Man sentenced to life for 1998 slaying of Prospect Hts. mom, son

A decade after a Prospect Heights woman and her 5-year-old son were killed, the man responsible was sentenced to life in prison.

Leobardo Barraza, now 26, was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in St. Louis for kidnapping resulting in death in the 1998 killings of Maria Eloiza and her son Jesus Ramirez.

Barraza wasn't eligible for the death sentence as he was only 16 when the slayings happened. He fled to Mexico after Prospect Heights police questioned him following the August 1998 disappearances of Eloiza and her son.

The Eloiza family hope Barraza can find redemption behind bars, but know their pain will never fully heal.

"We never saw the bodies, we just buried a box," said Maria's niece and former roommate Melba Eloiza. "It's very sad."

Barraza remained a fugitive until authorities tracked him down in July 2006 in Colorado Springs, Colo., where he was working as a day laborer. Prospect Heights police used a computer program to match a mug shot, as Barraza was charged in Colorado for possession of a stolen vehicle.

Barraza met the 26-year-old Eloiza more than 10 years ago at the Chicago Bagel and Bialy Deli in Wheeling where he worked as a janitor and she as a waitress. Despite a 10-year age gap, he held a romantic interest in Eloiza, one that co-workers said was unrequited.

But Barraza convinced Eloiza to drive to Mexico where he said they'd pick up drugs to transport to Detroit, where Barraza's uncle lived. Barraza told Eloiza she could make $40,000, and that she should bring her son, who was in kindergarten at Robert Frost School in Prospect Heights. They would be able to fool authorities if they looked like a like a traveling family, he reasoned.

The car never made it to Mexico, stopping about 40 miles southwest of St. Louis in Stanton, Mo. That's where Eloiza and her son were killed, their skeletal remains hidden in the woods until a pair of hunters found them three months later.

Eloiza had told family that she was heading to Disneyland, Melba Eloiza said. Police eventually found a note left in Maria Eloiza's bedroom detailing the plan.

Barraza maintained his innocence Wednesday telling the court that he wasn't responsible for the slayings and that justice will someday be served, Melba Eloiza said.

An acquaintance of Barraza's also traveled with the trio. Jose Jesus Hernandez, a former soldier in the Mexican army, was also indicted on the same charges, but he was never found and remains a fugitive.

Many members of Eloiza's family traveled to St. Louis to watch the court proceedings. They returned to O'Hare International Airport around 7 p.m. Wednesday, and later met with family members who didn't make the trip to share what transpired in St. Louis.

"The family doesn't want this to happen to anyone else," Melba Eloiza said. "They want people to be really careful and listen to their children any pay attention to any changes."

The Cook County state's attorney's office assisted federal prosecutors during the trial, which was delayed two years after Barraza's arrest. Barraza was convicted in July and faced 20 years to life in prison.

Melba Eloiza praised Prospect Heights detectives Al Steffen and Mark Porlier for their perseverance. The pair were in court with the Eloizas.

"I've never known people that care as much as that," Melba Eloiza said.

• Daily Herald news services contributed to this report.