Chavez sent back to jail, bonds out

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The Albuquerque cop accused of murdering his wife and staging it as a suicide was sent back to jail Thursday after he was accused of threatening his former brother-in-law in a public bathroom.

It was a quick visit to jail for Levi Chavez after the former APD cop quickly came up with $10,000 and bonded out within 30 minutes.

Prosecutors say Chavez shot and killed his wife, Tera, with his police issued gun back in 2007 and then staged the scene to look like a suicide. Investigators say he killed her to keep her from reporting him for insurance fraud for staging the theft of his pickup truck.

Tera’s brother says Chavez recently followed him into the restroom at CNM’s main campus, where the two are currently enrolled as students, where he threatened him.

Chavez was already ordered to stay away from any witnesses in the case and Tera’s brother is a witness.

On Wednesday prosecutors and Chavez sparred on the stand about what happened in the bathroom.

Levi Chavez claimed that his slain wife’s brother made the whole thing up and said that Tera’s family was just out to get him.

But the judge didn’t buy Chavez’s version.

After Chavez bonded out the judge told Chavez that if he hears that he does anything like this again, he will throw him in jail without bond until his trial slated for next year.