INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A Marion County judge has sentenced an Uber driver who pleaded guilty to murdering and sexually assaulting a female passenger to just over 43 years in prison. The sentence came down during Francisco Valadez’s plea hearing Thursday morning. Valadez took a plea deal t hat found him guilty of one count of murder in the death of Chanti Dixon. Charges of rape and abuse of a corpse were dropped. On Sept. 9, 2024, Dixon’s body was found near a wooded area in the 1800 block of Wagner Avenue. She’d been reported missing a day earlier, after her mother said Dixon took an Uber to leave work around 3:30 a.m. that morning. When speaking with detectives, Valadez initially said she’d been shot by someone who tried to rob them, before eventually admitting to shooting her in the head while trying to have sex with her. During Valadez’s hearing Thursday, Dixon’s family testified, describing her as a woman with “big dreams” and as a “glue for the family.” Dixon’s mother, Rise Dixon, addressed Valadez directly while testifying, saying, “You died the same day my daughter did.” She followed, telling him to seek forgiveness from his family, not hers. Rise Dixon spoke briefly after the sentencing, telling News 8, “I just want (Valadez) to understand that I meant my words, that after this day, there’s nothing else for us to communicate about. He needs to go through his time, and I need to move forward.” As part of Valadez’s sentence, he will be required to register as a violent sex offender for life. This is a breaking story and will be developed with further information. ...read more read less