NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (WHDH) — An arrest warrant has been issued for a New Hampshire man accused of murdering his ex-fiancee, whose body was found the basement of her North Andover home on Saturday, the Essex District Attorney’s Office announced.
Brian Chevalier, the former fiance of 49-year-old Wendi Rose Davidson, had been considered a person of interest in her death prior to the issuance of the arrest warrant Friday. Davidson was found apparently strangled to the death in the basement of her Lincoln Street house, the Essex District Attorney’s office said.
Chevalier, of Merrimack, was arrested in California overnight Thursday by the U.S. Marshals Service for allegedly violating his parole in New Hampshire and on an open larceny charge out of Essex County.
Chevalier was released from prison in December after serving a 10-year sentence for kidnapping a Jaffrey woman in 2004, corrections officials said. He was placed on probation until 2037.
A probation warrant was issued earlier this week after Chevalier left the state and failed to report to his probation officer, officials said.
Family members said Davidson broke off her engagement with Chevalier after learning about his past, prompting him to send hundreds of troubling texts, emails, and phone calls. They also said Chevalier had threatened to kill her in the past.
Chevalier disappeared after Davidson’s death, according to investigators. Source told 7’s Steve Cooper that Chevalier’s car was recovered in Manchester, where he rented a U-Haul truck and drove to the West Coast. He was allegedly found on the U.S.-Mexico border when he was taken into custody.
Chevalier is expected to appear in a California court Monday to face a charge of being a fugitive from justice. He could face a midweek arraignment in North Andover on the murder charges.
Davidson was laid to rest Friday in Tewksbury.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)