Son charged with strangling his mother to death in Troy case

Teri Maddox
·3 min read
Norma Caraker, 60, was found strangled to death in her Troy home on Sept. 13, 2023. The beloved metro-east waitress was known for telling funny stories to her customers.

Editor’s note: This story was updated Friday morning to include new details and clarify that Neil Howard was living in Troy at the time of his mother’s death.

The son of a Troy woman who was found dead in her home early Wednesday under suspicious circumstances has been charged with her killing.

The office of State’s Attorney Tom Haine charged Neil A. Howard, 44, of Troy, formerly of Maryville, with two counts of first-degree murder late Thursday afternoon, Madison County Circuit Court records show.

The victim, Norma Caraker, 60, had been married to former Troy Mayor Charles “Tom” Caraker before his death in 2018. She lived at 600 Lower Marine Road, just inside Troy city limits. Howard had moved in with her, according to family members.

“Defendant (Howard), without lawful justification, and with the intent to kill Norma Caraker, strangled Norma Caraker, thereby causing the death of Norma Caraker,” the complaint states.

Troy police responded to Norma Caraker’s home about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday after receiving a call for a welfare check, according to a news release from Haine’s office on Friday morning.

“Officers were met at the residence by Howard,” it stated. “Inside the residence, officers located Caraker, unresponsive and not breathing. Efforts to resuscitate her were not successful. Howard was taken into custody without incident.”

Associate Judge Ronald Slemer set Howard’s bail at $3 million.

As of Friday morning, Troy Police Department hadn’t announced the charges on its Facebook page, where it has been posting updates on the case. Its last post on Thursday identified Norma Caraker as the victim.

“We’re releasing her identity for now, and we should have some follow-up information, hopefully by this afternoon,” Troy Police Chief Chris Wasser told the BND Thursday morning.

Police had announced the death on Wednesday but didn’t name the victim. A news release stated that a female had been found unresponsive and not breathing with “obvious injuries not consistent with a natural death.” An autopsy was being conducted by the Madison County coroner’s office.

Property records show that the white frame house at 600 Lower Marine Road is owned by the Charles T. Caraker Trust.

“As soon as we have additional information, we’re going to put it out,” Chief Wasser said Thursday morning of Norma Caraker’s death. “I want to be as transparent as I can without compromising the investigation.”

Norma Caraker worked as a waitress at Troy Family Restaurant in Troy and The Lucky Rooster Pub & Eatery in St. Jacob.

Tom Caraker served the city in various capacities for more than 30 years, beginning as a planning commission member in 1979, then as an alderman and finally as mayor from 1997 until 2013. He also owned Flo-Systems, a water and wastewater treatment equipment design and sales service firm based in Troy.

Norma and Tom Caraker had a blended family with five children, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren, according to an obituary and a BND story at the time of Tom Caraker’s death at 73.

Howard is one of Norma Caraker’s three children from a previous marriage, according to family members.

“I commend the Troy Police Department and the assisting agencies for their tireless, thorough work,” Haine stated in Friday’s news release. “Thanks to the efforts of our local police agencies — and the efforts of community leaders past and present — we have safe neighborhoods in Madison County.”