A deranged Texas man is due in court Monday on allegations that he beat his wife to death with a clothing iron — after stealing her four pet dogs and dumping them on the freeway.
Chance Zane Chavez, 34, was hit with murder charges after police showed up at the couple’s Houston home last week and found him drenched in blood and the body of his battered 32-year-old wife, Kristen Chavez, in the bedroom, according to police.
“Even though it was not a good situation, [she was] staying in it, hoping that things will change,” her heartbroken mother, Laura Bell, told KRIV-TV News of the relationship. “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.”
Police said Chance Chavez’s alleged night of terror began hours before he was arrested when he allegedly stole his wife’s four dogs and abandoned them on the side of the Katy Freeway.
One of the pups, a Dachshund named Peaches, has yet to be found, KRIV reported.
Then, shortly before 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, police were called to the couple’s house in Houston’s Central Northwest neighborhood to find the accused killer in the doorway with his hands up and blood splattered on his arms, legs and clothing, according to the outlet.
Kristen Chavez, who had blunt force trauma to her body, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police believe her husband used a clothing iron to repeatedly strike her, the local outlet reported.
Kristen Chavez’s family said her dogs that he allegedly discarded like trash were “her babies” because she didn’t have children, and said three of the dogs were later found by friends and volunteers — but Peaches remains on the loose.
“We’ve just been putting it out there and even going into the neighborhoods seeking to see if anyone has seen her,” Bell said, adding that finding the other pets “was like a miracle.”
Chance Chavez was booked on murder charges and ordered held at the Harris County Jail on a $250,000 bond and is due to return to court on Monday.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.
