A deranged Texas man is scheduled to appear in court on Monday on charges that he beat his wife to death with a clothing iron after stealing her four pet dogs and abandoning them on the freeway.
Chance Zane Chavez, 34, was charged with murder after police arrived at the couple’s Houston home last week and discovered him drenched in blood alongside the body of his battered 32-year-old wife, Kristen Chavez, in the bedroom.
“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 about her 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.”
According to police, Chance Chavez’s alleged night of terror began hours before his arrest, when he allegedly stole his wife’s four dogs and abandoned them on the side of the Katy Freeway.
KRIV reported that one of the puppies, a Dachshund named Peaches, has yet to be found.
Then, shortly before 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, police were called to the couple’s home in Houston’s Central Northwest neighborhood, where they discovered the accused killer in the doorway with his hands up and blood on his arms, legs, and clothing, according to the outlet.
Kristen Chavez, who had suffered blunt force trauma to her body, was pronounced dead on the scene. Police believe her husband repeatedly struck her with a clothing iron, according to a local outlet.
Kristen Chavez’s family stated that her dogs, which he allegedly discarded like trash, were “her babies” because she did not have children, and that three of the dogs were later discovered by friends and volunteers — but Peaches remains on the loose.
“We’ve just been putting it out there and going into neighborhoods to see if anyone has seen her,” Bell said, adding that finding the other pets was “like a miracle.”
Chance Chavez was arrested on murder charges and ordered held in the Harris County Jail on a $250,000 bond. He is due back in court on Monday.
