Albuquerque
cop stands trial on charges he killed wife, made it look like suicide
Albuquerque cop Levi Chavez tried to commit the perfect
murder when he shot his wife in 2007 with his department-issued handgun and
made it look like suicide, prosecutors said Monday. Chavez is accused of
killing his 26-year-old wife in the couple’s home in Los Lunas, about 25 miles
south of Albuquerque. He is charged with first-degree murder and tampering with
evidence. Tera Chavez died from a single gunshot wound to the mouth.
Baltimore
cop charged in fiancee's killing pleads not guilty
Baltimore cop James W. Smith, 49, pleaded not guilty to the
charge of killing his fiancee and then engaging in an hours-long standoff with
the cops. Smith says he wants to the court to blame the murder on combat-related
stress. Smith got into an argument with his fiancee, Kendra Diggs, and shot her
from an upstairs window in West Baltimore as she stood on the sidewalk with cops
who had responded to the home. Smith then holed up in the house with his
4-year-old son and refused to emerge for hours before surrendering peacefully,
police said.