Illinois man sentenced for fatally strangling his mom with bungee cord because she was dating

MADISON COUNTY, Ill. (TCN) -- A 46-year-old man will spend three decades behind bars for strangling his mother to death after she went on a date.

The Madison County State's Attorney's Office announced May 20 that a judge sentenced Neil Howard to 30 years in prison. A jury previously convicted him in February of first-degree murder in connection with the death of his mother, 60-year-old Norma Caraker. Howard will have to serve the full sentence but will be eligible for parole when he's 76.

According to prosecutors, on Sept. 13, 2023, Troy Police responded to Caraker's home after Howard called 911 and said he was "worried about his mother because she was unresponsive." Officers discovered Caraker deceased in her bed with a bungee cord around her neck.

Investigators identified Howard, who lived in his mother's basement, as the primary suspect. Prosecutors said he was "unhappy about his mother's dating" and killed her "shortly after she had a date."

Assistant State’s Attorney Luke Yager argued in court that Caraker's dating was making the defendant "angrier and angrier and angrier, until he got drunk enough that he couldn't take it anymore." Yager told the jury that Howard "wrapped that cord around her neck" and "pulled until she stopped breathing."

The defendant had reportedly been arrested over alleged incidents with other relatives.

According to the Belleville News-Democrat, officials argued that Howard, who was unemployed, tried to blame Caraker's death on her date, but Howard was the only person in Caraker's home when police found her.

Yager sought a sentence of at least 45 years, saying, "It is clear that the defendant is a violent individual, and he's especially violent toward women."

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