Dateline: 5 harrowing details about Tera Chavez's murder, revealed

Dateline: The Officer's Wife covered the harrowing case of Tera Chavez, who was found dead in her house in New Mexico in 2007. Her husband, Levi Chavez, a police officer with the Albuquerque Police Department, called 911 on the scene.

The official IMDB synopsis of the Dateline episode reads as follows:

''Tera Chavez, a police officer's wife, is found shot dead in the mouth of an apparent suicide. Her husband Levi is suspected soon after because of suspicious circumstantial evidence, but there is no confession, eyewitness or 'smoking gun' forensic evidence.''

Here are 5 harrowing details about Tera Charvez's murder as shown on Dateline.

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Dateline: 5 harrowing details about Tera Chavez's murder

1) Dateline victim Tera Chavez's death was initially ruled out as suicide

On October 22, 2007, Tera Chavez's husband, Levi Chavez, called 911 and reported that his wife had committed suicide by shooting herself.

It was too late when the police arrived at the scene, and Chavez was already dead. The police also found her cop husband's semi-automatic 9mm Glock gun by her side, which was the weapon used on her. Levi reported that after their truck was stolen a couple of months ago, he left his gun with Tera for her protection.

Chavez's medical examiner ruled out Tera's death as suicide and it was assumed that she was depressed because of her failing marriage.

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2) Levi Chavez re-married months after Tera's death

While the examiner ruled out Tera's death as suicide, the police turned their attention to her husband, Levi Chavez, who re-married less than seven months after his first wife's death.

Upon further investigation, the police found that he actually spent the night at one of his girlfriends' place, and the reason for Tera's alleged depression was her husband's affairs with multiple women, including many married work acquaintances.

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3) Tera Chavez's family did not believe that she committed suicide

Levi Chavez was eventually arrested for the murder of his wife, and Dateline victim Tera's friends and family expressed how they were not ready to believe that she could commit suicide and leave her two young children alone.

In an interview with Target 7, Tera's best friend noted:

“It just didn't make any sense to me. We all knew it wasn't a suicide''

Tera's parents also spoke on the matter and expressed that their daughter would never take such a drastic step:

“One day, [the kids] are going to be of age, and they’re going to want to know...She’d never leave them. She’d never leave them of her own will. She didn’t leave them.”

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4) Levi Chavez's court trial took place two years after Tera's death

While Levi was arrested in 2011, his case went to court trial in 2013 due to many legal delays and proceedings.

While Levi maintained his innocence and his original statement that his wife committed suicide, his new wife, Heather Hindi, was called to testify on the stand. She confessed to having contacted Levi mere weeks after his wife's death and proposed marriage to him. The two eventually got married months after Tera's death.

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5) Levi Chavez was found not guilty of Dateline victim's murder

In a shocking turn of events, Dateline: Unforgettable re-covered Tera Chavez's case, which showed that her husband was found not guilty of her murder.

After the final verdict, Chavez expressed his innocence in an interview with KOAT:

“I’m not surprised at all. I’m not guilty. I’m innocent. I told you guys that from the beginning. I knew I’d be acquitted. I didn’t do anything wrong,”

He also filed a defamation lawsuit against Aaron Jones, the detective investigating Tera Chavez's death, and the court documents show:

“malicious prosecution, malicious abuse of process, defamation, and outrageous conduct.”

He later obtained a law degree, specializing in criminal law.

Also Read: Dateline: 5 harrowing details about Quinn Gray's fake kidnapping

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