Chicago man charged in death of ex-wife in Munster
By Christin Nance Lazerus cnance@post-trib.com January 3, 2013 12:38AM
Margarito Valdivia of Chicago. Charged in the death Erica Valdivia in Munster. Sun-Times Media. January 2, 2013
Updated: January 3, 2013 8:12AM
A Chicago man was charged with beating his ex-wife to death in northwest Indiana, officials said.
Margarito Valdivia, 44, faces charges of murder, battery with a deadly weapon and battery resulting in serious bodily injury in the death of his ex-wife, 33-year-old Erica Valdivia of Chicago. He was being held in the Lake County Jail without bond Wednesday night.
Margarito and Erica Valdivia had been separated about four months and, according to family members, had just finalized their divorce.
Around 5:45 a.m. Tuesday, Munster Police responded to a disturbance at a condominium in the 800 block of Boxwood Drive in Munster, where the victim’s mother lived. A man outside the residence had a large cut on his head, and he told police he was hit in the head with a bottle by his girlfriend’s estranged husband.
Margarito Valdivia, who barricaded himself inside the home, eventually surrendered to officers, officials said.
Erica Valdivia was found lying in the bathroom. She suffered major trauma to her head and face. She was transported to Community Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 10:04 a.m.
A subsequent investigation revealed that Margarito Valdivia drove to the residence where he entered the house and confronted the victim and her boyfriend. During the confrontation, he allegedly struck the boyfriend numerous times in the head and face, then Valdivia returned to the residence where he began beating the victim.
