ALAMOSA — At the request of the district attorney’s office, the court has set bond at $10 million in the case of Alamosa resident Larry Chavez, 33, who was arrested in connection with the Aug. 1 fatal shooting of Enrique Parra.
According to the clerk at the Alamosa County Combined Court, Chavez has been charged with 18 different counts in the case, including one count of murder in the second degree (Felony 2), second-degree assault with a deadly weapon (F4), kidnapping (F2), two counts of motor vehicle theft (F4), four counts of felony menacing (F5), theft $5,000 to $10,000 (F6), third-degree assault (Misdemeanor 1), criminal mischief (misdemeanor) plus six counts of habitual criminal.
Due to his criminal history, if Chavez is judged by the court to be a habitual criminal in connection with any of those felonies, his sentence will be four times the maximum range of sentencing for each felony he is convicted of committing.
If Chavez is convicted of some but not all the felony counts he is being accused of committing but is deemed by the court in connection with that felony to be a habitual criminal, a sentence of life in prison is a possibility.
As was reported by the Valley Courier, shortly after 6 p.m. in the evening of Thursday, Aug. 1, Alamosa Police Department was dispatched to the 1700 block of State Avenue on the report of a shooting. Upon arriving at the scene, officers found a male victim, later identified as Parra, who had been shot. Life-saving measures were immediately instigated. Parra was transferred to San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased.
Chavez, identified as a suspect in the shooting, fled the scene, initiating a manhunt with numerous law enforcement agencies in the San Luis Valley assisting along with a drone from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Early Friday morning, APD requested assistance of the U.S. Marshals in locating Chavez and, within hours and the help of local law enforcement, Chavez was taken into custody in Santa Fe, N.M.
Chavez appeared in the court of Judge Daniel Walsz on Tuesday morning for a first appearance in the case. If Tuesday was any indication, District Attorney Anne Kelly will be prosecuting the case with James Valencia serving as the defense.
The next time Chavez is scheduled to appear in court is 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 10.
This is the second time that the district attorney’s office has been successful in bond being set by the court in the millions of dollars. The first case, where bond was set at $5 million, was in the case of Henry Corrall, accused of fatally shooting two men and seriously injuring a third.
The Valley Courier reached out to the district attorney’s office for a comment on the bond amount set by the court but did not receive a response by press time.
