A Porter County jury deliberated three hours Wednesday before finding a Gary man guilty on several felony counts, including murder in perpetration of an arson, from a September 2024 fatal fire in Portage.
The jury also found Jesse Chabes, 52, guilty of arson resulting in serious bodily injury and intimidation. He was not found guilty of murder, according to a release from the Porter County Prosecutor’s Office. Chabes also admitted to a habitual offender enhancement.
Maria Leal, 87, died in an apartment fire Sept. 17, 2024, at Swanson Court Apartments in the 3300 block of Willowdale Court.
Chabes and Leal’s daughter were at a Lake Station bar together the night before the fire when she and Chabes, her boyfriend, got into an argument. They left separately, with Chabes driving his girlfriend’s vehicle, according to court documents.
Chabes had threatened to burn down the home of his girlfriend’s mother, records state.
A Crown Point Fire Department dog found traces of accelerant in the girlfriend’s bedroom. Leal was found inside the ground-floor apartment after the fire was extinguished.
Porter County Prosecutor Gary Germann praised the work of Portage Police Detective Trent Howard and all the law enforcement officers involved in the investigation, “whose efforts and dedication were critical to securing this murder conviction.”
Deputy prosecutors Mary Ryan and John Holmen prosecuted the case. Defense attorney Adam Tavitas represented Chabes.
Porter Superior Court Judge Michael Fish is scheduled to sentence Chabes July 1.
