Mother with Protection Order Fatally Stabbed by Ex in Front of Her Three Children

An Illinois man who stabbed the mother of his children to death 10 days after she was given an order of protection against him will spend decades in prison, according to authorities.

Marco-Antonio Rubio, 29, was sentenced to 70 years in prison for the 2021 murder of Esmeralda DeLuna, 24, on September 11, according to a press statement from the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office. He pled guilty in March to one count of first-degree murder.

Prosecutors say Rubio broke into DeLuna’s Villa Park house on May 21, 2021, and stabbed her many times while their three children were present.

Officers arrived at the residence about 9:25 p.m. that night after receiving a complaint of a disturbance. Authorities reported hearing weeping from within and discovered two girls and one boy between the ages of one and six.

As they continued inside, officers discovered a trail of blood in the living room, which led to DeLuna’s body in the kitchen. Prosecutors said DeLuna was lying on the ground with an eight-inch butcher knife in her leg and stab wounds on her torso. First responders transported her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead the following morning.

Investigators discovered that DeLuna was the petitioner on a previous order of protection filed against Rubio, who was also compelled to leave the Villa Park residence. According to the prosecutor’s office, Rubio was issued with the order of protection on May 7, 2021, just 10 days before the homicide.

Authorities say Rubio left the site of the murder but was apprehended the next morning while roaming around the area.

On a GoFundMe account set up to help with funeral and other expenses following her death, DeLuna’s family stated that they lost her in a “very inhuman and cruel way.”

Following the sentence, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin stated in a press release, “While what essentially amounts to a life sentence behind bars cannot erase the vicious murder of a loving mother, perhaps Esmeralda’s surviving family and friends can find some measure of solace knowing justice was delivered in Esmeralda’s name.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week in over 170 languages.

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