An illegal immigrant was accused of stabbing his wife to death in a Chicago-area apartment and trying to behead her in front of their daughters.
Baltazar Perez-Estrada, 33, turned himself in to Carol Stream police around 11:30 a.m. Monday and confessed to “allegedly stabbing his wife, Maricela Simon Franco, 26,” according to court records.
Around 10 p.m. Sunday, the couple had an argument at their home in the Carol Stream apartment complex, which quickly turned physical after Baltazar discovered his wife had a boyfriend, prosecutors said.
He then stabbed Maricela dozens of times in the neck, head, torso and hands before attempting to decapitate her head while their two children were present, prosecutors said.
“In this case, the sad reality is that Maricela’s life has been reduced to a statistic of domestic violence as a result of the alleged actions of her husband, Baltazar Perez-Estrada,” the DuPage County Prosecutor’s Office said.
Baltazar Perez-Estrada, 33, is accused of stabbing his wife to death on Sunday before attempting to behead her in front of their daughters.
Authorities later learned that Baltazar and his family had just illegally entered the U.S. about two weeks before he took his wife’s life.
The couple had an argument at home at the Carol Stream apartment complex, which soon became physical after Baltazar discovered his wife had a boyfriend.
“This brutal, senseless act of violence alleged against Mr. Perez-Estrada will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Authorities later learned that Baltazar and his family had just entered the U.S. illegally, about two weeks before he allegedly took his wife’s life.
The couple’s two young daughters later told police they saw their father ‘beat’ their mother with a knife during the horrific attack.
A medical examiner later discovered that the man tried to decapitate Maricela’s head. Maricela was pronounced dead at the scene.
One of the girls told police her father had thrown the knife away in a nearby pond, documents show.
A request for pre-trial detention, assessed by the Daily heraldrevealed that before Baltazar turned himself in to the police, he confided in his brother about what he did.
The petition stated that he asked his brother to pick him and the children up at the Glenside Library, where they were found covered in mud.
His brother then bought them new clothes and took them to his house so they could clean up before Baltazar told his brother what happened the night before. He then turned himself in to the police.
According to the petition, before the alleged murder, Baltazar’s brother said Maricela stopped by his apartment and said she was planning to leave her husband.
An earlier police report indicated that officers were called to the couple’s home on March 17 for a domestic incident, but no criminal charges were filed.
The couple’s two young daughters later told police they saw their father ‘beat’ their mother with a knife during the horrific attack.
An earlier police report indicated that officers were called to the couple’s home on March 17 for a domestic incident, but no criminal charges were filed.
On Thursday, a DuPage County judge decided to deny Baltazar’s pretrial release. He is expected in court April 25 for arraignment and his immigration charges will be heard in a separate trial.
“First and foremost, I extend my sincere condolences to Maricela’s family on their loss and wish them strength as they continue their lives without Maricela’s love and support,” said DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin.
‘The extremely violent end to a young mother’s life is something that should affect us all. Domestic violence remains a scourge on society, claiming more than ten million victims in one form or another every year.’
Baltazar faces five counts of first-degree murder and was charged by the U.S. government with alien inadmissibility.
On Thursday, a DuPage County judge decided to deny Baltazar’s pretrial release.
He is expected in court April 25 for arraignment and his immigration charges will be heard at a separate trial.
“The men and women of the Carol Stream Police Department stand with the family and friends of Maricela Simon Franco as they mourn this tragic loss,” said Carol Stream Police Chief Don Cummings.
“This senseless and brutal act not only removed Maricela from their lives, but also deprived two young children of their mother.”