Chavez search warrant affidavit released

According to the investigator’s affidavit for a search warrant of the Ponce Harbor Drive apartment of Lilly Ann Chavez, Historic City News has learned that several facts known to law enforcement raised “suspicions” about the daughter of 67-year-old Barbara Parchem.

Parchem is the former waitress at the Village Inn on North Ponce de Leon Boulevard in St Augustine who went missing on April 6, 2013; and whose remains were found in the area of West Deep Creek in Flagler County on April 30 — three weeks after she went missing.

Circuit Court Judge Michael Traynor unsealed the search warrant two days ago, according to St Johns County Clerk of Court, Cheryl Strickland.

Deputies who executed the search warrant at the home of 43-year-old Lilly Ann Chavez, found knives, checks belonging to her mother, a box of black gloves, marijuana, a glass pipe, several handguns, and an envelope labeled “Barbara Parchem 401K”.

Chavez, who was already on probation, was arrested on two weapons possession charges on May 3 and then released May 12 on $25,000 bond. The drastic reduction in bond on the two second-degree felonies was negotiated by her St Augustine attorney, Tom Cushman. She is due back in court for a hearing scheduled for August 8th.

Chavez has an arrest record locally going back to 1996, according to available jail records. Arrests included 12/19/1996, 03/21/2005, 04/08/2008, and again on 10/07/2008; when she was charged with possession of a synthetic narcotic, a first-degree felony, two-counts of fraud, each a third-degree felony, possession of drugs, a third-degree felony, and second-degree felony charges of dealing in stolen property. Additional charges from another agency assisting in the investigation were filed for larceny and burglary — each a third-degree felony.

Although police continue to investigate, and have questioned Chavez regarding her mother’s murder, Chavez has not been charged in connection with that crime. Deputies did discover bank checks written on Parchem’s personal account that appear to be in someone else’s handwriting. According to 20-year-old Marrisa Ann Campbell, Chavez’ adult daughter who was asked to look at the checks, to her, the handwriting appeared to be that of her mother, Lilly Ann Chavez.

Also revealed in the application for the search warrant was a disturbing exchange of text messages between Chavez and her boyfriend, 49-year-old Leighton S Dockery.

In one message, Chavez wrote, “Just got into it with my mom. Can’t stop crying. I want to die.” Dockery responded, “So Sorry Lil. I will hurt her.” Almost two hours later, he wrote, “Lil don’t like you upset like that. I will hurt someone.”

On May 13th, 23rd District Medical Examiner, Dr. Predrag Bulic, updated his preliminary autopsy report after further examination of the postmortem evidence discovered with the body of Barbara Parchem. Dr. Bulic had positively identified the decomposing remains as those of Parchem and ruled the death a homicide. Preliminarily, blunt force trauma, a fairly general and non-descript finding, was announced to the media as the cause of death.

We now know that the specific trauma is a gunshot wound to the neck; however, law enforcement press releases have reiterated that the arrest of Parchem’s daughter, although discovered during the investigation of her mother’s murder, was unrelated.

Nothing new to report on the murder of Chavez mother at this point, according to a spokesman with the St Johns County Sheriff’s Office and the Homicide Unit of the State Attorney for the Seventh Judicial Circuit.