Was that a motive for murder. Somebody killed your wife. Police saw mysterious clues. A computer search on how to kill someone. There were a lot of suspicious things. Nothing added up. What really happened to tera . I never said anything. I am lester holt, this is dateline. Tonight the officers wife. Here is Josh Mankiewicz. The life of a Police Officer is full of danger and stress. They have rough days at work and they end upholdi holding it theyre our First Responders. It is hard work. You never know what youll end up with. Our story is about what happened when a First Responder had to face a crisis in his own home. A cop pleading for help from his fellow men and women in blue. Please tell them to hurry. In one moment a family was shattered. It was like disbelief, a surreal moment. And over time, an entire communitys secrets will be revealed. I laid there and cried. It doesnt make sense. It starts here in the village of los lunas, new mexico, 25 miles south of albuquerque. Tera chavez grew up in a loving family with her twin brother josh and younger brother aaron. Joseph and Theresa Cordova are the parents. A girly girl, very loving. She always was working with drawings and poetry, always writing. Melody gonzales was teras best friend growing up. She was amazing. She was shy. I know a lot of times in School People thought that she came off kind of stuck up. But that wasnt her . Not at all. Then one day at summer camp that shy girl met the handsome boy that would change her life in so many ways, levi chavez. How did she talk about him . She loved him. It didnt take very long before she fell hard for him. He was charming towards her, and she thought he was gorgeous. Tera was quiet and artistic. Levi was a guys guy who loved basketball and boxing. Their love bloomed in the new mexico desert. Tera got pregnant while they were still in high school and they got married just before her graduation. He was happy about it. Scared as well, just like she was. Something that they, neither one of them expected, it just happened. Every time we would see them, they were happy. Michael romero is levis uncle, as town magistrate he performed the ceremony. On that wedding day, the whole family was there . Yes, our family was there, it was a joyous occasion. They were a lovely couple. Together they dreamt of the life theyd have. Tera worked as a hairstylist but had bigger goals. She was really wanting to start her own business. Her own business meaning her own salon . Yes, so she approached me. Im all for it. Ill be a silent partner, although she did laugh at me because dad, youre not silent. Levi worked long hours as an officer with the Albuquerque Police department. It was his dream job. In levis world, police work was known as the family business. His grandfather from his fathers side was a Police Officer and he has four or five uncles that are Police Officers, and i am an exPolice Officer myself. He was a natural Police Officer . He was natural. By 2007, they were raising two children, andrea and little levi. And had settled into a new house in los lunas. But while levi was out fighting crime in the big city, tera was finding out that life in the suburbs wasnt entirely crime free. Teras brother aaron. She called me and told us i think somebody tried to break in my house. So we immediately, lets go to the house. We checked and the door did look like somebody messed with it a little bit. Whoever did that didnt steal anything but it put levi and tera on alert. He said he suggested she keep a gun in the home. In general, they have a high crime rate, they tend to have a lot of breakins in that area. And levi and tera were about to experience it firsthand. Levi had recently bought an expensive new truck. Late one night, tera was home alone, heard their dog bark, she looked outside and the truck was gone. She said hey, guess what, levis truck got stolen. I was like well, what happened, are you okay . Is levi home . She said no, he was at work last night. That made melanie worry. And it turned out there was plenty to worry about. Two weeks later on a sunday the kids were away visiting levis dad. Levi himself had a pretty quiet weekend on patrol. But when he stopped to check on tera and saw what was in front of him, this Police Officer found himself on the other end of an anguished call to 911. Oh, my god. Please, please. What happened to the Police Officers wife . When we come back, a Close Knit Community reeling with grief and shock. It was disturbing, a handsome young Police Officer and beautiful wife. The distraught husband, overcome by guilt. Tonight, Josh Mankiewicz is in york, pennsylvania to watch with fans that usually watch him live. Next friday, he could be watching with you. Why you . You tell us. Go to our website for all the rules. Using facebook or twitter. Creativity counts. Dont watch alone. Dont watch alone. Dont watch alone. Whatever you do next friday. Dont watch alone get an additional 10 off 50, 15 off 75, or 20 off 100 with your coupon. Jcpenney. Temptations treats irresistible, waitll they try cheezy middles. [ shake sound ] crunchy outside. Cheezy inside. New temptations cheezy middles. Once you shake em, you cant shake em. [ female announcer ] introducing the windex touchup cleaner. Dab it. Clean it. Done. Its a onehanded clean from windex. That stays out to kill 99. 9 of bacteria. And quickly clean so you keep moving. What do we call this new dance move . The windex tushup. [ female announcer ] the allnew windex touchup cleaner. Sc johnson. A family company. At lenscrafters weleaner. Call it accufit. A digital scanning system five times more precise. Helping you see perfectly. Accufit only at lenscrafters. [ female announcer ] kleenex tissues help stop moisture better than the leading competitor. Save yourself from an awkward situation. Dont get caught without kleenex tissues. One more time, just for themselves. Before the last grandchild. Before the first grandchild. Smile. Before katie, debbie, kevin and brad. There was a connection that started it all and made the future the wonderful thing it turned out to be. At bank of america, we know were not the center of your life, but well do our best to help you connect to what is. It was a blus tery october neither over the sandia mountains. Albuquerque Police Officer levi chavez called 911 from his own home. Please. He told please he found his wife lying in a pool of blood in their bed. In a panic, levi begged for help. Okay, sir, on the way. Levi, is it going to be easier for you to go to another room . I cant leave her alone. Okay. Oh, my god. Aaron jones was a detective with the Sheriffs Department in suburban los lunas. When i received a call from the sergeant saying there had been a Police Officers wife that had been shot. It was just after 9 00 p. M. When jones got to the chavez home. It was disturbing. I mean, it was a young handsome Police Officer, a young, beautiful wife. Jones saw tera lying on the bed with a gunshot wound to her head, and he found this glock 17 by her body. It was the same gun levi said he had given her for protection. It was his Service Weapon . It was his Service Weapon. That he left at home . Yes. And beside the bed on the night stand there was a three word note. Im sorry, levi. Jones quickly determined tera hadnt been a victim of crime but had turned the gun on herself. She was only 26. We do have a lot of suicide out there unfortunately, Valencia County has a high right of suicide, it is not uncommon. What was uncommon was the fact it was a Police Officers wife. Within minutes members of levis own Police Department in neighboring albuquerque came over to the house to offer levi support as the news of teras death spread, one officers wife called teras best friend, melanie. She just came out and said it, mel, tera is dead, and it took me a minute to process it, and i was like what do you mean . I dont understand. At the scene police saw an inconsolable husband. Kept referring to himself as a piece of crap and other things, that he should have been a better husband and should have just been with her. Jones, the local detective took a statement from levi, the big city cop who bared his soul. For the rest of my life, i will negative be able to move on. He blamed himself for teras suicide. His wife prone to drama and depression, he said, but at times he didnt take it seriously. Now it was too late. The detective did his best to bring a weak levi under control. Whatever is going on right now, take a deep breath. Youre trying to make this guy feel better. I am. I was concerned possibly sympathy and empathy that he may hurt himself. Tera the writer kept a journal tucked under her mattress. Parts of it were very dark, described a young woman that was having some dark times in her life. Tera had laid bare the depth of her despair, writing sometimes i want to just disappear, and im depressed. I want to fall off the face of the earth. Every day i feel my time and work, kids and endlessly trying to make my marriage work, i am getting nowhere, i never do. That sounds like depression to me. Classic depression. And police found another page of writing that sounded desperate, torn up and buried in the trash can. And levi showed detective jones Something Else. A text. A text he received from tera earlier that day. Says i am afraid i am going to hurt myself. I am so, sooo upset. They were wrapping up work at the chavez house and went to teras parents home to break the news. He introduced the deputy and chaplain, he said its about your daughter. So im already feeling weak. What did you think . I thought there was a terrible traffic accident. I never, never thought to hear otherwise. I asked him what happened and aaron jones said its an apparent suicide. Possibly the most painful news a family can ever hear, but the cordovas werent prepared to accept it and felt a deep conviction no one outside the family saw coming. When you hear suicide. No way. No. No way. That girl loved those children and i knew right then and there she would not take her life and leave those children behind. Coming up. Heartbreak and disbelief. Not the tera i knew. I never would have in a million years thought she would ever take her life. Was teras death definitely a suicide . Just something about it just thinking about it started stinking. When dateline continues. [ crashing ] [ male announcer ] when your favorite food starts a fight, fight back fast with tums. Heartburn relief that neutralizes acid on contact and goes to work in seconds. Tum, tum tum tum tums like dishes that dont fit in the top rack of the dishwasher. Come into sears, ill tell you about our one hand adjuster. On our exclusive kenmore elite dishwasher. Its amazing whatll happen when. Tall things have the right space. Also amazing, jd power ranks. Kenmore elite highest in customer satisfaction. One Appliance Store helps more people. Find savings and solutions than any other. This is sears. Youve got to try this sweet sour chicken helper. I didnt know they made chicken. Crunchy taco or four cheese lasagna . Can i get another one of those actually . [ superfan ] hey, america, were here to help. [ female announcer ] at 100 calories, not all food choices add up. Some are giant. Some not so giant. When managing your weight, bigger is always better. Ho ho ho green giant family and friends awoke to a piercing sadness in this new mexico community. Tera chavez, the wife of a Police Officer, had committed suicide. I laid there and cried, i couldnt believe it. I mean, somebody that i talked to almost every day is gone and you dont know why, you dont understand it. It doesnt make sense. When levis uncle michael tried to help his nephew that next morning, he says he saw a broken man. I went and saw levi, he was in bed and i just didnt know what to say. It is the worst thing that could happen to anybody. What did levi say to you that day, do you remember . He didnt say he was too emotional. He couldnt speak. But along with the shock, teras best friend was overcome with a sense of disbelief. Part of me was like no, this isnt right, this isnt what happened, like theyre lying, its not true. And thats exactly what teras parents were telling the detectives that had come to their home with that terrible news. For one thing, they told him there was simply no way tera would leave her children. You would not be the first one, family of a loved one that didnt want to believe it was suicide. I knew tera. I knew tera. What about the depressed person who emerges from that diary police found at the scene . Teras family points out that many of the darker passages in that journal were several years old. Her journal i think was an outlet for her to vent sometimes. Gina is her sisterinlaw. I am married, i have kids. Sometimes i just want to disappear and it doesnt mean that im going to harm myself in any way. And the very last entry, three months before her death, suggests tera was in fact the opposite of depressed. Tera wrote goodbye to the person i used to be, welcome new day. Happiness i think the last statement that was in her diary said it all, happiness. And her family says she had lots to be happy about. Tera was finally making plans to open that new hair salon she had long dreamed of. She was even starting to look at real estate. She was so excited to do it. Gina says tera had an appointment to look at this location with her dad scheduled for two days after her death. She was thinking about how she was going to decorate, how it was going to be girly, she was really excited about it. Thats the tera her brother aaron saw all the time, and he says just two days before she died, tera sent him this funny video of her kids. They were dancing around the shop, being goofy, joking around, it was pretty funny actually. Nothing on that video suggests she was in a miserable place. A second on that video that you see her, shes laughing because her daughter and her little boy are just being goof balls, you know. And teras best friend melanie reread the last text tera sent her around that same time and saw nothing frightening. She just said hi, i havent talked to you all day, how are you doing . Doesnt sound like someone in the middle of a terrible depression. Not at all. Could you conceive of her taking her own life . Not the tera i knew, i never would have in a million years ever seen or expected or thought that she would ever take her life. Melanie and the cordovas Say Something was wrong in that suicide scene at the house, and they let detective jones know it. I talked to aaron jones, i dont think he believed you. Im sure he didnt. It looked like a suicide to them. Thats correct. But something you said to him or some way you said it made him think that he needed to dig a little deeper. Yes. I promised teras mom and dad that i would look at it. I knew i couldnt just close this case out without looking at it and digging into it. To begin with jones knew from experience that bedroom scene was very unusual. Just 10 of gun suicides are committed by women and he wondered about the recent breakin attempt and levis stolen truck. Had someone been casing the neighborhood, targeting the officers house . I wanted to check and make sure there wasnt any indication of any kind of breakin or that maybe somebody else had done this. But nothing seemed to be missing from the house and jones could find no sign of forced entry. Still, he went back to the photos from the bedroom, started noticing things like what appeared to be a swipe of blood on the bed. What could that smear of blood on the bed sheets indicate . It could indicate the fact that she didnt commit suicide and the fact that the person that fired that fatal round would have had blood on their hands. And the detective remembered Something Else from that night that now struck him as odd. A red substance in a toilet from the other side of the house. Was it teras blood . And if so, how did it get there . Youre in a situation where someone died, they certainly didnt get out of bed and go bleed in the toilet. Jones also focused closely on the gun and noticed patterns of blood on it. To the detective, it looked like whoever had fired it had to be left handed. The areas of the gun that didnt have blood on them. Like a perfect hand print. Looked like a perfect hand print of a human hand. A left hand. Yes. Tera was right handed. Yes. Was it suicide or could it be homicide . Jones turned all of it over in his mind. He even handled the gun himself. You physically put a glock in your own house . Yeah. Unloaded i hope . Of course. The medical examiner, however, had ruled teras death a suicide the day after she was found. And the lid on this case might have shut then and there. But jones hesitated. It was ruled a suicide. Unless i found something pretty contradictory to that, my job was to write it up as a suicide and close the case. And why didnt you . Just couldnt do it. Just something about it, things about it started stinking. After three weeks of investigation, instead of closing the case jones asked the medical to change the manner of death from suicide to undetermined. Now the hard part, determining what really happened to tera chavez. Coming up, it didnt take police long to find out that tera had a secret. She had met another man. Yes, a big, messy triangle. But was it a motive for murder . Make sure were getting ready. Excuse me. Hey flacco. Whats in the bag . Mcdonalds new mighty wings. Mmm. Those look good. Ill play you for them for what . My wings . First one to miss has to watch the other one eat. Lets go. Left upright. On one knee, off the scoreboard, through the uprights. Awww man, not again. Kaep, you trying to get my wings . No, im right here. Whats that noise . [ camera shutters clicking, crowd groans ] no. Closer. I am a veggie, i am so tasty 2007 called, it wants its camera phone back. And i am filled with vitamins and minerals hows this for a drama shot . La la la la la la why arent we getting closer . [ guy ] with the nokia lumia 1020, weve got the best seats in the house. [ male announcer ] meet the nokia lumia 1020 with 41 megapixels and reinvented zoom. Nothing else comes close. So i cant afford to have germy surfaces. But