From the State’s Attorney:
MCHENRY COUNTY’S MOST WANTED MAN FOR NEARLY TWENTY YEARS SENTENCED FOR 2005 MURDER
McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi L. Freese announces that on January 14, 2026, Roberto Valdez-Calixto, 50, previously of Harvard, Illinois, was sentenced to nineteen years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the offense of Second-Degree Murder, a class 1 felony.
The sentencing term for this charge ranged from four to twenty years of imprisonment. Valdez-Calixto was sentenced by the Honorable Judge Justin Hansen upon entering a negotiated plea of guilty.
The investigation into this matter revealed that on February 19, 2005, Valdez-Calixto and three co-defendants traveled to a Harvard home to drink with the residents.
An argument ensued, where the victim was struck with a fist and whipped with a belt by a co-defendant. Valdez-Calixto and the co-defendants left the home and returned shortly thereafter.
Upon returning, Valdez-Calixto and the co-defendants engaged in another fight with the victim and his group.
Harvard Police Department officers and Harvard Fire and Rescue paramedics arrived on scene to find the victim bleeding and unresponsive.
The victim succumbed to injuries sustained from being stabbed during the altercation.
While it remains uncertain as to which of the men fatally stabbed the victim, all the defendants involved were charged for the murder under principles of accountability.
All three co-defendants of Valdez-Calixto were arrested on scene.
However, Valdez-Calixto fled the scene, and a warrant had issued for his arrest in 2005.
Two of the co-defendants were sentenced to eighteen years in the Illinois Department of Corrections in 2007 after each pled guilty to the offense of Second-Degree Murder.
The fourth co-defendant was sentenced in 2007 to three years in prison after pleading guilty to the offense of Mob Action, a class 4 felony.
Valdez-Calixto remained at-large and was listed as McHenry County’s most wanted fugitive until 2023, when he was arrested by federal authorities in Mexico.
The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office diligently worked with federal law enforcement to extradite Valdez-Calixto to face these nearly twenty-year-old charges.
He was transported and ultimately booked into the McHenry County Jail in March of 2024.
Calixto ultimately pled guilty to Second-Degree Murder and was sentenced to nineteen years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
State’s Attorney Freese commends the work of the Harvard Police Department and the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office for their thorough investigation and applauds the efforts to hold the last of the offenders to this crime accountable.
“I am incredibly proud of my office and our law enforcement partners from Harvard and the Sheriff’s Office in bringing this last offender to justice.
“Despite the twenty years that had passed, our office immediately began tracking down retired law enforcement, witnesses that had moved, and compiled evidence to ensure we would still prevail should the matter have proceeded to trial.
“While it is commonly known that time usually works against us, Valdez-Calixto was sentenced to a term longer than the co-defendants who were sentenced decades before him.
“That is a testament to the incredible work and team effort it took to resolve this last offender.
“We continue to extend our sympathies to the victim’s family for their loss and hope that there will be some sense of closure now that the last of the offenders is in custody.”
This matter was successfully prosecuted by Special Prosecutor William Bruce and Assistant State’s Attorney Kyle Bruett.
