Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser, the Springfield Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service announced today that Gabriel P. Calixto, wanted in connection with the 2023 murder of 24-year-old Emma Shafer, has been apprehended in Mexico.
Calixto was indicted by a Sangamon County Grand Jury and is charged with three counts of First-Degree Murder and one count of Aggravated Domestic Battery.
On July 11, 2023, Springfield Police officers responded to a residence in the 1000 block of South 8th Street, where they discovered Ms. Shafer deceased. Shafer, 24, was found dead in her home. The Sangamon County Coroner said Shafer sustained multiple sharp force injuries.
Shafer has been described as a young woman intent on making a difference. She was the membership chair of the Sierra Club Sangamon Valley Group, an incoming board member for the Springfield Immigrant Advocacy Network, a former organizer with Faith Coalition for the Common Good, and an active volunteer with countless other community groups.
“Emma loved to travel, making trips for both pleasure and service to California, New York, Europe, and South Africa. But, she was committed to her hometown of Springfield, and passionate about the concept of Planning to Stay — the idea that every decision made today should be driven by how it will affect future generations,” according to her obituary.
“Emma was a life-long activist. Even as a child, she tended to go sit with the kid eating lunch alone and recruit her friends to join them. She recognized inequities in the way certain classmates were treated and spoke up to ask adults to realize the harm they were causing.”
Her long-term plans included hosting of redlining tours to explain the history and impact of racially discriminatory city planning in Springfield. She hosted weekly “soup night” gatherings in her home, bringing together advocates she believed needed to know each other.
The Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office, Springfield Police Department, and U.S. Marshals Service thank and acknowledge the U.S. Department of Justice Office of International Affairs, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Central and Southern Districts of Illinois for their assistance in this case.
The Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office will work with federal authorities to coordinate extradition proceedings. No additional information will be released at this time.
