Louis Ralph Chaves (born c. 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.

Murders

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 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]}

Trial

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]

See also

• Joseph Henry Burgess
• List of serial killers in the United States

References