Facundo Chavez was sentenced to death by the State of Texas for the murder of a police officer
According to court documents Facundo Chavez was pulled over on a traffic stop by El Paso County sheriff deputy, Peter Herrera. Chavez would open fire on the Officer striking the Officer several times. Chavez would leave the scene after striking the fallen Officer. Peter Herrera would die from his injuries in hospital
Facundo Chavez was arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
Facundo Chavez Now
Facundo Chavez was just sentenced to death, August 10 2023
Facundo Chavez Case
An El Paso jury has returned a death penalty sentence for the man convicted of killing El Paso Sheriff Deputy Peter Herrera during a 2019 traffic stop.
Facundo Chavez, 32, will be put to death after a jury of nine women and three men reached the sentencing decision Wednesday. Jurors deliberated for nearly 10 hours over two days.
The same jury convicted Chavez of capital murder of a peace officer on Aug. 3 in connection with the 2019 slaying of Herrera.
Judge Diane Navarrete, who presided over the trial, warned everyone against any outbursts in the courtroom. Spectators remained quiet when the verdict was read aloud.
Chavez had no visible reaction to the jury’s actions.
El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks, who had been in and out of the courtroom throughout the trial, sat at the prosecutor’s table for the verdict.
Herrera was facing either the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole
The trial, which began on July 26, is being held in the Criminal District Court 1 at the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse in Downtown El Paso.
Chavez was accused of brutally shooting and beating Herrera during a traffic stop about 1:50 a.m. on March 22, 2019, in the 1000 block of Chicken Ranch Road, near Socorro Road in San Elizario.
Herrera pulled over Chavez and his girlfriend, Arlene Piña, over for two traffic violations. The violations were from failing to dim high-beam headlights and improperly displaying a temporary license plate permit.
Herrera asked Chavez to stop of the vehicle. He got out of the car and immediately pulled out a handgun and shot at Herrera.
Chavez fired about 15 rounds from the handgun at Herrera at point-blank range before the gun then jammed.
Chavez then began beating Herrera with the gun.
The couple fled the scene as Herrera laid mortally wounded and in a pool of his own blood.
Another arrived at the scene and began performing first aid on Herrera to try to stop the bleeding. Herrera was then taken to Del Sol Medical Center.
Herrera died at the hospital two days later.
Chavez and Piña were later found by U.S. Border Patrol agents hiding in a shed on the property of a nearby house, according to testimony.
The graphic videos from Herrera’s body camera and patrol vehicle’s dashboard camera, along with another deputy’s body camera, during the shooting were shown to jurors several times throughout the trial
Chavez took the stand twice during the trial and confessed to the crime during his testimony.
“I shot Deputy Herrera. I beat him with a gun,” Chavez testified.
Piña was originally charged with capital murder. However, the charge was reduced to manslaughter in a plea deal made with former El Paso District Attorney Yvonne Rosales. Piña is serving a 15-year prison sentence.
