Authorities have convicted a man from Illinois for allegedly strangling his mother to death because she was 'sleeping around.'
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According to a report by Law and Crime, the incident occurred back in September 2023. A Madison County jury found Neil Howard, 46, guilty of one count of first-degree murder against his mother, 60-year-old Norma J. Caraker.
Per a
press release by Madison County State's Attorney's Office, Howard was allegedly unhappy about his mother's dating habits. Evidence and testimony shared with the jury show she had a date shortly before her death.Assistant State's Attorney Luke Yager explains that Howard lived in the basement of his mother's home on Lower Maine Road. He alleges that Caraker's dating made him "angrier and angrier and angrier until he got drunk enough that he couldn't take it anymore." Police from Troy responded to a 911 call from the residence at around 1:30 am on September 13, 2023. During the call, Howard told police he was worried about his unresponsive mother.
Officers Found Howard's Mother With A Bungee Cord Around Her Neck
Police officers reportedly found Caraker in bed, not breathing, and they were unable to resuscitate her. She allegedly still had the bungee cord around her neck when they located her. Yager reportedly explained that Howard "wrapped that cord around her neck, and he pulled until she stopped breathing."
Law and Crime reports that Yager said, "This defendant had had enough of his mother. He'd had enough of her sleeping around. He had enough of her not giving him money." The outlet explains that Howard will be sentenced at a later date by Circuit Judge Amy Maher. He faces up to 60 years in a state correctional facility, and police will keep him in Madison County Jail until that time.
According to the New York Post, the defense plans to appeal the verdict. They allegedly suggest the Troy Police Department performed a sloppy crime scene investigation. Per Law and Crime, One of Howard's sisters, Andrea Hall, served as a witness for the defense. She reportedly believes that the police were too quick to pinpoint Howard as a suspect. Hall also allegedly said she thinks investigators "jumped the gun" and she wasn't expecting a guilty verdict from the jury. The outlet also explains that a crime lab technician reportedly testified. They allege that DNA found on the bungee cord and under Caraker's fingernails matched the man she was dating, not Howard.
