Man charged in fatal stabbing, near decapitation of suburban Chicago woman to stay in jail
CAROL STREAM, Ill. (CBS) – A man charged in connection with the deadly stabbing and near decapitation of his wife inside her Carol Stream apartment earlier this week will remain in jail.
Baltazar Perez-Estrada, 33, was charged with five counts of first-degree murder. He was in court on Thursday where the judge denied his pre-trial release, the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office said.
Prosecutors said around 11:30 a.m. on Monday., Perez-Estrada walked into the Carol Stream Police Department and allegedly told authorities that he stabbed his wife. He was then arrested, and police opened an investigation.
Investigators later found that Perez-Estrada and the victim, Maricela Simon Franco, 26, were at the apartment together when they got into an argument that turned physical around 10 p.m. on Sunday.
Prosecutors said Perez-Estrada stabbed Franco dozens of times about her head, neck, body, and hands, nearly decapitating her. She died at the scene.
The couple have two minor children, who were both in the apartment at the time of the stabbing, prosecutors said.
Authorities learned that Perez-Estada was living in Mexico and illegally arrived in the U.S. about two weeks ago. He was also charged by the federal government with alien inadmissibility and given a future court date.
Perez-Estrada's next court appearance is scheduled for April 25 to be arrainged.