[music] >> No one would have thought this moment would be her last. That night 60-year-old Norma Jean Carraker returned home from a date in Troy, Illinois, unaware that someone was lurking inside her own house. Within hours Norma would be found dead in her bed, strangled with a bungee cord. Only cams provides body cam footage for transparency and educational purposes only. >> Oh. >> It all started earlier that evening when Norma, after finishing her shift at work, went on a date with James Carter. Moments later police would receive a call from her son, Neil Howard, 46. >> That she's uh, got a date on the way. >> Okay. >> And she works like three jobs. This is where I was raised. So, I was throwing all the kids stuff like all the laundry out the kitchen table, throwing it in the laundry room. I don't want to see nothing. I guess it's that date on the computer. I'm afraid to go in that room. I hear the 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. >> Okay. So, what is your concern? >> So, I'm about to move out this weekend. Everything went silent and I heard the guy go out the back door. >> Okay. Is your mom okay? >> I I'm scared to open the door. >> Okay. Where's your >> I hear the dog whining behind the door. Everything just went shut up and she goes she she turned the country music on real loud so I can't hear. >> So, she did that? >> My mom does it every day. Blasts it. Some old uh, sorrowful country music. >> Okay. >> She misses her husband or whatever, but she's bringing guys in the house. >> So, unfortunately, she can't do that. Um, >> She had she had a 5-year thing where she wasn't allowed to do it. when that 5 years was up she started doing it. >> Well, she's allowed to have What I'm trying to convey to you is she's allowed to have people in the house cuz it's her house. We can certain We can certainly check on her though and make sure she's okay. >> Please. >> Certainly. >> But I hear the I heard the I heard the back door the sliding door open she goes, "You ain't got to go. You ain't got to leave." >> So, you heard her? >> I heard her. >> So, she's okay? >> That's the last I heard of her. >> Okay. 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. What's up, dude? >> You go. >> Why do I have to go? >> I'm telling you she ain't going to get up. >> Okay, but you can hear her? >> She not a word. I didn't push her a couple times. She was breathing out of the mouth. >> She what? >> Breathing out of the mouth. >> [sighs] >> Police department. You what? >> I TOLD YOU THAT. >> MA'AM. POLICE DEPARTMENT. >> YOU SAID SHE'S GOT BLOOD coming out of her mouth? >> I said she She not I heard her die. >> Oh, [ __ ] She's Where'd that guy go? >> Turn around. >> He went out the back door. >> Listen, listen to >> Right now, let's see if he's breathing or anything. >> 146 K9 roll over here. >> You [ __ ] kidding me? >> Listen, you're just being detained, okay? You got anything you're not supposed to have in your pockets? Sit down. You're fine. Just relax. You're fine. You're fine. He's advising another male left, but he's highly intoxicated. The way he's acting, how drunk he is, I think this might have been his doing. So, I got him detained, but they're going to do a K9 track behind the house to make sure cuz he said he heard the sliding glass door close like somebody ran out the back. So, he's either making up a story so the dogs tracking now. I'm going to go have the EMS check on the dude that I detained and see how he's doing. So, just hang out and stay sitting and they're going to check on you. They can check on you right there. Listen, you ain't getting out of the car, my man. You ain't. I'm telling you right now. You're going to sit there and they're going to check on you. >> You already hurting me, man. >> That's fine. That's why they're going to check on you but you're not getting out of the car. You can't. >> Oh, I'm mad. I shouldn't have been back here. >> I want to see my mom coming out on the journey. >> Before I get into anything else, do Again, I I have to re-emphasize you reinitiated a conversation with me. I can [ __ ] with you if you want me to but I want to make sure you understand your rights. >> How long will I be here? >> Well, here's the thing. We We just want to make sure that we We owe it We owe it to We owe it to your mom to make sure we do it correctly. That's all this is. Oh, I'm happy to sit down with you. Are Are you okay with that? >> I don't know what the hell I'm doing here. I need to talk to my sister. >> Well, and again, I can I can I can maybe talk to my lieutenant. I'm not making any promises or anything like that but >> This is crazy, man. I was supposed to give her away at at a wedding uh today or tomorrow or any other day. >> No, it's in 3 days. I talked to her. >> And I'm not going to be there. >> I'll be happy to go and talk to you whoever you want if you want me to. I just want to make sure that, you know, again, I'm here for you. >> You talked to the guy that was on the phone that she worked for a while. >> We're working on that right now. We're working on every single stone. Nobody said you're in any trouble. Nobody did. >> Why am I in here? >> Like Neil, here's here's something you got to understand. When we get a call like that >> I go >> I know. >> the dog was whining and then there someone was and then I heard somebody leave. >> I got you. [clears throat] All All I want to make sure you understand your rights, okay? Uh you have the right to remain silent. Do you understand that right? Yeah, I just want to clarify, too. Uh you do understand your rights. You had asked earlier for an attorney, but you had since said to me that you wanted to speak to me again on your own accord. Is that true? >> Yeah. >> So, you do want to talk to me and you understand your rights, correct? >> Yes, sir. >> Okay. I want to start from the very beginning and let you tell me a little Tell me what happened. Tell me what's going on. >> My mom, she she comes home from one job. She works like three jobs. >> Okay. >> She don't have dude. She She got She's a sugar mama with more than one guy. She >> Do you know these guys? >> I know uh one. But somehow she's going online. >> That's got to be tough for you as her son. >> I I usually I usually gone. I usually leave. I'm in bed. I'm asleep. She call me earlier than usual. She call me You look at the phone. She call me at 9:30. I leave by quarter to 9:00. She usually home by about that time. 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. He He leaves the door open. >> So, you Let me make sure I understand this. So, you're telling me that your mom went to her second job and you You're like, "Hey, where you at?" And she's >> I She called me. I I usually expect her call back then. >> And what time was that? >> It's about 9:15. >> What's her second job? >> The Rooster. >> Oh, in Saint Jacob? >> Yeah. >> Okay. So, she She's already at her second job and she says what? >> What What I have to do for a ride? >> Where did you want to go? >> I wanted to go to my sister's house cuz she was showing the house >> The one in Swansea or the one in Granite? >> Okay, you told me You made You made the comment that you were looking to buy a house, right? >> I can see if I want the house or not, but at the same time while they're remodeling the apartments, I can watch the property and make sure they don't vandalize it or steal stuff. It's stolen. >> When you heard the doors close and your mom left, what time was that? >> About 10. >> So, you heard the door close, your mom leaves. So, >> I heard the >> It's around 10:00. >> Yeah, I heard the car going. Went back like three times and threw them in the laundry and threw them in the laundry and you tried to hurt them and pull the door closed. >> At what point did you go decide to go and check on your mom? >> I'm winding and they were gone. I heard the sliding glass door, the back door. >> What time was that? >> This is probably 10:30. Yeah, I'm guessing they went to a bar for a minute or something. But, I never seen the guy. Couldn't even hear his voice because I don't know if she was talking to the dog or talking to this guy. But, I know they went in the bedroom because there were all kinds of noise. >> So, what happened? So, you're hearing that you're hearing your mom. >> Mom. >> What time What time did that happen? >> I seen the dog like This This is probably 12:00. When you guys at 12:30. I I didn't have I didn't know it was you cuz I I was going to call my sister and tell her I'm freaking out here. >> Tell me about your relationship with your mom. Was it good, bad, off and on? >> It's been really good here lately. >> You have to live in this basement >> All the sewage, the raw sewage. >> Yeah. And then on top of that, you're expected to be quiet. Every time your mom brings a a new man home and you have to sit there and listen to her have sex. >> And she brags about it on the phone. Whoever she's talking to, "My husband is a millionaire." and >> Well, let me ask you something, man. I can tell you right now, I give everybody respect. I've been cool with you since the very beginning, right? And there's one thing about me is I don't I don't beat around the bush and I don't play games. I'm a straightforward guy. You said you wanted to talk to your sister, I made it up, right? You wanted some food, I got you food, I got you your medicine. You name it, I can work with you, okay? >> I'll talk to my girlfriend. >> And you know what? I'll see what I can do. All right? But if there's one thing I want you to understand about me, a lot of the questions that I'm going to ask you, I already know the answers to it. I just want to make sure that you're being honest with me. I don't have any judgment toward you in any way, shape, or form. I think you're a good dude. And I think you're a good man. Bad situation that made this difficult for you. Focus on the truth. And let's get through this. Right now, we are right in the middle of jumping at all of the all the answers that we need. Our forensics guys, did you know that they spent they spent like 3 hours out there processing that scene. They they pulled skin from underneath your mom's fingernails, and they lifted DNA, they I mean, I'm telling you right now the technology and the forensics that these guys can do don't even I mean, they don't even compare to what's on the TV. You'd be shocked what they can find underneath a fingernail. I'm willing to start over and make sure that I have the story straight. I can't wait to to get the results from the skin that they lifted underneath her fingernails. Because if there was any kind of struggle whatsoever, anybody got scratched, it doesn't take anything for DNA to show up underneath her fingernails. >> How do you know she passed until we got here? >> No. I have no idea. What happened to your pants? Why do they get all wrong? >> these these are work pants. You see paint on them. >> But you're saying that they've been like that? >> They've been like that, man. That's my girl. >> Well, I have to ask. You have to understand that, right? >> I didn't even think nothing of it. >> I'm not accusing you. I'm just asking you. Did you guys ever get into a physical argument or >> Never. One time in my life we got physical. >> Not one time with your mom? >> Never. Not one. >> I got you. Let me ask you something. >> Never in my life. my sister tell you anybody that knows me will tell you. >> You know what? I'm trying to I'm trying to wrap my head around this. 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 thing to do. >> crying at the door. I let the dog out knowing that before she went to bed, she let the dog out. And he was out freaking out a little bit shaky. >> Let me go check on to see if she's all right. Couple more last minute questions and then I'm done, okay? Let me ask you something. Some straight up questions, okay? There were some bungee cords that were in your mom's room. Do you know where they came from? >> No. >> Have you ever seen those before? >> No, not in my room. Not a lot of room in there. >> And you know what? Like I said, we're we are almost done getting that material so where we can review it. Hey, I noticed there's a couple more marks on you that I wanted >> What are they asking? >> Like where do they come from? You have a scar a scratch on your forehead. >> fell down in the basement with the ledge. >> When did you do that? >> The other day. >> Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh, but I can see you doing that. I've been I went down in the basement. That's a low hanging area there. So you smoked your head you said on the Where did What did you hit your head on? The top of the >> There's a thing I made um the thing that says protect this house with a cross. And there's a thing hanging down that says cameras in use. >> Mhm. There was another thing. You had a a fresh scratch there and like what looked like a like a hook cut. Did you When did you cut yourself or how did you hurt yourself? >> I was in the garage. >> So if you're telling me you got that scratch from cut hit your head on the ceiling, there will be a scratch mark on the ceiling where you hit your head. So I'm going to go back cuz we have a search warrant on that house. So I can say, "Yep, he told me the truth." That's my goal. I want you back up what you're telling me. >> Uh they're going to they're going to do a sexual sexual assault kit. They're going to scrape her fingernails. They're going to swab her body. It's going to show whoever touched her whose DNA at certain spots that they take it. And then some some of those spots are going to be key areas of where injuries were and things that we've seen that look suspicious and unnatural that a normal person would die from natural causes. >> This is to eliminate you as a suspect unless you're the one that caused the death of your mother. Then it will show that it's you. When this is all said and done and you are not the one that did this, guess what I get to say. There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that Neil had nothing to do with this no matter what your sister says, no matter what your daughter says, no matter what your neighbor says, no matter what your uncle says. What I want you to do is I want you to go on opposite sides. One is going to be on one side. Scrape your cheek real good and kind of roll it. >> It turns out forensic teams found DNA under Norma's fingernails. She had fought her killer. That DNA belonged to her own son Neil Howard. DNA from the man she went on a date with James Carter was also found, but investigators confirmed it came from their consensual sexual activity. Traffic footage and the timing of Norma's death proved he had nothing to do with the murder. On May 21st, 2025, Neil Howard was sentenced to 30 years in state prison. During the investigation, a video made by Neil himself surfaced revealing chilling details that aligned with the crime. >> [music] [bell] [music] >> So, what make your mama. Somebody better come over here before that happen. Barbecue, so good make you want your mama. >> If you like content like this, please like and subscribe.