Nearly two decades after a South Bend woman vanished, her husband, who reported her missing, is now charged with her murder, authorities say.
Lucio Lerma Sr. was arrested earlier this week and indicted for the 2007 killing of his wife, Delia Lerma, Indiana prosecutors announced Tuesday.
On December 4, 2007, Delia Lerma left her home in the 700 block of South Bendix Street to go to Rosales Food Store on Western Avenue – about a minute drive from her home.
She also told family members she was meeting a relative and would return shortly. That is the same story her husband initially told police as he filed a missing persons report just days before her body was found.
Four days later, officers responded to a tip about Delia’s van being spotted on Carlisle Street. Inside the van was Delia’s slain body. She had been stabbed multiple times.
But no arrests were made at the time and the case went cold before investigators took another look.
Between March 16 and March 19, 2026, prosecutors said a grand jury reviewed multiple cases, including Delia Lerma’s death.
South Bend Cold Case investigators reopened the investigation, reexamining evidence and applying new technology in an effort to generate leads, authorities said. Further details about the evidence that tied Lerma to the alleged crime have not been released.
Police also partnered with the television program Cold Justice, whose crew spent several weeks with the department in the summer of 2025. The episode highlighting the case aired in November 2025.
“On March 19, after reviewing all the evidence and listening to a number of witnesses, the grand jury returned a true bill for murder against Lucio Lerma Sr.,” prosecutors said, according to WNDU.
The St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed Lucio Lerma Sr., the victim’s husband, has been charged with murder in the death of 33-year-old Delia Lerma.
Lerma was arraigned before a St. Joseph County magistrate, where a judge ordered he be held in the St. Joseph County Jail without bond.
His next court appearance is set for April 6.
