89.9 FM Live From The University Of New Mexico
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

NM Officer's Murder Trial Begins Amid Probe Cloud

The trial of a former Albuquerque police officer accused of killing his wife and making it look like a suicide is scheduled to begin.

The much-anticipated murder trial of Levi Chavez is finally scheduled to start Monday in Sandoval County and is expected to renew attention on an embattled Albuquerque Police Department.

The department has faced heat from critics over a string of high-profile abuse cases that recently prompted a U.S. Justice Department investigation.

The department also has seen more than two dozen officer-involved shootings since 2010 and a district attorney's office that has yet to prosecute any officer involved in a shooting.

Chavez is accused of killing 26-year-old Tera Chavez with his department-issued 9mm Glock handgun in their Los Lunas home in 2007.