Chief responds to IA report

Albuquerque, N.M. - Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz says he has yet to make an official decision on the future of two APD officers who were recently investigated by internal affairs for their actions in the Levi Chavez murder case.

The internal investigation focused on four officers including Chavez. Chavez has been fired. APD confirms that one of the other officers was cleared of any wrongdoing. The other two were recommended for firing and suspension for their actions leading up to and following the murder of Levi Chavez's wife in their Valencia County home.

The names of those officers have not been released by APD citing the situation as a personnel matter that is still not complete.

"At this point in time there is a proposed action of discipline and my job is to take evidence, hear information from the parties involved and decide whether that will be the discipline or not, says Chief Schultz.

The chief and spokesperson Trish Hoffman are also not releasing specifically what the officers investigated are accused of doing other than to say it is for misconduct.

The list of allegations of misconduct against APD officers have been swirling since Tera's death in October 2007. A crime that was first reported as a suicide by Levi himself, then later determined by Valencia County Investigators to be a murder.

Valencia County deputies say just one hour after Levi placed a 911 call saying his wife had committed suicide, a team of APD officers arrived at the couple's home. One officer, a lieutenant cut up the sheets from the bed where Tera's body was found and also flushed the toilet that had blood evidence in it before it could be collected.

Another officer is accused of lying in a deposition about where Levi was while he was on duty in the hours leading up to the murder.

Several other officers were accused of having affairs with Levi and Tera and trying to cover it up in the months following Tera's murder.

Chief Schultz won't confirm if any of these allegations are the ones looked at in the I.A. investigation he will only says its for actions leading up to and after Tera's death and do not include the allegations that Levi Chavez and fellow officers may have staged the theft of Chavez' truck. Schultz says that issue is the focus of a criminal investigation and would be the focus of a separate IA investigation.