CHARLOTTE, Mich.—A woman who was extradited from Italy for the 2002 fatal bludgeoning of her husband in Michigan has been found guilty of second-degree murder.
A jury in Eaton County deliberated for only two hours on Monday before reaching a verdict in the trial of Beverly McCallum, as reported by the Lansing State Journal.
The victim, Roberto Caraballo, 37, was suffocated and beaten in the basement of his home in Charlotte, located about 105 miles (169 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.
Although burned remains were discovered in a metal locker near a blueberry field in Ottawa County, western Michigan, it wasn’t until 2015—over a decade later—that the remains were positively identified as those of Caraballo.
McCallum, now 63, was apprehended in Italy in 2020 and detained there for more than two years before being brought back to Michigan.
Prosecutor Doug Lloyd alleged that McCallum had wanted to eliminate Caraballo in 2002 after his release from federal prison.
Related Stories
“Having Robert around was interfering with her lifestyle,” Lloyd contended.
Defense lawyer Timothy Havis argued to the jury that McCallum was not involved in the murder but was deceived into taking a ride to dispose of the remains.
However, at trial, Christopher McMillan, a witness who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and cooperated with law enforcement, implicated McCallum. He claimed that Caraballo was assaulted by McCallum and her daughter, Dineane Ducharme.
Ducharme, now 43, is currently serving a life sentence after being convicted of first-degree murder in 2021. McMillan, aged 45, is serving a minimum of 15 years in prison.
