Illegal migrant on the run after allegedly murdering activist girlfriend following kidnapping

Officials are searching for an illegal migrant suspected of murdering his social justice activist girlfriend in Illinois – less than two years after immigration officials released him after he pleaded guilty to kidnapping an ex-girlfriend.

Gabriel Calixto Pichardo, 25, is accused of fatally stabbing Emma Shafer, 24, in her Springfield home in July. He is wanted on three first-degree murder charges and one aggravated domestic battery charge.

Federal agents are working alongside the Springfield, Ill., Police Department to track down Calixto Picardo. A spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service told Just the News on Monday that the agency does not have any confirmation as to whether Pichardo is or is not currently in the United States.

The Marshals are now offering $5,000 to any person with information leading to Calixto Picardo's arrest.

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Gabriel Calixto Picardo, U.S. Marshals Service

U.S. Marshals Service

Shafer was the membership chair of the Sierra Club Sangamon Valley Group, an environmental group, and an incoming board member for the Springfield Immigrant Advocacy Network, which helps migrants in the area, according to her obituary. Shafer also was an organizer with Faith Coalition for the Common Good, which says on its website that it fights for racial and economic justice.

The Marshals Service confirmed to Just the News that he had a previous kidnapping charge.

Documents related to that 2018 incident show that Calixto Pichardo previously said his mother was fleeing abuse in Mexico when she brought him to the United States at the age of 5 and he was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status a decade later.

Kathryn O'Brien told local outlet WAND last week that she dated Calixto Pichardo in high school and he stalked her after she broke up with him. He eventually went to her grandmother's house and held a knife to her throat, and O'Brien filed a restraining order against him, as shown in court filings.

Shortly thereafter, Calixto Picardo used a gun to force her into his car, she said. He brought her to a motel where he threatened to rape her, and police records show he also had rope and a knife.

O'Brien said she convinced Calixto Picardo to bring her home, where she called the police. He was arrested the next day and faced three charges over the incident, including violating a restraining order, aggravated kidnapping and unlawful restraint, court records show.

He pleaded guilty to kidnapping and was sentenced to six years behind bars. His DACA status expired in 2019 while he was in prison, and he was no longer eligible for the program because he had committed a felony. 

When Calixto Picardo's kidnapping conviction was vacated in October 2020, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was released from prison.

He was arrested in May 2021 on a federal improper entry charge. He then applied for asylum, citing his mental illness.

Officials released him in August of that year. Court documents show U.S. attorneys declined to prosecute him for improper entry, according to documents reviewed by the local outlet.

Heinous crimes committed by illegal migrants are particularly under scrutiny ahead of the 2024 election.

Both the Springfield Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service were unable to address questions from Just the News about Calixto Picardo's immigration status.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to request for comment.

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