Where Is Levi Chavez Now?

NBC’s ‘Dateline: The Officer’s Wife’ examines the mind-boggling case of Tera Chavez’s passing, who was found shot to death on October 21, 2007, on her bed, in the home that she shared with her Albuquerque Police Department officer husband, Levi Chavez. At first, because of how the crime scene looked, Tera’s death was ruled a suicide. However, the case took a shocking turn after some disturbing facts came to the surface.

After investigations revealed secrets involving an unhappy marriage, tangled love affairs, and a web of lies, it was Levi who came under the microscope for Tera’s alleged murder and the subsequent cover-up. Now that so many years have gone by, let’s take a look at where he currently is, shall we?

Who Is Levi Chavez?

For Tera Chavez, Levi was her high school sweetheart, husband, and the entire world. The pair met when they were just teenagers starting high school, and soon, they got into a serious relationship. At the age of just 15, Tera became pregnant with their first child, Andrea, and although she stayed with her parents raising the baby for the next few years, Levi was with her whenever possible. In 2000, they tied the knot and moved to Virginia, where Levi was working as a Coast Guard.

After a few years there, they moved back to Los Lunas, and Levi got a job as a police officer with the Albuquerque Police Department. By that time, though, their marriage was already crumbling apart as Levi was having affairs with several women, many of whom he worked with on the police force. Later on, when Tera passed away, he claimed that the only reason he hadn’t left his wife was because of their two children. Levi also asserted that when Tera apparently killed herself, he was away, spending the weekend at one of his girlfriends’ apartment.

The problem here was that his girlfriend couldn’t remember exactly when Levi came to her place or when he left. Then, there is also the matter of Tera telling her friends that she thought her husband was involved in an insurance scam and was stealing money. Following all this, the investigating officers on this case thought that they finally found a motive; Levi killed his wife because he didn’t want to get caught engaging in illegal activities and wanted to pursue other relationships without worries.

Yet, with no proof of the former, he couldn’t be charged or arrested for fraud. However, nearly four years after Tera took her last breath, Levi was charged with first-degree premeditated murder and tampering with evidence. As soon as this grand jury indictment came out, Levi was fired from the Albuquerque Police Department, from where he had been on administrative leave for over a year.

Where Is Levi Chavez Now?

Levi Chavez was working at the Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department when he was arrested in 2011, but it wasn’t until two years later, in 2013, that he stood trial for the charges against him. In the 6-week-long court hearing, there were testimonies from police officers, pathologists, the women Levi had affairs with, as well as Tera’s family. But, in the end, after two days of deliberation, because of a lack of physical evidence linking him to Tera’s death, or something that even concretely proved that it was a homicide, Levi, who was facing life in prison, was acquitted of all charges.

Levi Chavez maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and he maintains his innocence even today. Reportedly, he is married to APD Detective Heather, who was also present throughout the trial. There is no confirmation on whether she is still a part of the Albuquerque Police Department. After gaining back his freedom, Levi Chavez decided that he wanted to change his career but still be in the justice system.

Following a couple of years of preparation, he applied to be a lawyer and was accepted into the University of New Mexico Law School, entering class of 2016, where he apparently specialized in criminal law. Now that he has graduated, instead of being a practicing attorney, Levi works at a non-profit organization called Heading Home, which spearheads the campaign to eradicate homelessness in Albuquerque, New Mexico. According to their website, Levi holds the title of Emergency Housing Director at their Westside Emergency Housing Center.

Read More: Where Are Tera Chavez’s Parents Now?