Albuquerque PD Caught Up in Sex-Filled Murder Trial

Former officer charged with killing wife in case that exposes several affairs within the department

It's a murder trial involving nearly a half-dozen mistresses, a botched investigation at a troubled police department and a missing pickup truck at the heart of the case.

After a month of testimony, the trial of a former Albuquerque police officer accused of killing his wife with his service weapon has become a tale of workplace romances and steamy affairs, including a love triangle at the hair salon where the victim worked. In all, four mistresses and a woman who married defendant Levi Chavez just after his wife's death have testified about their trysts with him. Several of the women were police officers.

The case also has threatened to further tarnish the reputation of the beleaguered Albuquerque Police Department, which already is under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department over a series of police shootings. The trial included allegations that officers at the scene removed and even flushed key evidence down the toilet.