Accused North Andover Killer Back In Massachusetts

NORTH ANDOVER, MA -- The man who killed his ex-fiance in North Andover and then fled to California in April has been returned to Massachusetts. Brian Chevalier, 51, of Merrimack, NH, will be arraigned on Thursday morning in Salem Superior Court on a first degree murder charge in the April 21 killing of Wendi Rose Davidson of North Andover.

Chevalier was arrested in April but initially fought extradition to Massachusetts. He dropped that bid last month. Chevalier was returned in the custody of two Massachusetts State Police Detectives on Thursday. Chevalier has been held in Imperial County, CA, first as the Essex County District Attorney's office tried to secure a Governor's Warrant for his return, and then, after he dropped the extradition fight on June 27, as he waited for the office to coordinate his return.

Chevalier was paroled in December after serving 14 years of a 10- to 33-year sentence in a 2004 conviction of kidnapping, despite protests by the victim in that 2003 crime. He and Davidson started dating shortly after he was paroled and were engaged in February. In late March, Davidson broke off the engagement. On April 21, police responded to Davidson's home at 50 Lincoln Street in North Andover after her body was discovered in the basement. Investigators say Davidson was strangled.

More on this story:

• Accused North Andover Killer Waives Extradition (6/28/2018)
• California Court OKs Extradition Of Accused North Andover Killer(5/15/2018)
• Accused North Andover Killer Could Return To MA Next Week(5/9/2018)
• Accused North Andover Murderer Back In California Court(5/7/2018)
• 2003 Victim: Prosecutors Partly At Fault In North Andover Murder(5/3/2018)
• Victim Offered Harrowing Account Of Night With Accused Killer(5/2/2018)
• Meet The Men Who Tried To Free The Accused North Andover Killer (5/1/2018)
• Accused Killer Still On West Coast, DA Seeks Gov.'s Warrant(4/30/2018)
• Accused Killer's Record Of Violence Against Women Started In 1990 (4/29/2018)
• North Andover Victim Met Alleged Killer On Dating Site(4/28/2018)
• Ex-Fiance Charged With North Andover Woman's Murder(4/27/2018)
• Murder Victim's Fiance Kidnapped Ex-Girlfriend In 2003(4/24/2018)
• North Andover Murder Victim Was "Kind, Caring" (4/23/2018)
• North Andover Homicide Victim Was Strangled (4/22/2018)
• Police Investigating Homicide In North Andover (4/21/2018)

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Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).