Watching your favorite movies abroad? Don’t forget to get your Aeroshield smart DNS to access any geo-restricted content.
Neil Howard of Madison County, Ill, was convicted on Mon. Feb. 10 this year of murdering his mother because, according to prosecutors, he was “angry” about her dating history, and because “he’d had enough of her not giving him money.” Howard’s family, however, says he’s innocent.
According to the Madison County State Attorney’s Office, Howard, 46, called police in September 2023 around 1:30am and reported his mom, Norma J. Caraker, was unresponsive in her bed. When police arrived, Caraker, who was 60 when she died, had a bungee cord around her neck, and efforts to save her life were unsuccessful. According to prosecutors, Howard grew “angrier and angrier and angrier,” about his mom’s dating, “until he got drunk enough that he couldn’t take it anymore.”
Reportedly, Caraker had just returned home from a date the night she died, and at first, Howard tried to suggest that man could be responsible. According to the Belleville-News Democrat, Howard was unemployed and lived in his mom’s basement, and he told the police at first he saw someone escape from a sliding glass door before he called 911. Investigators later determined the door was locked from the inside, leading to Howard’s arrest.
The prosecutors “jumped the gun,” according to Howard’s defense
Update: 44 y/o Neil Howard is charged with 2 counts of 1st degree murder in the death of his mother, 60 y/o Norma Caraker. Her body was found Wed. in the Troy, IL home where they lived. Bond is set at $3 mill. Friend said he struggled w/drug & alcohol probs. @KMOV pic.twitter.com/tqUq6xqC2L
— Russell Kinsaul (@russellkinsaul) September 14, 2023
Supporting Howard’s story that it was her mother’s date, not him, that killed Caraker, Howard’s defense attorneys said in court that investigators “jumped the gun” when pinning blame for the crime on Caraker’s son. The night she died, Caraker had been on a date with a man named James Carter, and reportedly, the prosecution waited more than a year to get Carter’s DNA sample, and what’s more, Carter’s DNA was discovered on the bungee cord and under Caraker’s nails, not her son’s.
The prosecution said that Howard wore latex gloves when he killed his mom and that Caraker grabbed the cord, not Howard, as she defended herself, explaining the lack of Howard’s DNA under her fingernails. Also, according to the prosecution, Caraker’s date that night, Carter, had an alibi around the time she died.
At the same time, the defense built a case that Caraker’s on-and-off boyfriend, Terry Deets, whom she had recently named a life insurance beneficiary, had seen her at a bar earlier that evening, but prosecutors said Deets was in poor health and was physically unable to commit the crime.
Howard’s sister says he’s innocent
Neil A. Howard convicted of first-degree murder in the strangulation of his mother. A tragic case unfolds. #TrueCrime #Justice https://t.co/XkHvP1h5PB
— RiverBender.com (@RiverBenderNews) February 10, 2025
During the trial, Howard’s sister, Andrea Hall, and Howard’s fiancé Dawn Hall testified in Howard’s defense. In April last year, Andrea told the Belleville-News Democrat, “[Howard] is a good suspect, don’t get me wrong.” She added, “But they should have done more due diligence investigating my mom’s death. They were more concerned about keeping the community at rest.” According to Howard’s sister, Caraker called her brother from the bar, told him she was bringing her date home, and he put earbuds in to give them some privacy.
But referring to the uncertainty, Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine’s said, “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. We continue to hold the family and loved ones of Norma in our prayers.”
As for now, Howard could spend up to 60 years in prison. His sentence is expected to be handed down at a so far unspecified date. Howard’s defense attorneys have said they expect the ruling will be appealed. One of Howard’s lawyers, David Fahrenkamp, said, “I don’t argue things that I don’t believe in,” he said. “I believe in this case. I believe in Neil.”