the Feds could step in and start nosing around with warrants and their ability to charge you for lying to a federal agent. It's never comfortable to have a federal agency digging around in your files, particularly when you're trying to keep something hidden. Our Eyes tell us that there are a number of somethings that higher-ups would rather keep from seeing the light of day.

Even more interesting has been the lack of action taken by The 5th Floor. Nearly a year later Officer Chavez is still on paid administrative leave. Our Eyes tell us that Chavez - a lateral transfer from Aviation - was a probationary officer at the time. They could have terminated him for just about anything, but have chosen not to.

According to the lawsuit, Chavez had a $14,400 judgment against him stemming from his early departure from the Rio Rancho Police Department. Apparently, just 4 months after graduating from their academy Chavez left RRPD for a job over at the Aviation Department thereby breaking his agreement with the agency.

APD has a policy about financial difficulties - of course they choose not to enforce that policy in "special" situations like when a rehire happens to be a jogging buddy of the Chief's (read it here). What has our Eyes and a lot of officers scratching their head is - what is so "special" about Levi Chavez? What makes him bullet proof?

You would think that finding marijuana at the home of an officer would be enough. Yet, here it is some 10 months later and Chavez is on a taxpayer funded holiday that doesn't look like it's going to come to an end anytime soon.

What's more concerning is that our Eyes tell us that The 5th Floor has been talking to Chavez' attorney in an effort to derail this lawsuit. The Eyes have it that they even had a hand in Wednesday's Journal story (Subscription) - which by the way was startlingly devoid of details about the lawsuit considering the number and type of allegations contained therein.

The 5th Floor sure looks like they're trying to protect Chavez at all costs. Perhaps they just got him mixed up with another Chavez they're fond of protecting - we don't know. But one thing is sure, there's plenty of suspicious behavior in this case and we're not just talking about Levi Chavez.

----- Update -----

We received a comment earlier today from someone claiming to be Joshua Cordova. The post contained language that was certainly inflammatory and expressed a desire for vengeance that bordered on threats. We posted the comment only because it also contained numerous assertions that the poster would do nothing to harm Officer Chavez despite the obvious animus.

This afternoon we received the following email from Brad Hall who represents the Tera Chavez estate:

I represent the Estate of Tera Chavez. It was brought to my attention that a post on your blogsite was attributed to Joshua Cordova, twin brother to Tera Chavez. I spoke with him today by phone and he did not know anything about any blogsite. He denies sending any posts to any blog sites, including yours. He is in the Navy and quite busy, and has not even read the posting attributed to him. The comments attributed to him were submitted by someone pretending to be Joshua Cordova. He and other family members request you remove that posting, as it is not representative of their views, ethics or manner of speech. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

The post in question has been removed.

EXPOSE’: The Murder and Cover-up of a Small Town Girl; Tera Chavez

PART 4 OF 5 in THE EYE ON ALBUQUERQUE EXPOSE'

PART 4: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE/A SACRIFICE IS MADE

DUE TO THE GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION CONTAINED IN THIS ARTICLE: VIEWER DESECRETION IS ADVISED. 
 

According to the weather almanacs, the weekend of October 21, 2007 was a warm one. The daytime temperature for both days peaked at about 84F and in the evening it dropped to a cool 44F. One might have had a cooler on during the day but not likely, and they certainly would not have had one on at night.

From about 7:30pm Saturday October 20th till sometime after midnight on October 21st, Levi Chavez's whereabouts were unknown and not confirmed by any witnesses, despite being a police officer.

However, Tera was at her home on Ash Place in Los Lunas. Sometime that evening, Tera had plans to meet somebody for dinner but that dinner, for whatever reason, ended up in the trashcan. Since it was supposed to be Levi she was to meet, and a neighbor reports seeing an APD police car back out of the driveway, it was in all probability Levi Chavez. 

Tera then changed into her pajamas, climbed under her covers, and watched television flipping through channels with the remote in her right hand. In her room, various pictures of her family sat on the dresser and night stand. It’s easy to visualize a picture of one of her children’s’ new born pictures… A picture of both of them. Next to the newborn picture sat a formal picture of Levi Chavez as a new Albuquerque Police Department officer.

Ironically, after clearing a domestic violence call on Central and taking the suspect back to the substation at 7:44pm, Levi's task were straight forward:

1) Tagging a tape (time allotted for this task; five minutes).

2) Writing two-page misdemeanor domestic violence report and criminal complaint (time allotted for this task; thirty minutes).

Perea then transported the suspect to the PTC where personnel there took custody of him at about 9:35pm.

While Tera had fallen asleep with the TV on and all the houselights off, the remote in her hand and her index finger outstretched, sometime after 11pm, in front of pictures of her children the killer walked up to her with Levi Chavez’s APD issued 9mm Glock, thrust the gun into her mouth almost into her esophagus and fired a single round. The 9mm bullet penetrated her brainstem and did not exit. Death was instantaneous.

The gun was shoved into Tera’s mouth with such force and rage that it chipped one of Tera’s teeth. Levi Chavez’s defense wanted everyone to believe that Tera was some type of contortionist and flipped the gun around and up-side-down to place it in her mouth.  The gun was forced so far back into her throat that her “gag reflexes” would have rejected the object far before it could have went in so deep and discharged.

Was there a conversation between the killer and Tera?  Was this murder the act of domestic violence? Was this murder partially part of a revenge plot? What would be the motive for such a plot?  Did the murderer tell or threaten Tera with killing or hurting her children? Was Tera forced to allow the murderer “carte’ blanche” to kill her to save her children?  For most people they will do anything to protect their children from harm. Was this the case with Tera Chavez?

Tera’s nightmare was over in a split-second. Tera's dreams of being free from the terror, horror, pain and hurt that Levi Chavez had caused, was finally over. Her new reality was not the one a loving and caring mother wanted. Did Tera give her life to save her children from a monster who now has them anyway?  Was Tera’s sacrifice of death given in vein?

The killer left the scene, but like all violent encounters between two humans, there were details present. Details that were not consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot and details consistent with the actions of a killer.

-There was no “outgassing” spray of matter and/or fluid on the bed, on her hand, or on her face after the gun was fired.

-Tera's eyes remained closed.

-Her head and upper torso sloped to the right.

-Tera's velvety hair was fanned out across the bed and not crinkled up, or folded under her head, as it should've been had she slid sideways. Tera’s placement appeared staged.

-The gun's muzzle remained almost free of biological material.

-The casing remained on the bed, but not in a position consistent with where it should be if the gun were fired in an orientation proposed by Levi Chavez. Due to the gun’s action, the gun casing will send the empty bullet casing a certain direct each and every time. The position of the bullet casing is consistent with the gun being forced into Tera’s mouth by a murderer and not the up-side-down theory of Chavez’s defense.

-Nor were there lacerations on the tongue that would be present from the sudden action of the slide exploding back and chambering a new round while resting on it.

-There was a burn ring on Tera’s tongue.

-The APD issued gun lay cradled in Tera's armpit mere inches from her face with the muzzle pointing up to her head.

-Its magazine unseated.

-No powder burns exist on her hands, and her undamaged nails remained delicately manicured.

-There was no DNA located on the gun which is consistent with the weapon being cleaned off before it was placed by the murderer.

-The magazine of the gun was unseated. Dead people cannot unseat a gun magazine only a live person like the murderer could accomplish this task. This probably occurred when the weapon was being sanitized by the murderer.

-There was no cell phone on the bed or nearby.

-There were no tissues on the bed.

-There was no note on the bed.

And lastly, the children were due home on Sunday.

But the plans for the children to be safe at home with “Mom” would be changed and Levi had to get up to Debra Romero's house. She lived on Purcell NE, up near Spain NE and Juan Tabo NE. That was straight up I-25 and across Albuquerque. A 40-mile drive from Los Lunas but Levi had plenty of time to rob his children of their mother; he just needed to be sneaky about it… 

Here is another question that must be asked: what if APD’s Chief of Police, Ray Schultz, would have had a policy that prohibited adultery/infidelity?  Would this have prevented this murder or did Schultz’s failure to act or his condoning of extra marital affairs contribute to Tera’s murder?

 

In the final segment of this series we will wrap up all the loose ends, answer several unanswered questions and the picture will be clear.

Levi Redux

Sadly before Tera Chavez was even memorialize, we at the Eye were calling the scene down in Los Lunas for what it was: A crime scene. Thanks to our many Eyes, we called it then (READ IT HERE) and we’re standing by it now. Except now we are almost six years later. Justice truly has been delayed in this matter. But not for lack of effort by the many people involved in trying to make things right for a young mother of two who was taken well before her time. And the nefarious efforts of crime ring that spans the state and involves many former and current office holders.


You see, much of all this could’ve been avoided if the people who ran (and still run) APD acted like professionals. A frequent lurker reminds us that “integrity is what you do when nobody is looking.” And sadly in the case of Levi Chavez, lots of people were looking. The problem is APD’s chief, Ray Schultz could’ve cared less. He failed to act then, and he continues to fail to act now. In fact, when confronted by the few who do not fear him, we are told he gets so perplexed his arrogance almost makes him implode.  What the frustration; simple arrogance from a simpleton.


When Levi collided his car into a child riding their bike in the foothills and then failed to report it, Schultz failed to fire him. When  Patrolmen Second Class Levi was taken to task for carrying a Kimber .45 instead of his issued Glock 17, Schultz did nothing (guess what gun was used to kill Tera Chavez; Levi Chavez issued Glock 17). When Levi lied about where he was on the night of October 20^th while supposedly on patrol with Russell Perea but cannot be accounted for over two hours, Schultz did nothing. Each and every single offense mentioned here is a punishable by termination. Three strikes and your out? both Schultz and Chavez should have been terminated. Chavez should have been terminated for the multiple offenses listed and Schultz for incompetence.

As we all watch and listen to the horrors of the details of this murder during  a trial that will take us well into summer (you can hear it streaming live here) remember Levi Chavez never should’ve even been an APD officer in October 2007. He should’ve already been fired.

But even worse than those that fail to do the right thing when nobody is looking, APD’s Ray Schultz refuses to do the right thing even when in the spotlight.  Here again arrogance.

Schultz refuses to step down while he and his policies have decimated the department’s staffing and effectiveness and efficiency of APD.  Filled with toys and nepotistic underlings, APD has all but lost its credibility as an effective agency. And the details of Schultz’s mismanagement will be highly scrutinized during this trial. It is no surprise that our Eyes tell us there were personnel from DOJ in the gallery and out of state reporters as well.  Schultz's lack of true leadership will be the standard of training of what NOT to do as a chief of police.

Valencia County deputy district attorney Brian McKay began the trial by saying “A perfect murder is one that does not look like a murder.” That too could be said about the endless harm Schultz has perpetrated upon the employees and officers of APD and the citizens they serve.  When Schultz is gone we will all look back and say to ourselves, "Oh my gosh, he (Schultz) was terrible and ruin APD under our noses."

Schultz, Berry, and Perry have committed the perfect crime by making their actions appear as if they were "not criminal." But when you step back away from the trees, and see the larger picture, the mess we have here now is only the result of criminal activity.  This will be another story we will refer back to in the future that we called it JUST LIKE WE DID WITH LEVI CHAVEZ.

Justice demands that things be made right. The cesspool of intertwined relationships within APD's supervisors and subordinates contributed to a climate of looking away (a culture of corruption). Enough.

"All Is Well!" Or Is It?

While office holders in the state continue with their ridiculous rhetoric that “all is well” and “we’re moving forward,” the reality is things in New Mexico in general, and in Albuquerque in particular are not well. And like little toads in a pot of gradually boiling water, it seems the general public has no problem with the stage that is being set in anticipation of a boil-over.

Earlier this week, the murder trial of former APD officer Levi Chavez took a bizarre turn. In pre-trial arguments, Chavez’s defense lawyer David Serna successfully argued that the court should seal the hearings from public view (READ IT HERE).

Strangely enough, Chavez’s lawyer argued the state has sensationalized the case thus warranting the sealing. Last time the Eye checked, when an active duty police officer is indicted for murdering his wife and is suspected of being involved in a massive international crime ring, the state doesn’t need to sensationalize the case. The case speaks for itself!!!

However, Judge Eichenwald of the 13^th Judicial District court agreed (some say the deal was already “sealed”) and order the hearing to be sealed at least until the trial is set to begin. We at the Eye are concerned about this because many of the nastier details of a trial are hammered out in pre-trial practice and now are at risk of being concealed. And this case is rife with nasty details which affect Albuquerque, RJ Berry, and APD’s chief, Ray Schultz:

1. Which exact APD officers arrived at the scene of the murder?
2. Why were they there and for how long were they there?
3. Why did so many go down there?
4. What did they do which interfered with Valencia County Sheriff’s Deputies investigation?
5. What brass (other than former APD lieutenant Shawn O’Connell) were in contact with officers there?
6. Why was APOA president Ron Olivas there and what did he do?
7. What is former APD officer Pete Dwyer’s connection with Levi Chavez and his stolen truck?
8. What is in Levi Chavez’s personnel file that precluded him from being terminated as a P 2/C when so many supervisors recommended he be terminated?
9. Who was Levi Chavez working with in APD?
10. What supervisors acted on Levi Chavez’s misconduct and what supervisors remained silent?
11. Why was Allen Banks in contact with personnel involved with the scene?

Lurking in the background in this case are the sinister elements of Mexican drug cartels known as La Linea and the Sinaloa drug cartels. Sinaloa is the largest Mexican criminal enterprise and La Linea is the tactical/enforcer arm of the Juarez Cartel. To be sure, elements of these criminal organizations are present here in New Mexico AND Albuquerque.


Think about every time there’s a brutal slaying of a Mexican national and how little news it gets (since when does the throat slashing of a 2-yr old bot and his mother NOT make headlines...). 


The real cops and good guys in APD, BCSO, and even federal law enforcement tell us cars, guns, and money flow south to Mexico while drugs flow north. They come up I-25 and then split three ways across the country East and West on I-40 and North on I-25 with Albuquerque as the distribution hub for this network.

Don’t kid yourselves folks, what happened earlier this week affects us all. The sealing and HIDING of the court record now protects not only criminals outside of the Chavez trial, but protects those that are compromised by their INACTION to be real police officers and combat pawns of Sinaloa and La Linea. After all, when a police chief looks the other way while there is gross/criminal misconduct and refuses to investigate massive complex crime, isn’t that truly an action of endorsement? Doesn't that reinforce the type of criminal conduct that leads to dozens of bodies showing up on the west side?


And isn’t it odd that Mr. Serna’s motion to seal the court’s record doesn’t even really protect his client from what he claims as “unfairly prejudicial” material. But it does protect the people that attempted to cover up a murder scene and are possibly involved in other massive crimes….

Please join us in our effort to petition to vacate Judge Eichenwald’s order and maintain our system of public trials.