Police academy student accused in boyfriend's murder wants ankle monitor removed

GALVESTON, TX (KTRK) -- She was training to be a Galveston police officer. Now she's accused of killing her boyfriend. On Friday she heads to court in hopes of easing the restrictions on her. But not if the victim's family has anything to say about it.

Family holidays and birthdays will never be the same for the six siblings left in the Chapa family.

"How do you navigate life and holidays when your heart is destroyed," said Alana Holmes, Christopher Chapa's sister.

In June, the 27-year-old Chapa was found dead in a Galveston home he shared with his girlfriend. Twenty-two-year-old Claudia Esquivel, a police academy student, is charged with his murder.

Chapa's family says he was ready to marry her.

"He was super excited about proposing to the defendant and growing old with her," Holmes said.

He wanted to raise her five-year-old son. The family says they learned much more about their relationship after their brother died.

"She had a Tazer and actually (stunned) him," Holmes said.

Court records show Esquivel will ask for her ankle brace monitored to be removed in a hearing Friday, claiming it causes financial hardships. But Chapa's family wants the judge to know their deep pain, too.

"Does a defendant who has confessed already to killing someone, does their family hardship trump a grieving family's desire for peace?" Holmes said.