Overview
- Lucio Lerma Sr., who reported his wife missing in 2007, was indicted for murder after a St. Joseph County grand jury returned a true bill on March 19.
- He was arraigned and ordered held without bond in the county jail, with a court hearing set for April 6.
- Delia Lerma, 33, left home to visit a nearby store and meet a relative, and four days later police found her stabbed to death in her van on Carlisle Street.
- South Bend cold-case investigators reexamined evidence, used newer technology, and worked with the TV show Cold Justice, which aired an episode in November 2025.
- Prosecutors have not released the specific evidence, and a true bill means jurors heard witnesses and authorized formal charges without requiring public disclosure.