Court rejects man's request in 2009 murder conviction
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The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has dismissed a request from a Brownsville man seeking his murder conviction be overturned.
The higher court Wednesday dismissed the writ of habeas corpus filed by an attorney representing Javier Chavez in his murder case.
Chavez, 43, had been found guilty in the Jan. 21, 2007 stabbing death of Steven Rodriguez.
According to court records, Rodriguez was killed for being a snitch because he was going to provide authorities with information on an auto theft ring.
Rodriguez's body was found in a ditch near the 1200 block of Milpa Verde Street in Brownsville. He had been stabbed multiple times.
A witness in the case stated he had seen Chavez wearing surgical gloves and had bloody hands. He was seen running from the back yard area where Rodriguez was found, according to court records.
According to court records, Chávez's girlfriend said he told her: "He had hurt someone and that he had stab someone."
A Cameron County jury on Jan. 8, 2009, found Chavez guilty of murdering Rodriguez.
Judge Benjamin Euresti Jr., of the 107th state District Court sentenced Chavez to life in prison on Jan. 12, 2009.
Chavez remains jailed at the McConnell Unit in Beeville, Texas.
