Gary Chavez will appear in Starke Circuit Court this morning for an attorney status hearing.
Chavez last appeared in court for an initial hearing on Aug. 25 where he pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, kidnapping and carjacking. He appeared without an attorney but stated that his family was working on getting an attorney to represent him. Today’s hearing will determine where that process stands.
Chavez, 57, is accused of beating his estranged wife, Kimberly Chavez, to death at his home in Knox, kidnapping an employee at gunpoint and fleeing in a vehicle from Mark Bailey’s Discount Center in North Judson and carjacking a vehicle from a residence in English Lake at gunpoint on June 6.
Chavez remains in the Starke County Jail with no bond.
His initial hearing was held two months after the incident as Chavez was immediately hospitalized after the alleged chain of events. He shot himself in the face when police surrounded him after a long police pursuit. Chavez was in a Chicago-area hospital recovering before facing charges in Starke County. He faces other charges in Porter County where he carjacked a vehicle near Kouts and led police on a chase until stop sticks put an end to the progress.
Chavez was transported to the Starke County Jail two days before his initial hearing.
