11 August 2023 :
(AUGUST 09, 2023) - Facundo Chavez, 32, Hispanic, sentenced to death.
An El Paso jury sentenced Facundo Chavez, 32, to death penalty for killing El Paso Sheriff Deputy Peter Herrera during a March 22, 2019 traffic stop.
Judge Diane Navarrete, who presided over the trial, will formally sentence Chavez in the next weeks.
Herrera pulled over Chavez and his girlfriend, Arlene Piña, over for 2 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 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 throughout the trial.
Chavez took the stand twice during the trial and confessed to the crime during his testimony.
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.
