Jose Dejesus Chavez, a 25-year-old Hispanic male, was tragically killed on November 20, 2014, in Austin, Texas. Chavez was shot during a home invasion at his apartment in the City View apartment complex located at 4900 E. Oltorf Street. The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning, and the suspects also assaulted two other men present in the apartment. The police believe that Chavez was targeted because he sold drugs from his apartment.
During the investigation, authorities found 530 Xanax pills, 35 grams of MDMA, and more than $5,000 in cash in the apartment.
Three suspects were charged with the murder of Jose Dejesus Chavez. Gregory James Dalton, 30, Shawn Michael Smith, 32, and Jeffrey Mendez, 29, were all charged with first-degree felony murder. The police used cellphone location data to place the suspects near the scene of the crime during the timeframe of the homicide. The data also showed that the suspects' mobile numbers later converged at a single location in San Antonio about 12 hours after the homicide. According to an arrest warrant affidavit, two men forced entry into the apartment, engaged in a physical confrontation with Chavez, and shot him with a handgun.
Jeffrey Mendez, also known as DJ Stigma, admitted to the police that he had been to Chavez's apartment in the past to purchase ecstasy. He accurately described the physical layout of the crime scene and stated that he bought ecstasy from Chavez on November 19. Mendez revealed that Dalton was impressed with the drugs, and the three men devised a plan to burglarize or rob the apartment. Mendez waited outside while Dalton and Smith went into the apartment. The police believe that the suspects orchestrated the robbery that resulted in Chavez's death.
The investigation into the murder of Jose Dejesus Chavez involved extensive use of cellphone data and witness testimonies. A victim inside the apartment identified Shawn Michael Smith in a photographic lineup as the man who knocked on the apartment door just before midnight. About an hour later, a neighbor called the police to report an altercation with multiple subjects and shots fired. The case highlights the use of technology and detailed witness accounts in solving violent crimes and bringing the perpetrators to justice.
