Muncie man found guilty of killing FCC worker

A Muncie man has been found guilty of murdering his ex-wife, a former FCC employee.

Ceaser L. Curtis, 51, was charged Sept. 1, 2023, in Delaware County Circuit Court 4 with the death of his ex-wife, 46-year-old Marcia Curtis. He was found guilty Friday after a nearly five-day trial. Curtis also admitted Friday he is a habitual offender.

Muncie police discovered Marcia Curtis’ remains Sept. 14, 2023, at an abandoned property along Delaware County road 800 South. She had been missing for two weeks. Police said she sustained “significant trauma to the head,” according to a probable cause affidavit filed in connection with the case. 

Ceaser Curtis told police he picked up Marcia Curtis from FCC on Sept. 1, 2023, and they started arguing on their drive back to Muncie, the affidavit says. He told police she demanded to be let out of the vehicle at the intersection of Jackson Street and Butterfield Road, and she started walking north as he drove away.

Detectives found an argument via text between Marcia Curtis and Ceaser Curtis in which she told him she was “done” with him, after which he called her 36 times consecutively without a response, the affidavit says.

A male witness told police Ceaser Curtis admitted guilt of the crime, saying Ceaser Curtis told him he slapped Marcia Curtis in the face while driving south on Burlington Drive and tossed her phone out of the window Sept. 1, 2023. He alleged Ceaser Curtis admitted to hitting Marcia Curtis with a baseball bat and leaving her in a rural part of Delaware County, near Prairie Creek Reservoir.

A female witness told police Ceaser Curtis asked her to kill Marcia Curtis shortly after their divorce on March 28, 2023. The witness said Ceaser Curtis discovered his ex-wife had been speaking to other men and told the witness he had a homemade lead pipe he wanted her to use, the affidavit says.

He also posted to Facebook on Aug. 27, 2023, and accused his ex-wife of sleeping with other men. The same day he shared more than 100 Facebook posts from various sources, including a picture of a sweatshirt with the following words printed on it: “I’ll put you in the trunk and help people look for you don’t test me!”

According to a Facebook release posted Friday afternoon from Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office, the jury deliberated for approximately five hours before convicting Curtis of the crime.

Curtis was charged in Randolph Superior Court Sept. 25 with arson, a Level 4 felony. He was charged last year in Randolph Superior Court with a Class A misdemeanor for invasion of privacy in the case of violating a protective order issued to prevent domestic or family violence or harassment. His criminal history includes charges for battery and operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

In Indiana, murder carries a penalty of 45 and 65 years with an advisory sentence of 55 years and up to a $10,000 fine. Ceaser Curtis’ habitual offender enhancement could add between six and 20 years to his total sentence. His sentencing hearing is set for 9 a.m. Jan. 8.

“It is my sincere hope that this verdict is the first step toward healing for the family and friends of Marcia Curtis,” said Delaware County prosecuting attorney Eric Hoffman in the release.