Judge accepts plea deal in 2024 slaying of 30-year-old Chanti Dixon after attack that began in a rideshare trip.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN — An Indianapolis Uber driver who admitted to killing his passenger during an attempted sexual assault was sentenced to 45 years in state prison Thursday, after a judge accepted a plea agreement stemming from the September 2024 slaying of 30-year-old Chanti Dixon near her southeast-side apartment.
The case drew intense attention because it began as a routine, early-morning ride home from work and ended with a homicide. Prosecutors said Francisco Valadez, then 29, picked up Dixon around 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 8, 2024, drove to a dead-end off Wagner Lane and tried to assault her before shooting her once in the head. The sentence closes a yearlong criminal case that included a confession, a community search for Dixon and a courtroom where relatives described their loss. Under the plea, Valadez admitted to murder while other counts were dismissed.
According to court records summarized in open court, Valadez told detectives he diverted from Dixon’s route, stopped at the dead end and tried to force sex in the back seat. Investigators said he later acknowledged he “became angry” and fired the fatal shot in the car, then dragged Dixon’s body and left it in a wooded strip near her building. Police found her the next day after relatives reported her missing and officers canvassed the area around her home. At a briefing days after the arrest, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Christopher Bailey called the case “disgusting and disturbing,” saying, “No one deserves to be treated this way in our community,” a sentiment echoed again as the case concluded.
In Thursday’s hearing, the judge accepted a negotiated sentence of 45 years in the Indiana Department of Correction for one count of murder. Prosecutors said they agreed to dismiss additional charges that were filed earlier in the case, including a second murder count, attempted rape and attempted abuse of a corpse, in exchange for the plea that avoided trial and secured a lengthy term. Valadez received credit for time already served in the county jail — roughly 450 days — and must register as a sex offender for life. A lifetime no-contact order remains in effect protecting Dixon’s family. Officials said the agreement was reviewed with relatives in advance, and they addressed the court before the sentence was imposed.
Detectives traced the final ride through trip data and neighborhood video, then interviewed Valadez after locating the car he used, according to investigative summaries discussed in court. Police reports say his account shifted multiple times before he ultimately admitted shooting Dixon while attempting to force sex. The search that followed Dixon’s disappearance lasted less than 48 hours; officers and relatives recovered her phones near the dead-end where her body was later found. Evidence collected from the vehicle and the scene supported the confession, investigators said. The Marion County Coroner determined the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head.
Context from earlier filings shows Dixon called the ride to get home from a late shift. She was a mother of two who lived a few minutes from where officers recovered her body. The killing prompted a series of briefings by police leaders and renewed debate locally about ride-hailing safety. Uber said in statements after the arrest that the driver’s account was removed and the company was cooperating with police. City officials emphasized that the case was an isolated criminal act, while also acknowledging the fear it generated for women traveling alone before dawn and for workers heading home from overnight jobs.
Legally, the sentence ends the criminal prosecution but not every process surrounding it. As part of the agreement, Valadez pleaded guilty to murder and waived his right to appeal that conviction and sentence, except for narrow issues allowed under state law. Prosecutors said no other defendants are anticipated in the case. The Department of Correction will calculate his projected release date using credit-time rules in effect for violent felonies. Officials said routine post-sentencing steps include transferring Valadez to an intake facility, updating the sex-offender registry and filing the no-contact order with the court clerk. Any future civil claims, if filed, would proceed separately from the criminal judgment.
Family members who packed the courtroom spoke in steady, brief remarks. A relative described Dixon as “the center of our home” and said the family now measures days by her absence. Another said the sentence “doesn’t bring her back, but it brings finality.” A victim advocate stood beside them at the lectern. Defense counsel declined to speak beyond acknowledging the plea. The judge, addressing the room before pronouncing sentence, noted Dixon’s age, the circumstances of the attack and the admission of guilt, saying the term reflected the severity of the crime and the agreement of the parties.
The case stands today with Valadez in state custody and Dixon’s family preparing for a memorial gathering this month. The next formal milestone is administrative: prison intake in the coming days and the court clerk’s final posting of the judgment and no-contact order. Officials said no additional hearings are scheduled.
Author note: Last updated December 6, 2025.