GREELEY — Shawna Nelson, the former Greeley law enforcement dispatcher accused of gunning down her ex-lover’s wife, faces a preliminary hearing on April 19.

At that hearing, Weld County District Judge Roger Klein will determine if there is enough evidence to try Nelson for the execution-style shooting of Heather Garraus.

Garraus, 37, was gunned down in the parking lot outside the credit union where she worked on Jan. 23.

The victim was married to Ignacio Garraus, a Greeley police officer accused of having a three-year affair with Nelson and fathering their 11-month-old son. Garraus has since resigned.

Nelson, 35, is accused of sending threatening text messages to Ignacio Garraus and harassing his wife prior to the killing. Ignacio Garraus had reportedly ended their relationship after Nelson revealed to several people that he was the father of her youngest child.

When Garraus decided to mend his relationship with his wife, Nelson accused him of betraying her.

Nelson bowed her head during today’s hearing and spoke in a hushed voice only once to tell the judge that she understood she was waiving her right to a preliminary hearing within 30 days.

Judge Klein also ordered Nelson to submit to mouth swabs so prosecutors could collect her DNA for evidence. She will also have to give hair samples and allow investigators to take photos of her.

Klein is considering whether to allow prosecutors access to Nelson’s personnel records. For 13 years, until last October, Nelson had worked as a dispatcher for the Greeley-Weld County Communications Center.

Her husband, Ken Nelson, is a deputy with the Weld County Sheriff’s Office.

In a separate love triangle, Ken Nelson has admitted having had an affair with a Weld County prosecutor. Because that relationship could cause conflicts of interest, the case was turned over to new prosecutors from neighboring Larimer County.