Man Claimed He Killed Girlfriend in Self-Defense in Fight Over How to Chop Onions, But Police Say It Was Murder

Charles Michael Calvert, 60, was arrested on a charge of murder

• Marcia Linsky reportedly had worked as a prosecutor before she became a magistrate and then a defense attorney

• In a statement, her firm, Close & Hitchcock, LLP, wrote, "An inspiration to all, she leaves a void that will be impossible to fill"

• Authorities believed the scene had been staged because of the placement of knives in the kitchen, according to a probable cause affidavit

An Indiana man who was arrested on accusations he murdered his girlfriend claimed he killed her in self-defense during a fight over how to chop onions.

Charles Michael Calvert, 60, was arrested on a charge of murder in connection with the death of his girlfriend, former magistrate Marcia Linksy, inside a Grabill home Saturday, police say, 21Alive reported.

“As good of an attorney as she was, she was ten times better of a person,” Allen County Chief Public Defender Bill LeBrato told 21News about Linksy. “I can’t say enough good things about her.”

Calvert is accused of stabbing Linksy and then staging the crime scene. Authorities allege he possibly showered and cleaned up before calling 911.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Calvert allegedly placed the call to 911 around 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 3, reporting that his girlfriend came at him with a knife.

He told a dispatcher that “she is no longer with us.”

“The defendant stated ‘we were having an argument, we both were holding a knife and she came at me,'” the affidavit states.

When the officers arrived, they found the victim lying face down in the kitchen with a gash on her head and neck.

“The kitchen appeared disheveled with a broken crockpot, some bloody kitchen knives, and food items scattered around like there had been a struggle,” the affidavit states.

Calvert allegedly told police that “he  was cutting onions and the victim stated he wasn’t doing it correctly,” according to the affidavit. Calvert “stated the victim shoved the crock pot towards him and she came at him with a knife as he grabbed a knife. [Calvert] stated ‘I became defensive’ and stated he didn’t remember the other details.”

Calvert “appeared to have dried up blood on his hands.”

Allen County police and a deputy coroner “felt the knives on the floor appeared to be staged as they appeared to be placed next to the victim’s body neatly, the larger serrated knife was covered in blood and the other knife appeared to be relatively clean,” the affidavit states.

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Authorities “observed an onion peel in the garbage but did not observe a chopped up onion anywhere in the kitchen,” according to the affidavit. “The crock pot and its contents (ham) were spilled across the kitchen floor and the lid was shattered with the pieces of glass all over the floor…On the west side of the kitchen near the dining area there were shoe scuff marks on the flooring, which made it appear that there was possibly a struggle in that area.”

Investigators, who listened to the 911 tape, alleged Calvert told a dispatcher, “She came at me and I responded inappropriately. I’m going to spend the night in jail,” according to the affidavit.

Linsky had worked as a prosecutor before she became a magistrate and then a defense attorney with Close & Hitchcock, LLP, per 21Alive.

“An inspiration to all, she leaves a void that will be impossible to fill. Please keep her family and friends in your thoughts as they navigate through the coming days and weeks,” the firm said in a Facebook post. “To our clients, we assure you we will be reaching out soon, and we are determined to continue to provide you the same level of representation moving forward.”

Calvert is being held without bond in Allen County Jail, per WANE-TV. It's not clear if he has an attorney.

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