A man from Texas has been charged with murder after allegedly beating his wife to death with a clothing iron.
According to local outlets Fox 26 Houston and ABC 13 Houston, 34-year-old Chance Zane Chavez has been charged with killing his 32-year-old wife, Kristen Chavez.
In a release by the Houston Police Department on Thursday, March 13, authorities confirmed charges had been filed against Chance after a woman was found at 5126 Emma Forest Street about 7:20 a.m. on Wednesday, March 12.
“The suspect, Chance Zane Chavez, 34, is charged with murder in the 176th State District Court,” the release read at the time. “The identity of the victim, 32, is pending verification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.”
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“Officers were dispatched to a call about a suspicious event at the residence at the above address,” HPD Homicide Division Sergeant R. Olive and Detective T. Tyler said in a statement. “Upon arrival, they observed a male, Chavez, standing in the doorway with his hands up.”
Tyler added that the suspect’s arms, legs and clothes were covered in blood.
“Officers secured him in the back of a patrol car and then searched the house for anyone injured,” the statement read.
“A female, Chavez’s wife, was discovered unresponsive in a bedroom,” Tyler continued. “She had suffered blunt force trauma to her body and was pronounced deceased by paramedics. Chavez was arrested, subsequently charged and booked into the Harris County Jail.”
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“It was not a good situation,” Kristen’s mother Laura Bell, told Fox 26 Houston about Kristen’s relationship with her husband. She added that she remained in the marriage “hoping that things will change.”
“She tried to see the good in people even though they tried to take advantage of that,” brother Devin Cervantes added.
Chance was originally held in Harris County Jail under a $250,000 bond, Fox 26 Houston previously reported.
On Monday, March 17 this was increased to $500,000, following an online petition that drew more than 9,000 signatures.
“We’re hoping that he remains in jail until the trial and throughout the trial for him to be held accountable for what he’s done,” Bell told Fox 26 Houston.
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