Last Updated 2 weeks by Amnon J. Jobi | Amnon Front Page

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Uber driver, 29-year-old Francisco Valadez, who admitted to killing his passenger, will stay in jail without bond.

He appeared in court with a red jumpsuit. His feet and hand were in shackles. He looked straight at the judge as she was speaking. He was officially charged with murder, attempted rape and attempted abuse of a corpse.

Judge Anne Flannelly entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

Valadez’s attorneys had no comment after the hearing.

Police say the Uber driver picked up Chanti Dixon on Sept. 8 in his BMW. They found the 30-year-old dead the next day. Police found her body behind a concrete barrier, on a dead-end street, Wagner Lane on the southeast side of Indianapolis.

Valadez told police that he initially attempted to have sex with Dixon in the back of his car, but he got angry with her after she laughed at his genitalia. He admitted to shooting her in the head, then later tried to have sex with Dixon’s dead body.

Flannelly said Valadez cannot contact Dixon’s mother, Rise.

“Chanti was the love glue. She was the one that kept us having fun and laughing,” Rise said.

She attended a vigil and a balloon release to remember her daughter. “I was just glad to see that she could physically see the love one more time. That’s what I was glad to see because I know she’s here and she’s watching. So, she got to see her give her love one more time.”

Chanti leaves behind two children. “Her children are processing. They know they have a good support group. They know they have a village.”

Valadez next court appearance was scheduled for November.

Previous coverage

• Uber driver admitted to killing woman passenger
• IMPD: Uber driver admitted to killing passenger ID’d as missing woman
• Body of missing woman found along dead-end street

Help is available for victims of domestic violence. Below is a list of suggested resources on the Domestic Violence Network website:

• Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence: 24-hour hotline available at 800-332-7385
• Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking
• The Julian Center
• Indiana Child Abuse Hotline: 800-800-5556
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788
• National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-4673