Life Sentence For Man Who Murdered Wheaton Woman In Panfish Park

GLEN ELLYN, IL -- Myron D. Ester, 50, was sentenced to natural life in prison without the possibility of parole Tuesday after he was convicted of murdering Wheaton resident Linda Valez, 39, in Glen Ellyn's Panfish Park in 2013. The jury that convicted Ester after a week-long trial in January also said that Valez'z murder was "committed in an exceptionally brutal or heinous manner."

Valez's body was found partially buried in a makeshift grave in Panfish Park three days after she went missing on Sept. 25, 2013. Valez had been stabbed 39 times, authorities say.

A subsequent investigation led police to determine that Valez and Ester had gone to Panfish Park on Sept. 24 and that they had an argument that turned violent. Ester then stabbed Valez in the head, neck, and torso, before burying her in a shallow grave.

Ester was arrested on Sept. 29, 2013, and has remained in custody at DuPage County Jail since then.

After Ester's sentence was handed down, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin issued a statement. He said, "With each of the thirty-nine plunges of the knife, Mr. Ester’s pre-meditated murder not only took Linda from those who loved her, but he also cut the very fabric of society."

He added, "Mr. Ester will be forever removed from society, locked behind closed doors where he will spend the remainder of his days behind bars where his memories of freedom will fade with each passing day."

In addition to his sentence of natural life in prison for first degree murder, Ester was sentenced to an additional five years for concealing a homicidal death.

Read more:

Panfish Park Murder Trial Begins In Wheaton

Man Convicted Of Of Stabbing Woman 39 Times At Park In Glen Ellyn