Accused killer is former city worker

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - He's locked up on a charge that he murdered a state representative's son. But, News 13 learned Jesse Chavez was fired by the city earlier this year after he was accused of stealing cash on the job.

For the past 13 years Chavez has been a city employee. After he was fired in February, the union even went to bat for him.

“He was a parking attendant and was under investigation for some cash handling discrepancies,” said HR Director Vincent Yermal, with the City of Albuquerque. “While he was re-assigned from his regular position he was subsequently arrested for trafficking and for felon in possession of a firearm and that put him in the status of being AWOL as an employee.”

It certainly wasn't the first time Chavez had been arrested during his tenure with the city. Online court records show he's been picked up for everything from assault and battery to drunk driving and drug dealing. Now, he is charged with murder.

Chavez was arrested Thursday at his home for the murder of Ralph Chavez. The two men are not related but Ralph Chavez is the son of state Rep. Ernest Chavez.

Bernalillo county detectives say the murder was a botched burglary. The victim was shot to death in his south valley house last week. Deputies say there was pot and coke inside the house. They are still investigating to see if Jesse Chavez was specifically after those drugs.

When News 13 asked about this message on Jesse Chavez’s Facebook page, detectives were very interested.

It says, “They should of made sure I was DEAD before they left. Now I’m back and I’m taking out their whole fam and some.”

Detectives say Chavez and the victim knew each other, but don't know if they'd been violent with each other before.

Even though Chavez is gone from the city his case there isn't closed said Yermal, “The union did grieve his termination and recently have made a request for discovery on that termination.”

The union attorney said he did not know yet if they will ditch the appeal of Chavez’s firing now that he's accused of murder.

The victim's friend was also shot in the house; he lived.

The day after the double shooting Chavez posted on his Facebook that he was twisted as blank right now. Another message detectives are interested in.

As far as why Jesse Chavez was able to keep his job over the years as his arrests kept piling up, the city says it can't just fire an employee unless the arrest keeps them from doing their job.

Chavez was actually convicted of one of those drug dealing charges that was in 2002, while he was a city worker. An official says he's not sure if the city knew about that conviction at the time.