Drunk Son Realizes He Just Killed His Own Mother

What's up, dude? You go. Why? I'm. telling you, she ain't going to get up. Police are at the home of Normma. Carricker after receiving a frantic call. from her son. He was heavily drunk, but. managed to say enough. Someone ran out. of the house and he heard his mother's. scream. Police department, ma'am. Oh, Norma was already dead, strangled with a. bungee cord. We're need some other units.

to clear the house. This looks like a. homicide. You mind want to get a canine. track started? Somebody ran out the back. door. In the days that followed, detectives would uncover an extensive. list of suspects, each with their own. dark motives, jealous exes, hidden. family secrets, a lucrative life. insurance payout, and even a decades old. family murder. turning this seemingly. simple welfare check into one of the. most twisted homicide cases the town had. ever seen. Because you're our only loose. information deal without you we have. enough. She had an escrow in a million.

dollars. Mary did choose to my mom, you. know, for her money and I even fed her. one. You're going to [ __ ] end up. dead. Then kids would blame me because. they know I didn't like them. Said it. was so good making you want to slap your. mom. I'm going to kill them all. In the early hours of a Wednesday. morning at 1:30 a.m., police in Troy, Illinois, received a confusing call from. an intoxicated man. 911. What's the.

address of your emergency? Rainbow taken out. Huh? My mom must have went on a date last. night. I heard the guy leave out the. back door and I heard [ __ ] And I went. up there on the dog. and I went upstairs. My mom my mom I. didn't hear my mom walk through the. house. My mom responding. Your mom's not. responding. Does she need an ambulance? I didn't even want to go in there cuz. they were like bang bang bang.

Does she need an ambulance? I don't. know. I have no idea. Okay. So, are you. wanting a welfare check done on her. then? Please. Okay. What is your name, sir? My name is Neil in the aisle. The. caller struggled to provide clear. details, but it was apparent that. someone inside the home was. unresponsive. With limited information, two officers. were quickly dispatched to investigate. the strange situation, not knowing.

exactly what they'd find upon their. arrival. What's up? I hear the dog whining from the. basement. Mom tells me screws up the. kitchen that she's uh got a date on the. way. Okay. And I guess it's that date on. the computer. or on the tenders or whatever. I don't. know. I'm afraid to go in that room. I. hear a dog whining in that room. So you. live here, sir? I live in the basement, man. I had open heart surgery a year and.

a half ago. She She turned the country. music on real loud so I can't hear. Oh, she did that. My mom does it every day. Blast it. Some old uh soral country. music cuz she misses her husband or. whatever, but she's bringing guys into. the house there. So, unfortunately, she. can do that. Um, we can certainly check. on her though to make sure she's okay if. you live there. Please. Certainly, man. The dog is. whining. So, you live in this house.

though? I live in the basement. Okay. So, you live here? That's all I needed. Man, I'm not. This. dog is trying to get out. Well, I tell. you what. How about this? How about you. go see if you can get her to come out. here before we go inside? Clearly. intoxicated, Neil struggled to explain. himself. It sounded like his mother had. a date over, but he failed to clarify. what was wrong. Despite their. uncertainty, officers followed Neil. inside, completely unaware of the.

gruesome murder scene they were walking. into. What's up, dude? You go. Why do I have. to get up? I'm telling you, she ain't. going to get up. Okay, but you can hear. her. You She's not a word. I pushed her. a couple times. She's bleeding out the. mouth. She's what? Bleeding out the. mouth. She's bleeding out the mouth. Police department.

Police Department. You said she got blood coming out of her. mouth. I [ __ ] you not. Call her name. Ma'am. [Music]. Oh [ __ ]. Officers stepped inside to find Neil's. mother, Norma McCarrick, lying.

unconscious on her bed with a cord. wrapped around her neck. It was clear. she'd been strangled, but Officer Alex. quickly realized something else. She. might still be alive. Where'd that guy go? Right now, let's give him 146. Keep. rolling here.

She is choking. Somebody an. welcome in. Welcome in. As Neil was. detained and removed from the scene, officer Alex immediately began. performing CPR on Norma. She wasn't. breathing, but her body was still warm, indicating she had only recently stopped. breathing, and there was still hope she. could be saved. What? Hey, LT. Yeah,

this come here real quick. She's still. warm to the touch. Somebody Somebody. strangled her. This is homicide, man. So, we have not cleared the rest of the. house yet. Okay, I'm going to keep. working on her. Uh, he's still the son's. intoxicated. He said somebody ran out. the back. No description. We have him. detained in the car. He's in the car. We. have him detained. Okay. I don't know. He said he had she had somebody over. here, but he said that she was just. talking to him a couple minutes ago. She's warm. No pulse.

Not conscious, not breathing. Officer. Alex continued performing CPR for over 7. minutes, desperately trying to save. Norma's life. Paramedics soon arrived. and immediately took over, continuing. life-saving efforts. At the same time, officers scrambled to search the. property for the man Neil claimed had. fled the scene. A K9 unit was dispatched. to track any trace of the mysterious. suspect. You might want to get a K9 track. started.

He said uh. somebody ran out the back door. He's. intoxicated. It looks like somebody. wrapped a bungee cord around her neck. Okay. Where was Dude at when we got. here? He was outside. He We contacted. him. How? My first client. basement stairs leading into.

the basement. heading south. [Music]. [Music]. north back door. Do doors locked. Despite their efforts, the mysterious.

date seemed to have vanished without a. trace, and the search revealed no tracks. or evidence indicating where he'd gone. Back inside the house, there was nothing. the paramedics could do to save Norma. Too much time had passed with her airway. blocked, and she was declared deceased. at the scene. What officers didn't yet. realize is that Norma was the wife of. the late Charles Carricker, the former. mayor of Troy, Illinois. Since then, she's been trying to rebuild her life. with her son, Neil Howard, whose own.

father had also died tragically years. before. These details would become much. more important later on in the. investigation. But for now, officers had no immediate. clues to track down Norma's date. So, they brought Neil to the police station, hoping his sober recollection might help. clarify exactly what happened. Initially, investigators believed they. had a clear-cut case. Either Neil Howard. was responsible for his mother's murder. or the unidentified date she spent the.

evening with was. But they had no idea. Neil's interview was only the tip of the. iceberg. And soon they'd uncover others. close to Norma with strong motives to. see her dead. But before we get to that, have you ever wondered what your. ancestors were really like? My Heritage. is the easiest way to find out, which is. why I partnered with them. They can help. you build out your family tree and. uncover relatives you never even knew. existed. I started by entering My. Heritage's Magic 7, seven basic facts.

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completely free 14-day trial. Click the. link in the description or scan the QR. code on screen. Now, let's get back to. the investigation. Hey, what am I doing here, man? Do you recall. my music? Here's the thing. You are our. only link to any information at this. moment, but we have to get the key in. the front room. And now I'm going in the. wrong room. We have to get search. warrant them before we can do anything. Why am I here? Because you're our only.

link to information. Without you, we. have nothing. I need you over here. Okay. Yeah. I'll get you a bottle of. water. Just fine. [Music]. Everybody's going to be disappointed in. me. and killed my at the station. Neil's. severe intoxication prevented detectives. from reading him his Miranda rightites. or questioning him. They had no choice.

but to let him sleep it off overnight, hoping he'd be sober enough later in the. day. By morning, police were back at Norma's. home, preparing to speak with family. members arriving at the scene. Until. now, investigators only had Neil's. unreliable story to guide them. However, this would soon change as officers would. unexpectedly cross paths with their next. prime suspect. So, we're going to have we're going to. let the corner come out and talk to you,

too. Okay. Okay. Kind of explain a. little bit about Is my mom deceased? Yes, ma'am. Okay. Yes, ma'am. Is my. brother in jail? Uh, he's being talked to right now um. about cuz he was he lives here, too. So, we all just woke up and we all just kind. of Neil blew my phone up last night and. so I I just kind of had a feeling um. something What do you mean he blew your. phone up on Facebook? He told me that uh.

my mom had some guy over here and that. they were I guess having or something. like that. Um and it was gross and you. know. So, what time was that? Um 1:30. But I just wanted you guys to. know that there's probably a bunch of. people on their way right now to, you. know, my sister's coming. Neil's. girlfriend's coming. So, how did you get. alerted to this today? What exactly. happened? I got a call from my friend. that lives in this neighborhood back.

here. Mhm. At 5:50 a.m. I guess she was. maybe on her way to work and she called. to see if everything was okay. So, there. was a bunch of police at my mom's with. caution. Okay. Who was that? Who called? Her name is Lorie. When was when was the last time you. talked to Norma? Honestly, I haven't. talked to her. [Music]. It has been. probably I don't know. It's been It's. been several months.

When was the last time you talked to. Neil? It was last night before I went to. bed. What time was that? Um probably. around 11:00. Between 1 and two, I. missed a gazillion calls and I woke up. just a bit to go and then I couldn't get. any call and answer and I got and just. said we're just going to be here. That's. what was going on. So you said he text. you. Yeah, he was freaking out like I. can't understand how I do, you know. Do. you mind showing me those texts, please?

which is different than what he told our. officers said he hadn't made contact. with her yet. Yeah. So, as officers continued speaking. with Norma's daughters, Andrea and. Jenny, and Neil's girlfriend, Dawn, something odd quickly stood out. Despite. being informed that her mother had just. died, Andrea's demeanor was unusually.

upbeat. She seemed strangely calm for. someone who had just lost a parent in. such a violent way. But while officers. were still gathering statements, their. attention was suddenly drawn away when a. white pickup truck slowly drove by. Hi, is Norma. All right? [Music]. Well, she's a close friend of mine. Is. Norma all right? Well, we'll uh discuss. that in a little bit. Okay, sir. Terry.

De That's Terry Des. They had a very relationship. This was. the first time officers made direct. contact with Terry Deeds. Dawn confirmed. he was Norma's boyfriend, quickly adding. that their relationship was known to be. turbulent. Yet, when Terry drove by the. scene, he referred to Norma simply as a. close friend, clearly downplaying their. connection. These details quickly placed. Terry Deetsz as a key person of interest.

in Norma's murder. And detectives would. soon uncover that Terry not only had a. complicated relationship with Norma, but. also a tempting financial motive. So to move forward, detectives brought. Terry in for questioning later that day. They needed to understand the nature of. this relationship with Norma, confirm. his whereabouts on the night she was. killed, and most importantly, find out. if he had any hidden motives to want her. dead. Tell me, let me write your pencil.

You got to help me with some. information. Well, that's kind of what. we need you for, too, is we know you. know normal very well. Yes. Um, I know. you guys have been dating or in love or. something like that. Yeah. Yeah. I I I. never got really close close to normal. So, when is the last time you talked to. her? 7:45 p.m. last night. Oh, okay. Um, she asked me to come out to Lucky.

Rooster in St. Jacob. So, 7:45 p.m. at. Lucky Rooster. Yes. You were out there. and saw her? Yes. Was anybody else. there? I'm saying nobody else there or. anything of that sort. No, no, that's. the same table. Okay, perfect. Uh, no. No, no, not even at the table. Like, did. it look like there was a guy hanging out. at the bar? Like he was trying to hit on. her or talk to her or anything that Oh, I could I didn't have noticed. Okay, that's what I mean by that though. There's nobody else there type of. things. Terry told detectives he'd seen. Norma earlier that evening at her.

workplace, the Lucky Rooster. It wasn't. much, but it was the first solid lead. detectives had about Norma's final. hours. However, something about Terry's. demeanor caught detectives attention. Terry seemed strangely calm, almost. detached, despite learning that Norma. had just died under suspicious. circumstances hours ago. This lack of. emotion would soon make more sense when. detectives asked Terry about Norma's. will. Do you know if she had a will or.

life insurance policy or anything of. that sort that you would have been a. beneficiary? Yes, I am the beneficiary. on New York Life. Okay. What uh what is. it? How much? What What is it? You said. it's New York Life. Is it a life. insurance? It's a It's a life insurance. policy for on Norma. Yes. Okay. This. question wasn't asked at random.

Detectives had already zeroed in on a. critical piece of information Terry. wasn't aware of. After his suspicious. interaction with officers earlier in the. morning, detectives took a closer look. into his relationship with Norma. They. quickly discovered Terry was the sole. beneficiary of one of Norma's life. insurance policies and that just hours. after learning of her death, he had. already contacted the insurance company, urgently inquiring about collecting the. $14,000 payout. And the timing couldn't. have been more suspicious as Terry's.

call came shortly after he drove past. the crime scene and asked officers about. Norma's condition. With this revelation, Terry Deetsz quickly became one of the. prime suspects in Norma's murder. alongside Neil Howard, Norma's volatile. son, and her still unidentified date. Conveniently, once Terry started feeling. the pressure, he began pointing fingers. elsewhere. I told Norma. so many times that.

he needs to find another place to live. I told I he's going to in that kill. Why did you say that? He would get I. raped. I saw him get I raped. This was. several months ago at normal because she. wouldn't give him any money to to go get. boobs. She sat down doing that. I'm not. going to give you any more [ __ ] money. and blah blah blah. And he was tired.

Terry wasted no time deflecting. suspicion onto Neil Howard, characterizing him as an aggressive, violent alcoholic. Detectives saw. through Terry's tactic right away. But. this next statement would actually force. detectives to reconsider Neil as a. serious threat. Is there anybody else. you think of that we should talk to? Hey, you probably ought to talk to this. person or hey, this person. Somebody we. wouldn't know or would miss or hey that. would kill normal. Well, that would even.

know anything about Mormon or that could. relate anything to do with normal. As I. sat there this morning, I was thinking. about, you know, going through records and. stuff and what them kids would blame me. or accuse me of. because they know I didn't like them. because of the way they treated their. mother. They're they were very mean to. their mom. Well, what do you know about. your son now? Well, I know she had a lot of problems.

with him. Uh. um if I will, let me start with what I. know. He killed his dad. uh supposedly to go self-defense. Terry's claim here wasn't just a. defensive reaction. It was a troubling. fact that would compel detectives to end. his interview and shift their attention. On November 21st, 2005 in Mosquite,

Texas, Neil Howard shot and killed his. father, George Howard. According to. Neil, the two had been drinking heavily. and arguing throughout the day. The. fight escalated when George fired around. inside the home. Neil claimed that. during the struggle to take the gun. away, it went off, striking his father. through the eye and killing him. instantly. Neil was 26 at the time. He. called his sister Andrea who urged him. to contact the police. When officers.

arrived, they found him inside the house. severely intoxicated. Neil insisted it. was self-defense. He was arrested and. charged, but the trial ended in a hung. jury. Eventually, Neil was acquitted and. the case was closed. Now, suspicion hung. heavily over both men. Neil's violent. past was undeniably troubling, and. without corroborating his account and. locating Norma's date, detectives. couldn't clear him. Similarly, Terry's.

quick presence at the crime scene and. his suspiciously swift attempt to claim. Norma's life insurance meant detectives. needed to thoroughly verify his alibi as. well. Detectives needed to keep a close. eye on both men for the moment and focus. their investigation on identifying the. mysterious man Norma spent the evening. with. Fortunately, Terry had given. detectives a crucial lead when he. mentioned that Norma was working at the. Lucky Rooster on the evening before her. death. So, to verify this statement, officers visited Norma's workplace to.

speak with her co-workers and collect. any helpful information. When officers. arrived at the Lucky Rooster, they. discovered something crucial. Surveillance cameras that had captured. footage from that very night. What. detectives saw on those recordings would. open an entirely new set of questions. On the evening of September 12th, 2023, surveillance footage captured Norma. Carraker leaving the Lucky Rooster with. an unidentified man. This footage marks. the beginning of Norma's last known.

movements. Approximately 30 minutes. later, Norma and the same man were. captured by cameras arriving at the. Timeout Bar and Grill. Footage showed. them spending roughly an hour inside, talking, drinking, and appearing. comfortable in each other's company. before leaving together. It was the last. time Norma was seen alive. With a bungee cord used to strangle. Norma, detectives quickly concluded this. murder was personal, possibly a crime of. anger or jealousy. They speculated that.

this mysterious date could have turned. violent for some reason, strangling. Norma and fleeing before police arrived. The absence of forced entry further. supported Neil's story. Detectives now. urgently needed Neil's sober. recollection to identify and locate. Norma's date. After several hours in custody, Neil. Howard was finally sober enough to speak. with detectives. They needed his. recollection to gain some clarity. Without it, they had no way to identify. Norma's date or determine Neil's own.

fate in the investigation. She told me. usually expected about 8:30 and she said. she going to get company and I heard my. mom's voice and I sit there in the. bedroom think listen I heard the. bathroom banging off the either the. headboard or or the dresser. Is that. where they said? Yes. Okay. And then I. heard her saying you ain't got to leave.

You ain't got to go. And it wasn't. because of me making noise. I didn't. hear that. And I get up and check to. make sure that she the back door is. closed. And that's what you did. You. went upstairs to make sure I heard the. dog whining in her room. And did you go. in there? No, I didn't open it to her. door. Her door was closed. I went down. there. I was like, "Wer, come here. Weren, come here." And And you said the. door to her room was closed and the dog. was outside. No, the dog was inside, but. the door was cracked. My mom went.

hollering or my mom wouldn't answer. My. mom's a very voiceless person. All right. And the way it went silent. was eerie. What made you decide to call? Because my grandma had an uncle that. they tried to say he said with uh his. dad's father type thing. Right from the. start, detectives noticed Neil's story. wasn't adding up. On the 911 call, Neil. implied he had already found his mother.

unresponsive. But now in the interview. room, he insisted he didn't enter her. room until officers arrived. Neil would. continue giving fragmented accounts. throughout the interview, struggling to. clearly recall important details. But in. between his confused recollections, he. suddenly brought up another man. Someone. he claimed was actively manipulating his. mother. Norma, she got a guy. I tell you. this guy, I threaten this guy. Perry is his name and we and she pays. She don't need to work three jobs. Tom.

Carrick took care of all that. She has. no bills. This guy every day. He's she. just was on his side to sue my other. sister for 30 G's. This guy runs around. town. She's supporting this guy. You. just name Terry. Terry. Though the details were disjointed, Neil. seemed upset with Terry Deeds, the same. man already under suspicion of Norma's. murder, accusing him of taking advantage.

of his mother, draining her money, and. turning her against the rest of the. family. Neil's anger towards Terry. further confirmed detectives existing. suspicions, giving them even more reason. to closely scrutinize his involvement. But by now, Neil had been at the station. for several hours and was becoming. anxious, demanding to leave. Detectives. still didn't inform him of his mother's. death, and holding him any longer. without explaining why was becoming. difficult to justify. It was time to.

deliver the tragic news and brace for. Neil's reaction. I got to give my sister. very long. This is going to ruin. everything. Everybody think I want to. let her down slow and I don't want to. tell anybody's fault for nothing. Your. mom's deceased, right? No, your mom's. deceased. I said she was hurt. Your. mom's deceased. So that's why we're making this into. what we need to have you around. available for us. Okay. I'd like to see my sister. Oh, I heard.

you. Oh, sit down. Okay. No, you're not. leaving. You're not leaving. Yeah, you're not leaving. Oh, was that right? Your mother's deceased. The elder. One. of the person we know that saw her last. that we can talk to. I didn't see her. last night. You did, too. I seen her. last night. You walked in there when the. officers asked you to. You were the last. one there with her. So, you're the only. one we have. You're the last person that. saw her, correct? I didn't see her last. night until they told me to go in there. Absolutely. We know that. But then you.

spoke with her at 8:30. I knew it. You. spoke with her at 8:30. Call my sister. and let me talk to her. After learning. of his mother's death, Neil grew. increasingly agitated throughout the. remainder of the interview, eventually. requesting a lawyer and forcing. detectives to end their questioning. With Neil shutting down the interview. and refusing to cooperate further, detectives had no choice but to find. another way to identify Norma's. mysterious date. Hoping for a. breakthrough, investigators sent.

officers to search for additional. surveillance footage from locations. Norma and her date passed by that night. and they quickly hit the jackpot. One. security camera clearly captured the. vehicle Norma's date was driving. By. running the license plate, detectives. identified him as James Carter. Detectives urgently needed to speak with. James, the only other known person at. Norma's house that night besides Neil. When they first approached him, he was. uncooperative and outright denied seeing. Norma. It wasn't until officers obtained.

a warrant for his cell phone data that. he and his lawyer agreed to speak. On. the condition that James received. immunity and would not be subpoenaed for. the trial. Once immunity was secured, he. cooperated, provided a DNA sample, and. shared his account of the evening. James. explained that he met Norma on the. dating site Plenty of Fish and arranged. to meet at her workplace before heading. to the bar for a few drinks. After. leaving the bar, Norma invited him back. to her house, and they spent an intimate. hour together at Norma's. However, James.

insisted Norma was alive and unharmed. when he left around 11 p.m. Cell phone. data corroborated his story, placing him. back in St. Louis, where he lived, well. before the estimated time of Norma's. death. With James Carter officially cleared, the investigation was narrowed to two. suspects, Neil Howard and Terry Deetsz. Both men had means and opportunity. Both. shared complicated, deeply rooted. relationships with Norma. But without.

any physical evidence, detectives. couldn't solve this with timelines. alone. They needed a clearer. understanding of Norma's personal life. to pinpoint which of the two suspects. was more capable of killing her. To do. this, investigators brought Norma's. daughters in, Andrea and Jenny, as well. as Neil's girlfriend, Dawn, hoping their. insights would single out the likely. killer. However, these interviews would. instead reveal a hidden detail from. Norma's personal life. One that would. turn the very people brought in to help.

into potential suspects themselves. Sorry. So, I'd greatly appreciate taking time. to come to me. time and the patience. And then just like I said, my my biggest. issue is, you know, I I love my mom. Me and my mom. have always been super close, but this. Terry guy came in and. he has just totally broken her down. So,

do you think Neil could have had enough. of an issue to hurt your mom? I don't put it past him, especially when he's drunk and drugging. And. I mean, yeah. Tell me a little bit about what's. been going on with your mom. She was so in love with that man. It's. sickening, you know, and and just my. mom's relationship with Terry meant more.

to her, you know, than the relationship. with her daughter. Well, and I guess. what I'm saying is that Terry Terry just. uses my mom, you know, for her money and. caused her fat and, you know, she lost. just lost a bunch of weight. That being. said, she would look for love on a lot. of these dating sites and so when we. were living with her, she would Andrea, come here. You know, I mean, she was. talking to multiple different and I'd. even said to her one time, I'm like, you're going to end up dead. Like, you. don't even know who you're talking to. I.

mean, I've been over there several times. since then, and this is what I can tell. you. My mom and Neil are both. alcoholics. My mom doesn't handle hers very well. She um becomes very belligerent. Um, and every time she's been. belligerent with Neil, he always tucks. his head and goes downstairs. I know my. brother better than anybody in this. world. like I am my brother's keeper for.

real and. he wouldn't have he wouldn't have hurt. her. He wouldn't have I've been through. this before. I know. Andrea and Jenny's. interviews further confirmed that. Norma's relationship with Terry and Neil. was strained, troubled, and complicated. And Andrea's subtle mention that she'd. been through this before reinforced the. detectives concerns about the family's. violent past. However, when Neil's.

girlfriend, Dawn, entered the interview. room, she would reveal something. detectives never saw coming. A financial. motive powerful enough to make everyone. close to Norma a potential suspect. Three things come up. So, I wanted to go. over my car, ask you to. 6:00 this morning, no one knew what. happened and we all just pulled up.

Terry shows up. Well, what happened to. Norman? 6:00 in the morning, we all just. showed up on site. Terry should not have. known anything of what happened, but yet. he shows up in front of the house. So, Norma had a date last night. Um, I don't. know who it was. She goes on these weird. dating sites which I warned her about. You don't know who you're talking to, right? Norma has a habit of telling. people that she's got all this money. So. that's another thing to look into.

Everything in my body tells me Terry had. something to do with it. Nor was. extremely depressed all the time. Terry. is a big problem. Um if Terry thought. that his income was coming to a close, if she was dating, it would probably. make him very angry. She had an escrow. millions and millions and millions of. dollars. If Terry did the beneficiary and Norma. was gone, Terry gets up to $5 million. So, you're saying this year Norma would. have gotten Thomas State? Yes. Like $5.

million? Do we know that for certain? Cuz I say. that cuz I don't know that that he was. worth that much. Yeah, for certain. According to Dawn, Norma was due to. receive a multi-million dollar payout. from the estate of her late husband, Charles Carricker, a former mayor of. Troy, Illinois, and a longtime local. businessman. This revelation changed. everything. Suddenly, anyone close to.

Norma who knew anything about the money. had a potential motive. Neil Howard, her. financially dependent son, struggling. with alcoholism. Terry Deetsz, her. ex-boyfriend known for financial. manipulation, and even her daughters, Andrea and Jenny, who stood to inherit a. life-changing sum. With the suspect pool. rapidly expanding, detectives began. preparing to closely examine everyone. who might benefit from Norma's death. But before they get to that, they caught. a lucky break. Neil Howard suddenly requested to speak.

to detectives without a lawyer. He was. quickly brought back for a second. interview where he would finally provide. detectives with some clarity. Or so they. hoped. My mom, she she comes home from. one job. She works like three jobs. She's a sugar mama to more than one guy. She Do you know these guys? I know of. one, but somehow she going online.

and meeting guys. random random guys. coming in and out of the house. That's. got to be tough for you. It's her son. I. I usually gone. I usually leave or I'm. in bed. I'm sleep. I didn't even see her. yesterday. She goes from one job to the. other. And my sister was supposed to. come by and take me to her old house. which is in Troy to clean it to make. sure it was clean cuz she was showing. it. My sister didn't have showing up. I. I hear my mom upstairs. She comes in,

changes shirt, changes. She usually. gone. She usually um calls me when she's. leaving her other job to ask me if she. want anything to eat. She called me. later than usual. She called me. We. looked at the phone. She called me at. 9:30. I believe about4 after 9 and says, you know, about time. 9:30. And she said, "I got to have. company." which that means you can't. make a noise, you know. Don't make a.

peep. Don't go upstairs. You're not. there. Basically, I said, "All right, so. what? I got to hurry up." She said, "Just take all the clothes off the. kitchen table and throw them in the. laundry room." So, I took all the. clothes and threw them in there and I. pulled the door as close as I could so. nobody will see what was in there. So, I. didn't see her drop her car off, but. when I went back downstairs, I heard the. car door. I can hear it from the. basement.

Can't see nothing cuz the windows are. real high. I called my girlfriend one. more time and I said, "So, no chance of. you coming." She broke her foot last. weekend, so it's hard for her to drive. And I said, "No chance you coming. tonight?" And she said, "I can't, but. you got me all day tomorrow." And I. started sending her like love songs. and that and then I called my sister. again want to know why she didn't show. up. What am I supposed to do about. dressing? I'm giving her away on.

Saturday. I didn't want to wear a tuxedo. or am I wearing dress code? No answer. No answer. So I bugged her for a while. According to Neil, at around 10:30 p.m., he heard the sliding door slam shut, indicating Norma's date had left. While. this matched James Carter's statement, it didn't explain why Neil waited almost. 3 hours before calling 911, claiming. he'd found his mother unresponsive.

immediately after someone had just left. the house. Those missing hours were. critical to solving Norma's murder, and. the detective was about to put Neil's. timeline under intense scrutiny to. extract any major inconsistencies in his. alibi. Were you drinking last night? I was. What did you have to drink? You'll see. I got a big. um big jug. It was probably sitting. right there by my phone. I drink that on. that jug two days. So, I want to go back.

to I want to understand this a little. bit more. Why this particular night did. you decide to go check on her if that's. a normal? I went cuz I heard the back. door. So, you hear the you can hear the. sliding back door over the country. music. So, I could hear her talking to. the dog. Okay. And she was like, "Get in here.". And I heard her say to whoever was. there, "You ain't what?" hollering out. her door, hollering, "You ain't got to.

leave so fast." So, when you crack the. door to let the dog out of your mom's. bedroom? Yeah. Could you see your mom? I. thought she was sleeping. So, then why. did you call the police? I called my. sister and I called my girlfriend first. If your mom sleeps face down in between. pillows with a blanket over her, why? What made you decide to call the police? If that's a normal crying at the door.

This was the first major inconsistency. in Neil's story. He was now admitting. he'd entered his mother's bedroom and. seen her covered with a blanket, completely contradicting his earlier. claim that he didn't go in until. instructed by officers. But rather than. immediately calling him out on the lie, the detective decided to take a more. subtle approach, carefully empathizing. with him and probing the complicated. dynamics between Neil and his mother. The goal was simple, to encourage Neil.

to reveal why he hadn't been fully. truthful about that night. You don't. have a car. And and to me, I guess where. I struggle, and I feel bad for you. I I. do. I think that you got dealt a [ __ ]. hand cuz you poor guy been through hell. and back with health issues. And then. you have to live in this basement, all. the sewage, the broth. Yeah. And then on. top of that, you're expected to be quiet. every time your mom brings a new man. home. And you have to sit there and.

listen to her sex. And I tell you right. now, I I would be um I would be upset. This is a known fact. You can ask my. sisters, you know, by telling my mom is. dangerous. Your mom's dangerous? No. These random guys. Yeah. But you know what, man? sleeping. in a basement putting on earplugs to. avoid listening to your mom and have. random guys coming over and listen to. country music real loud and. Neil's acknowledgement of the tension.

between him and his mother was exactly. what the detective wanted. A grown man. financially dependent stuck at home. while his mother dated other men. Neil. openly acknowledged this uncomfortable. dynamic, yet remained emotionally. detached, showing none of the rage. previously seen during his arrest. As. the interview progressed, Neil's. responses began to slip, revealing more. contradictions and doubts about his. story. But one specific detail stood out. to detectives. Neil never once asked how.

his mother died. Most people facing such. news would desperately seek answers. Neil's lack of curiosity felt. suspiciously intentional, as if he. already knew. With this, detectives. wrapped up Neil's final interview with. uncertainty still surrounding his alibi. and shifted their focus back to Terry. Deetsz, their other primary suspect. After thoroughly examining phone. records, DNA evidence, and multiple. witness statements, detectives confirmed.

Terry was at home nursing a minor injury. the entire night, never leaving his. property after 9:00 p.m. Physical. evidence from the crime scene further. cleared Terry. Additionally, investigators carefully examined the. possibility of Norma's daughters, Andrea. and Jenny, having a financial motive due. to their substantial inheritance. However, their phone records and alibis. during the critical time frame were. verified, and detectives found no. additional evidence suggesting their. involvement in their mother's death. So,

with Terry cleared and Norma's daughters. rolled out, detectives were left with. just one suspect, Neil Howard. By now, it was clear Neil wasn't going to. confess. But detectives were confident. that the contradictions, inconsistencies, and his behavior. following Norma's death provided enough. proof to secure a conviction. Ultimately, investigators felt certain. Neil Howard was responsible for his. mother's murder, and they formally. charged him.

At the trial, prosecutors argue that. sometime between 10:30 p.m. and 1:30. a.m., Neil, heavily intoxicated and. increasingly volatile, entered Norma's. bedroom. An argument may have broken. out, or perhaps the tension had been. simmering all day. At some point, Neil. strangled Norma with a bungee cord, then. covered her up with a blanket. Instead. of immediately calling for help, Neil. repeatedly tried contacting his sister, Andrea, just as he'd done years earlier. after killing his father. Phone records.

revealed that Neil started calling. Andrea at 12:49 a.m. making seven. attempts to reach her. The final call. occurring at 1:30 a.m. moments before. dialing 911. The jury reviewed Neil's. shifting accounts, the physical. evidence, and his documented history of. violence. Prosecutors painted a clear. picture. Neil Howard was unstable, violent, and entirely capable of murder. On February 10th, 2025, Neil Howard was.

found guilty of first-degree murder. His. sentencing is still pending, but he. faces up to 60 years behind bars. Special thanks to My Heritage for. sponsoring this video. Dive into your. past right now with a completely free. 14-day trial. Click the link in the. description or scan the QR code on.