NM - Tera Chavez, 26, found dead in her Los Lunas home, 22 Oct 2007 - #2

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  • #441
thefragile7393 said:
"On July 16, a reporter asked Levi Chavez about the pending wrongful death civil lawsuit against him.

“Bring it on,” replied the former Albuquerque police officer, who at the time was strutting through the parking lot of the Sandoval County District courthouse minutes after a jury had acquitted him of charges that he killed his wife in 2007.

By this morning, when he appeared before Second Judicial District Chief Judge Ted Baca in Albuquerque for a motions hearing in the civil case, Chavez’s tone was decidedly different.

Now, he says he can’t find a lawyer who is willing to represent him. And even if he could, he wouldn’t be able to afford one.

“I think I’ll be in debt the rest of my life to be honest,” he said in court this morning. “I’m probably going to have to (represent myself and) go pro se, (but) I don’t know how to try a civil case. I have no idea what I’m doing, and it’s probably going to be very embarrassing for me.”
More at link


http://www.abqjournal.com/240405/news/next-up-for-levi-chavez-a-trial-date-but-no-lawyer.html
Click to expand...


Thanks Fragile, I just saw this article also and was going to post. Then I saw you have already.

What will LC do, such a tough decision.

RIP Tera and may your family find comfort!
 
  • #442
Showing more quote from the article that Fragile posted. Very interesting.


Serna was present in court this morning, in part to discuss a motion he filed to withdraw as Levi Chavez’s civil attorney.

Baca granted that motion.

But at one point during this morning’s hearings, Baca clearly Serna, who did not sit at the defense table, stand up and whisper something to Levi Chavez while Hall was arguing one of his motions.

Later, Baca addressed Serna and Levi Chavez, saying: “There won’t be this phantom attorney whispering things to you during trial. That won’t be allowed.”

Chavez said in court this morning that he had spoken with as many as eight local attorneys about representing him in the civil case. Citing the high-profile nature of the case, their affiliations with the city of Albuquerque and other reasons, each of those attorneys turned him down.
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http://www.abqjournal.com/240405/news/next-up-for-levi-chavez-a-trial-date-but-no-lawyer.html

Worth the time to read this article.
 
  • #443
  • #444
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —The trial for Tera Chavez's wrongful death civil suit is set for January 2014.

But first, the judge needed to know, in writing, by Friday, from Levi Chavez, what he had to say to the charges.

Criminal defense attorney Ousama Rasheed explained what it means to "answer" to the complaint.

"Meaning, they have the opportunity to deny the claims they wish," Rasheed said, "to admit whatever claims they wish and have the case proceed from there."
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http://www.koat.com/news/new-mexico...-set/-/9153728/21505120/-/tygu5r/-/index.html


Very interesting, if LC didn't show up today with the paper work showing his answer to the civil suit, the judge will decide for him if he has to pay and how much.
 
  • #445
I am so excited!

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 4
 
  • #446
And I want to smack the juror they interviewed.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 4
 
  • #447
thefragile7393 said:
And I want to smack the juror they interviewed.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...

I would like to smack him also. I really just think think that juror wanted his 15 min and had no idea about how to be a juror.
 
  • #448
  • #449
  • #450
  • #451
LC fighting the civil law suit.

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The former cop found not guilty of killing his wife and staging her death as a suicide in a criminal case is now trying to get out of the civil case. And if he doesn’t, he wants taxpayers to pay for it.

All this comes on what would have been his wife's 32nd birthday.

Levi Chavez filed court documents Friday asking a judge to dismiss the civil lawsuit or put the city on the hook for the costs, something the city says is not going to happen.

“I don't care. Bring the civil case on,” Chavez said as he left court in July after his acquittal. “I'm not guilty. I'm innocent.”

But now it seems the former Albuquerque Police Department officer is not ready for the civil case after all.
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http://www.krqe.com/web/krqe/news/local/ex-cop-wants-death-lawsuit-dismissed
 
  • #452
  • #453
  • #454
Hi all, I saw this trial while I was looking over the forums and decided to read over some of your comments about the Not Guilty. I didn't watch the trial. I see that all of you, with exception of "Mrs.Serna" if that is even the real Mrs. Serna, thought he was guilty. I don't even have to watch the trial, then, b/c I have seen a lot of you in various trials, and I know you are reasonable people who analyzed the evidence closely and watched the trial with diligence. And if you think he is guilty, that means he is. He was found not guilt, but he's not innocent. To know the REAL verdict, all I have to do is come on here.

As for Mrs. Serna (again, if she is the real Mrs. Serna, still in question), she doesn't have to be an advocate for "their" client. She was advocating for him - saying Tera's family has put him through hell and they feel sorry for Levi and his family. She could have just said, our system is that the jury must have enough evidence to overcome reasonable doubt, and they didn't find it in this case. That would have been fine. Instead, she was saying poor Levi, look what he's been through. That's what I cant' stand when defense attorneys, or their wives I guess, do that.

I'm glad I didn't follow this trial, I would have been so disappointed.
 
  • #455
Ugh, I just watched a little part of the prosecution cross of Levi Chavez on youtube. All I can say is, if JUAN-derful was prosecuting the case, he would have been found GUILTY. And WTF why did the prosecutor let him talk to "his" jury???? He let Levi remble on and on and say whatever he wanted. Juan would have never let that happen. And he would say, "if you say so, then it's true," Juan would have said, "YOU WERE THERE, YOU TELL ME." Oh man, Juan has just I guess ruined it for me with all other prosecutors - they don't compare. This prosecutor let Levi do his little act for the jury and on top of it run all over him, and he didn't do anything to challenge his story.

This guy is so guilty. He was trying too hard in front of the jury. And he was fake-crying/sadness, it was so obvious. Argh.
 
  • #456
aa9511 said:
Hi all, I saw this trial while I was looking over the forums and decided to read over some of your comments about the Not Guilty. I didn't watch the trial. I see that all of you, with exception of "Mrs.Serna" if that is even the real Mrs. Serna, thought he was guilty. I don't even have to watch the trial, then, b/c I have seen a lot of you in various trials, and I know you are reasonable people who analyzed the evidence closely and watched the trial with diligence. And if you think he is guilty, that means he is. He was found not guilt, but he's not innocent. To know the REAL verdict, all I have to do is come on here.

As for Mrs. Serna (again, if she is the real Mrs. Serna, still in question), she doesn't have to be an advocate for "their" client. She was advocating for him - saying Tera's family has put him through hell and they feel sorry for Levi and his family. She could have just said, our system is that the jury must have enough evidence to overcome reasonable doubt, and they didn't find it in this case. That would have been fine. Instead, she was saying poor Levi, look what he's been through. That's what I cant' stand when defense attorneys, or their wives I guess, do that.

I'm glad I didn't follow this trial, I would have been so disappointed.
Click to expand...

"Mrs. Serna" appeared to be building a circumstantial case of identity, I and others here gave her the complete presumption of innocence (that she was who she said she was) and proceeded to converse. Or attempt to converse, as is shown earlier in the thread, she answered only what she wanted to and gave excuses for the rest.

As apparently was the case with the jury (and I disagree there), I could not convict Mrs. Serna due to lack of evidence, that she was not who she said she was. Even though I could turn up no proof on the net that a Mrs. Serna even exists.

Maybe it was all very psychological and whoever they are was just trying to prove some convoluted point. But it was a very unkind thing to do to those here who followed the case and watched all of the trial, we weren't trying to be 'sleuthy', we were just hoping for some legal justice for Tera.
 
  • #457
geevee said:
"Mrs. Serna" appeared to be building a circumstantial case of identity, I and others here gave her the complete presumption of innocence (that she was who she said she was) and proceeded to converse. Or attempt to converse, as is shown earlier in the thread, she answered only what she wanted to and gave excuses for the rest.

As apparently was the case with the jury (and I disagree there), I could not convict Mrs. Serna due to lack of evidence, that she was not who she said she was. Even though I could turn up no proof on the net that a Mrs. Serna even exists.

Maybe it was all very psychological and whoever they are was just trying to prove some convoluted point. But it was a very unkind thing to do to those here who followed the case and watched all of the trial, we weren't trying to be 'sleuthy', we were just hoping for some legal justice for Tera.
Click to expand...

Yes Geevee, I saw where you asked her some important questions about the case and she said she wrote a response and it got deleted....TWICE. LOL.

I watched the closing arguments last night as well as some of Levi's testimony, and if what the attorneys said was indeed shown in evidence, then I just don't get how this jury could have found Not guilty. The cellphone being turned off, the deleted text messages, the fact that he went to the walmart but told the detectives he wasn't there, the released magazine or whatever you call it, the way the gun was shoved up deep into her throat, his cell phone had to be "sent back"...omigosh, what other evidence did they want?? Not to mention he had the most motive and was closest to her and they had such a tumultuous relationship.

How do they explain the cell phone being turned off? Levi was a cop, they didn't think he would know what to do to cover his tracks?? He seemingly planned it almost perfectly. Also the fact that he knew a suicide would mean little investigation and he could just forget about the whole thing. And the fact that she had told firends sometimes that she was sad and depressed...doesn't that just make more sense why Levi would choose "suicide"....because he knew people would believe it b/c she was already depressed?

Aggghhhh. They were fooled by his act on the stand, IMO. Can't believe people are so gullible sometimes.
 
  • #458
aa9511 said:
Yes Geevee, I saw where you asked her some important questions about the case and she said she wrote a response and it got deleted....TWICE. LOL.

I watched the closing arguments last night as well as some of Levi's testimony, and if what the attorneys said was indeed shown in evidence, then I just don't get how this jury could have found Not guilty. The cellphone being turned off, the deleted text messages, the fact that he went to the walmart but told the detectives he wasn't there, the released magazine or whatever you call it, the way the gun was shoved up deep into her throat, his cell phone had to be "sent back"...omigosh, what other evidence did they want?? Not to mention he had the most motive and was closest to her and they had such a tumultuous relationship.

How do they explain the cell phone being turned off? Levi was a cop, they didn't think he would know what to do to cover his tracks?? He seemingly planned it almost perfectly. Also the fact that he knew a suicide would mean little investigation and he could just forget about the whole thing. And the fact that she had told firends sometimes that she was sad and depressed...doesn't that just make more sense why Levi would choose "suicide"....because he knew people would believe it b/c she was already depressed?

Aggghhhh. They were fooled by his act on the stand, IMO. Can't believe people are so gullible sometimes.
Click to expand...

After the verdict I wondered if we had seen the same trial and evidence as the jury, and then came to realize many people just won't convict a cop, whether out of fear or 'patriotism' or whatever, and his bit about 'my jury' seemed to seal the deal. Very sad.
 
  • #459
How odd that I came and checked this thread today and found your interesting posts. First, the insinuation that I'm not who I said I am is curious. What would someone's motive be in pretending to be me? And if a websleuth can't find that Mr. Serna is married to me, I'm disappointed! I hope I remember to post a photo when I'm finished here.

I know I wrote a lengthy reply (twice) about some of the details, and for some reason they were deleted. Someone suggested I try 'validation' and without a law license or paralegal certification or law enforcement background, your administrator couldn't see a way to fit me in so to speak. So, here I am anyway.

I've worked at Mr. Serna's office for over 12 years. We've been married for 22. I don't usually work with client cases at all except for evidence, and I only go to to court if I'm super interested in the hearing. This case was a Goliath of investigation and nearly overwhelming in terms of discovery. I had to help. I did help, and I know the facts of the case on a level few others do.

I'm pretty sure someone mentioned the magazine of the gun, and an allegedly damp towel. We believe the magazine was seated and the photos showing it, which weren't good enough for the state, shows it was. At any rate, no mention was made of it in the audio made on site describing what they found, nor in the police reports, draft or otherwise. Det. Jones 'recalled' the unseated magazine and the damp towel years later when it became apparent they needed some red flags from that night.

Here's a pic from 2000. I can't believe hubby and I have both gone so grey in the past 13 years. Mr. Serna's shirt says "Justicia para todos" and that's what we still believe. I hope you will recognize the gentleman standing between us. I support the work he does, and recommend you check out any of his books. It is far too common that people are sent off for years for crimes they did not commit. 2000.jpg

Maybe I can find a photo of hubby and I that shows how much we've aged!
 
  • #460
Mrs.Serna said:
How odd that I came and checked this thread today and found your interesting posts. First, the insinuation that I'm not who I said I am is curious. What would someone's motive be in pretending to be me? And if a websleuth can't find that Mr. Serna is married to me, I'm disappointed! I hope I remember to post a photo when I'm finished here.

I know I wrote a lengthy reply (twice) about some of the details, and for some reason they were deleted. Someone suggested I try 'validation' and without a law license or paralegal certification or law enforcement background, your administrator couldn't see a way to fit me in so to speak. So, here I am anyway.

I've worked at Mr. Serna's office for over 12 years. We've been married for 22. I don't usually work with client cases at all except for evidence, and I only to to court if I'm super interested in the hearing. This case was a Goliath of investigation and nearly overwhelming in terms of discovery. I had to help. I did help, and I know the facts of the case on a level few others do.

I'm pretty sure someone mentioned the magazine of the gun, and an allegedly damp towel. We believe the magazine was seated and the photos showing it, which weren't good enough for the state, shows it was. At any rate, no mention was made of it in the audio made on site describing what they found, nor in the police reports, draft or otherwise. Det. Jones 'recalled' the unseated magazine and the damp towel years later when it became apparent they needed some red flags from that night.

Here's a pic from 2000. I can't believe hubby and I have both gone so grey in the past 13 years. Mr. Serna's shirt says "Justicia para todos" and that's what we still believe. I hope you will recognize the gentleman standing between us. I support the work he does, and recommend you check out any of his books. It is far to common that people are sent off for years for crimes they did not commit. View attachment 37178

Maybe I can find a photo of hubby and I that shows how much we've aged!
Click to expand...

Well that sure does look like Mr. Serna. If that's indeed Mrs. Serna in the picture and on here, you are very beautiful!

As I said, for disclosure I did not watch the trial, so someone else on here would have a better discussion with you regarding the magazine and the towel. I don't know if many people check this thread anymore, but I have gotten response to my postings from a couple of people.
 
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