EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine announced Tuesday that 46-year-old Neil Howard of Troy has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of his mother, 60-year-old Norma J. Caraker.
The conviction stems from a brutal incident in September 2023, when Caraker was strangled with a bungee cord inside her home. A jury found Howard guilty of first-degree murder following a trial in February. Prosecutors said Howard was enraged over his mother’s dating life.
Assistant State’s Attorneys Luke Yager and Ryan Kemper presented evidence showing that Caraker was killed shortly after returning from a date. She was found in her bedroom with the cord still around her neck. Yager argued for a 45-year sentence, citing Howard’s prior arrests involving family members and describing him as a “violent individual,” especially toward women.
Under Illinois law, Howard must serve the full sentence, meaning he won’t be eligible for parole until age 76. “If this individual ever steps foot outside a prison, he’ll be an elderly man,” said Haine.
Haine expressed sympathy for Caraker’s family and praised the investigation team, including the Troy Police Department, Illinois State Police, and other local agencies. “This resolution will hopefully give her loved ones some space to begin healing,” he said.
Investigators used forensic and digital evidence to reconstruct the crime, which took place in the early morning hours of September 13, 2023. Howard, who lived in the basement of his mother’s home on Lower Marine Road, called 911, saying she was unresponsive. Officers arrived to find Caraker deceased in her bed.
In his closing argument, Yager told jurors that Howard’s growing resentment toward his mother’s dating life escalated until, after drinking, he “wrapped that cord around her neck and pulled, until she stopped breathing.”
The sentence was handed down by Circuit Judge Amy Maher.
