An Indiana Uber driver was formally charged Monday with trying to rape one of his female passengers before fatally shooting her in the head. Francisco Valadez, 29, was initially taken into custody on suspicion of murder after Indianapolis Metro Police said he picked up 30-year-old Chanti Dixon in the early morning of Sep. 8.
She was found dead in a wooded area near her apartment the following day. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office formally charged Valadez on Monday with two counts of murder, attempted rape and abuse of a corpse, according to court records reviewed by HuffPost. Detectives found Dixon ordered an Uber at around 3:34 a.
m. on Sept. 8 for a ride home from work, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by HuffPost.
Dixon’s mother told police her daughter had not been heard from since then and reported her missing. Authorities said they were able to identify Valadez as the Uber driver and interviewed him outside his home, where he was living with his mother. Valadez would change his story multiple times during his interview with police, according to the affidavit.
At first, he allegedly told police he picked Dixon up with no issue, then heard gunshots in the area soon after dropping her off. He then claimed an armed man approached his vehicle and attempted to rob Dixon before shooting her in the thigh, according to the affidavit. Valadez allegedly said Dixon threw herself out of the car before he drove off.
He claimed he’d cleaned out his car after .