A deranged Texas man is set to appear in court on Monday for killing his wife by bludgeoning her with a clothing iron—after stealing her four pet dogs and abandoning them on the freeway.
Chance Zane Chavez, 34, has been charged with murder after police arrived at the couple's Houston home last week, and found him covered in blood and standing in the doorway with his hands up. After detaining Chavez in a patrol car, officers searched the home and found Kristen Chavez, 32, unresponsive in a bedroom. Paramedics arrived and pronounced his wife of seven years dead at the scene. Investigators said she died from blunt force trauma.
Disturbing Crime Scene
"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."
According to police, Chance Chavez's alleged rampage started hours before his arrest when he reportedly took his wife's four dogs and left them abandoned along the Katy Freeway.
"She doesn't have any children, so these dogs are her babies," said Julia Green, Kristen's sister.
Bell told KPRC that Kristen cherished her dogs "like her children" and affectionately referred to them as her "granddogs."
All of Kristen's dogs have been found and rescued, except for one—a Dachshund named Peaches.
Her family has reached out to the community for help in finding Peaches, a request that many residents have responded to by sharing information on social media.
"My family and I want to thank each and everyone for the support, compassion, and love we have received these past few days," Bell wrote on Facebook on Saturday.
Family Left Shocked
Bell mentioned that her family only learned about the manner of Kristen's death when the news reported that a clothing iron had been used as the weapon. "I did need to mention that my children and I didn't receive details of the weapons used to commit Kristen's murder," she wrote.
"We were devastated to hear about one particular one used was on the news tonight and very descriptive. It crushed us to hear. The brutality and suffering my daughter endured was unimaginable."
She also shared a petition calling for a higher bond to ensure Chavez remains in jail while awaiting trial. Initially, a judge set his bond at $500,000 but later reduced it to $250,000.
Kristen was a paralegal and, according to her LinkedIn profile, created the paralegal consulting firm Nirvana Legal Solutions in February 2024. Her family remembered her as a resilient and caring woman who aspired to become an attorney in the future.
"She was very logical. She was the voice of reason. She was headstrong in a positive way," Bell said.
If found guilty of Kristen's murder, Chavez could face either life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
