Louis Chaves should not be confused with Luis Chaves.
| Louis Ralph Chaves | |
| Birth Place: | Dominican Republic[1] |
| Conviction: | Murder x3 |
| Sentence: | Life imprisonment |
| Status: | Released |
| Victims: | 3 |
| Beginyear: | 1968 |
| Endyear: | 1987 |
| Country: | United States |
| States: | California |
| Apprehended: | March 25, 1987 |
Louis Ralph Chaves (born 1943), also known as Chavez or Notclay,[2] is a Dominican-born American serial killer who murdered a couple in El Monte, California, in 1968, and later a police officer in Hayward in 1987.
In 1968, Chaves killed a man and woman in El Monte, California. For this, he served seven years at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo.[1] Manuel Velazquez, who had known Chaves since 1963, said that the victims were his landlords, with whom he had an ongoing dispute. Chaves was known as a religious man who claimed to receive messages from God, who would "come and tell him he was going to be a king."[3] After his 1976 parole, he spent time in mental hospitals in New Jersey.[4] Other friends of Chaves said that he had a history of emotional problems and moved to Hayward, California, in August 1986 after spending years living in an RV in New Jersey and Alaska.[3]
In December 1986, Chaves spent nine days in jail and received two years of probation for biting a police officer and attempting to steal his gun in a San Leandro courtroom.[1] [3]
On March 25, 1987, Chaves parked his RV in front of a home in Hayward. Chaves was known by some in the area, and one woman on the street allowed him to use her mailing address. At 6:37 p.m., neighbors became suspicious of the vehicle and called the police. After three officers arrived, Chaves refused to leave his RV, threatening them and igniting spray from a can of carburetor cleaner at them. 29-year-old officer Benjamin Worcester went inside the camper to arrest Chaves, and during a struggle, Chaves picked up a 7-inch hunting knife and stabbed Worcester in the throat, severing a main artery and killing him. The other two officers were unaware of Worcester's death until they were placing Chaves in a police cruiser and noticed Worcester was not present.[3] [5] [6]
At his arraignment, Chaves wept openly and told the court to review his past so he could "rest [his] case" and "condemn [himself] in silence."[1] [6] Although originally ruled competent to stand trial,[6] this was overturned in October 1988, and Chaves was sent to Atascadero State Hospital, where he underwent exams.[7] He was again ruled competent to stand trial and was sentenced to 25 years to life imprisonment. In December 2022, Chaves was granted parole on medical grounds.[8]