Topline: The son was convicted of first-degree murder on Tuesday, February 11.
Published: February 12, 2025 8:30 am ET
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Neil Howard (via Madison County IL State's Attorney's Office)
TROY, IL — A jury returned a guilty verdict on Tuesday in the trial of an Illinois man charged in the killing of his mother.
Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine said the jury found Neil Howard, 46, guilty of first-degree murder following a trial that began last week.
The jury found that Howard killed his mother, Norma J. Caraker, 60, by strangling her with a bungee cord in September 2023. Deliberations lasted roughly three hours before the verdict was returned.
Evidence and testimony presented by prosecutors suggested Howard was unhappy about his mother’s dating. The evidence and testimony showed that she was killed shortly after she had a date.
Yager, in his closing argument, said Caraker’s dating was making Howard “angrier and angrier and angrier, until he got drunk enough that he couldn’t take it anymore.”
Howard resided in the basement of Caraker’s home on Lower Marine Road. Troy Police responded to the home about 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 13, 2023, after Howard called 911. He told police he was worried about his mother because she was unresponsive.
Officers located Caraker in her bed with a bungee cord still secured around her neck. She was unresponsive and not breathing. Efforts to resuscitate her were not successful.
Yager told jurors that Howard “wrapped that cord around her neck and he pulled, until she stopped breathing.”
Haine commended the prosecution team, Troy Police Department, Illinois State Police Division of Forensic Services, Collinsville Police Department, O’Fallon Police Department, Madison County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies that assisted in the response and investigation.
“The careful and meticulous work of the responding officers and investigators allowed our prosecution team to show the jury exactly what happened in the critical timeframe around Norma Caraker’s senseless death. This was a challenging case that relied heavily on scientific and technological evidence,” Haine said. “We continue to hold the family and loved ones of Norma in our prayers.”
Howard will be sentenced later, and faces up to 60 years in prison. He will remain in the Madison County Jail while awaiting sentencing.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Neil Howard (via Madison County IL State's Attorney's Office)
TROY, IL — A jury returned a guilty verdict on Tuesday in the trial of an Illinois man charged in the killing of his mother.
Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine said the jury found Neil Howard, 46, guilty of first-degree murder following a trial that began last week.
The jury found that Howard killed his mother, Norma J. Caraker, 60, by strangling her with a bungee cord in September 2023. Deliberations lasted roughly three hours before the verdict was returned.
Evidence and testimony presented by prosecutors suggested Howard was unhappy about his mother’s dating. The evidence and testimony showed that she was killed shortly after she had a date.
Yager, in his closing argument, said Caraker’s dating was making Howard “angrier and angrier and angrier, until he got drunk enough that he couldn’t take it anymore.”
Howard resided in the basement of Caraker’s home on Lower Marine Road. Troy Police responded to the home about 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 13, 2023, after Howard called 911. He told police he was worried about his mother because she was unresponsive.
Officers located Caraker in her bed with a bungee cord still secured around her neck. She was unresponsive and not breathing. Efforts to resuscitate her were not successful.
Yager told jurors that Howard “wrapped that cord around her neck and he pulled, until she stopped breathing.”
Haine commended the prosecution team, Troy Police Department, Illinois State Police Division of Forensic Services, Collinsville Police Department, O’Fallon Police Department, Madison County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies that assisted in the response and investigation.
“The careful and meticulous work of the responding officers and investigators allowed our prosecution team to show the jury exactly what happened in the critical timeframe around Norma Caraker’s senseless death. This was a challenging case that relied heavily on scientific and technological evidence,” Haine said. “We continue to hold the family and loved ones of Norma in our prayers.”
Howard will be sentenced later, and faces up to 60 years in prison. He will remain in the Madison County Jail while awaiting sentencing.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Prosecutors Lay Out Murder Plot of Scorned Son Who ‘Had Enough’ of His Mother’s Love Life
The son was convicted of first-degree murder on Tuesday, February 11.
By Jacob Charles
Published: February 12, 2025 8:30 am ET
Neil Howard (via Madison County IL State's Attorney's Office)
TROY, IL — A jury returned a guilty verdict on Tuesday in the trial of an Illinois man charged in the killing of his mother.
Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine said the jury found Neil Howard, 46, guilty of first-degree murder following a trial that began last week.
The jury found that Howard killed his mother, Norma J. Caraker, 60, by strangling her with a bungee cord in September 2023. Deliberations lasted roughly three hours before the verdict was returned.
Evidence and testimony presented by prosecutors suggested Howard was unhappy about his mother’s dating. The evidence and testimony showed that she was killed shortly after she had a date.
Yager, in his closing argument, said Caraker’s dating was making Howard “angrier and angrier and angrier, until he got drunk enough that he couldn’t take it anymore.”
Howard resided in the basement of Caraker’s home on Lower Marine Road. Troy Police responded to the home about 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 13, 2023, after Howard called 911. He told police he was worried about his mother because she was unresponsive.
Officers located Caraker in her bed with a bungee cord still secured around her neck. She was unresponsive and not breathing. Efforts to resuscitate her were not successful.
Yager told jurors that Howard “wrapped that cord around her neck and he pulled, until she stopped breathing.”
Haine commended the prosecution team, Troy Police Department, Illinois State Police Division of Forensic Services, Collinsville Police Department, O’Fallon Police Department, Madison County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies that assisted in the response and investigation.
“The careful and meticulous work of the responding officers and investigators allowed our prosecution team to show the jury exactly what happened in the critical timeframe around Norma Caraker’s senseless death. This was a challenging case that relied heavily on scientific and technological evidence,” Haine said. “We continue to hold the family and loved ones of Norma in our prayers.”
Howard will be sentenced later, and faces up to 60 years in prison. He will remain in the Madison County Jail while awaiting sentencing.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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