Kriti Mehrotra
CBS’s ’48 Hours: The Murder of Anna Repkina’ examines the death of a 27-year-old Russian woman who had moved to America in 2017 with the dreams of marrying the Oregonian man she was in love with. However, instead of living a blissful life with him, Anna found herself trapped in a twisted love triangle that culminated in her losing her life. William Hargrove, her fiancé, was arrested for her slaying just a couple of days after her body was found, and his lover, Michelle Chavez, came under the microscope as well. Curious to know more about the “other woman” and where she is right now? Here’s what we found.
Who Is Michelle Chavez?
Michelle Chavez met William Hargrove for the first time in a bar where he worked as a bouncer. Stuck to an Oregon State University professor in a loveless marriage, she was attracted to the attention William gave her and the chemistry they seemed to have. And so, when her husband gave her permission to step outside their vows and start a relationship with William, she did exactly that. Soon, William even began renting out a room in Michelle’s home in Albany, which she shared with her husband and their two young children. And it was while he was residing there that he came across Anna Repkina online and pursued a relationship with her as well.
Michelle was initially unbothered by William and Anna’s relationship. In fact, she even allowed Anna to stay at her home when she decided to visit her new boyfriend during Christmas of 2016. However, when Michelle realized that the two were planning to start a life together, she became jealous, asking William to move out of her home with Anna, which he did. Subsequently, William split his time between the two women, telling both of them that he was wholly committed to their relationship. And Michelle, believing William’s claims, agreed to leave her husband, even giving him her wedding ring as a symbol of how serious she was about him.
But Michelle’s hopes of a future with William came crashing down when she noticed that Anna had announced her engagement to him on Facebook – with a photo of the bride-to-be wearing the same ring that Michelle had given to her lover as a token of promise. She got some respite when William called off his wedding at the last minute in March of 2017 (telling Anna that it was only because the officiant was a no show), but when she saw that the two were still living together weeks later, she gave him an ultimatum. Michelle said that if Anna was not gone in a few days, he’d lose her forever. And so, just the day after, William killed Anna.
Where Is Michelle Chavez Now?
In October of 2019, when William was on trial for Anna’s murder, Michelle Chavez was brought to the stands by the defense and cross-examined for hours on end. They accused her of being the one behind the murder, claiming that she had motive, and pinned a message where she had said that she’d be “building a snowman” if Anna was not gone as evidence. Michelle, in turn, testified that “building a snowman” was a family joke about killing someone and hiding their body somewhere cold enough that the snowman would never melt. She insisted that it was just a phrase used in good fun, and the prosecution backed her up.
Michelle has never been charged in connection to Anna’s slaying, and because the case has since been closed, she won’t be either, especially as there was no evidence against her. As for what she is up to now, we, unfortunately, don’t know much. Because of the whole murder scandal, Michelle has started to live her life away from the spotlight, so finding her whereabouts or any other personal information about her is difficult. What we do know is that, at the age of 38, Michelle is not married to the Oregon State University professor anymore and is currently trying to move on with her life to the best of her abilities.
Read More: How Did Anna Repkina Die?
