Villa Park, IL – A former Villa Park man has been sentenced to 70 years in prison for the brutal murder of his girlfriend, Esmeralda DeLuna. Marco-Antonio Rubio, 29, was convicted of first-degree murder after entering a guilty plea in March. Judge Ann Celine O’Hallaren Walsh handed down the sentence on Thursday.
According to DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin, Rubio fatally stabbed DeLuna in May 2021 after violating a protective order. Villa Park police found DeLuna, 24, in her home on the 300 block of North Princeton Drive with multiple stab wounds and an eight-inch butcher knife in her leg. Their three young children, ages one to six, were present at the scene.
Rubio fled but was arrested the next morning. The attack occurred just days after DeLuna had filed an order of protection against him, which required Rubio to leave their shared residence.
“Three children lost their mother to domestic violence,” Berlin said. “While this sentence cannot undo the pain, justice has been served in Esmeralda’s name.”
Rubio will serve his entire sentence without parole eligibility.
