Court records describe an overnight dispute, threatening text messages and a confrontation that ended with Rafael Valles fatally shot.

RIGBY, Idaho — A confrontation that left a Texas man dead at a Rigby home began taking shape hours before the gunfire, according to police and court records that describe an unwanted overnight visit, threatening messages and an argument that moved from a front yard toward a doorway while a 2-year-old girl was present.

Tristin John Chase, 22, was charged with second-degree murder after Rafael Cordova Valles Jr., 43, of Cedar Creek, Texas, was shot Aug. 23. Authorities allege Chase fired while holding his young daughter and fled with the gun before he was arrested less than an hour later. Chase told a deputy by phone that Valles had come toward him despite repeated warnings to stay back and that he had not intended for the gun to fire. Witnesses gave investigators an account that placed the weapon, the child and Valles’ attempt to intervene at the center of the fatal encounter.

The sequence described in court records began the night before the shooting. One woman told investigators Chase had forced his way into the residence and would not leave. She also alleged that he made her go to dinner with him and described other unwanted conduct. Those allegations were contained in reports about the probable cause affidavit and have not been adjudicated. Messages reviewed by investigators reportedly showed the woman telling Chase the next morning that she wanted him out of her life and intended to seek a restraining order. Chase later left to get milk for his daughter, according to the records.

While Chase was away, the women at the house initially locked the door, investigators were told. He was eventually allowed back inside so he could see his daughter. By then, the dispute was no longer limited to the people inside the residence. Valles knew something was happening at the home and had been unable to reach one of the women for about two hours, according to the affidavit as described by local news reports. He went to the residence to check on the situation, setting up the confrontation that police say ended in gunfire.

Investigators also obtained text messages that they say Chase sent before Valles arrived. In the messages, Chase allegedly asked for Valles’ phone number and made threats toward him. One reported message threatened to go to the Airbnb where Valles was staying and shoot at it if the number was not provided. Another indicated that Chase intended to cause Valles pain. The messages are significant because they were allegedly sent before the physical encounter that Chase later described to a deputy as an unwanted advance by Valles. The charge remains an allegation, and the competing accounts have not been resolved at trial.

According to a witness statement summarized in court records, Chase and Valles argued outside the home before the conflict moved toward the entrance. The witness said Chase was holding his daughter when he removed a handgun from his waistband. She told investigators the child was in the path of potential gunfire. Valles then tried to take the weapon away from Chase, the witness said. Two shots were heard. The records do not establish through a final court finding exactly how the weapon discharged or the precise movement of each person during those seconds.

The immediate aftermath was captured in part by a Ring doorbell system, according to investigators. Audio reportedly recorded someone calling for 911 and a woman saying that Valles was dead. One of the women took the child from Chase after the shots were fired, investigators said, while Chase left the residence with the gun. Jefferson County dispatch had received reports of shots around noon in the 1200 block of Ashlyn Way. When officers arrived, one woman was crying while holding the child and another was performing CPR on Valles.

Officers took over lifesaving efforts but were unable to save Valles, police said. Witnesses identified Chase as the person who had fired the shots and told officers he had left with the firearm. Authorities then notified other law enforcement agencies in the region as they searched for him. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Idaho State Police, Rexburg Police Department and Central Fire Department were among the agencies Rigby police later thanked for assisting during the response and investigation.

Before Chase was taken into custody, he called one of the women who remained at the scene, according to the affidavit. The phone was handed to a Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy. Chase told the deputy that Valles had approached while he was holding his daughter and had continued toward him after repeated commands to stay away. Chase said he went into the house and that Valles kicked the door open, struck him with the door and tried to punch him. Chase also said he was driving around because he was panicking and trying to calm down.

During the same conversation, Chase asked whether his daughter was safe and later asked about Valles, according to the records. He told the deputy that he had not meant to shoot and said he did not know how the gun fired. He later called back after the initial conversation ended and again said he had not intended for the confrontation to end that way. Reports about the affidavit also say Chase mentioned thoughts of taking his own life to avoid prison. Authorities ultimately persuaded him to return toward town rather than continuing to drive.

Police located Chase shortly before 1 p.m. during a traffic stop near the 300 block of West First South in Rigby. He was taken into custody and booked into the Jefferson County Jail. At his initial court appearance the following day, he was formally advised of the second-degree murder charge. Judge Faren Eddins set bond at $750,000, and a no-contact order was issued involving people connected to the case. Public defender Jordan Crane was identified in local reporting as Chase’s attorney. The Idaho Public Defender’s office told East Idaho News that it does not comment on active cases.

The case presents investigators and the courts with several accounts that must be examined together rather than in isolation. Chase’s phone statements portray Valles as advancing on him during a volatile confrontation. Witness statements describe Chase producing the handgun while holding the child and Valles attempting to disarm him because of the danger. The text messages described in the affidavit add evidence of threats allegedly sent before Valles reached the home. Ring audio, physical evidence at the residence and statements from the people who were present also form part of the investigation.

Police initially described the investigation as active and said additional details could be released. Early reports said Chase was scheduled for a preliminary hearing Sept. 3. A review of publicly indexed reporting through Sept. 30 did not establish a later verified disposition of that hearing. Chase remains entitled to the presumption of innocence unless the charge is proved in court, and the allegations contained in the probable cause materials have not been established as findings of guilt.

Author note: Last updated Sept. 30, 2026.