Dr. Insanity - Drunk Son Realizes He Just Killed His Own Mother

Episode Date: October 1, 2025

Discover who you are with MyHeritage. Get a 14-day free trial — just click my link! https://bit.ly/INSANITY_MH Police are at the home of Norma Caraker 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 scream…. 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… This video was made for educational purposes only. The video is presented to provide genuine footage of police incidents to promote transparency in government while providing educational, informative and newsworthy content allowing viewers to examine and assess public safety material. This is a fact-checked documentary using authoritative sources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's up, dude? You go. Why do I have you? I'm telling you she ain't gonna get up. Police are at the home of Norma Kerracher 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 scream. Police department. Ma'am. Oh, shit.

Norma was already dead, strangled with a bungee cord. We need some other units to clear the house. This looks like a homicide. You might 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 linked information deal. Without you, we have none.

She had an escrow, millions and millions of dollars. Terry, did you look for my mom? He owed for her money, and I'd either second her one factor. 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 to make you want to slap your mom. I'm going to kill them off. 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. 9-1-1, what's the address, your emergency? What happened? What happened? Tell me back, who happened? My mom must have went on a date last night. I heard the guy leave out the back door and I hear shit. And I went up there and had a dog go.

And I went up there. My mom, I didn't hear my mom walked through the house. My mom is responding. Your mom's not responding? Does she need an ambulance? No, I didn't even want to go in there. Because they were like, bang, bang, bang. Does she get 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.

All right. What's up? I hear the dog wiring from the base. Mom tells me that she's got a date on the way. Okay. I guess it's that date on the computer, on the tenders or river. I don't know. I'm afraid to go in that room.

I hear the dog wiring in that room. So you live here, sir? I live in the room. I live in the basement, man, I opened my heart surgery a year and a half ago. 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, sorrow country music.

If she misses her husband or whatever, but she's bringing guys into the house there, thank you with them. So unfortunately, she can't do that. We can certainly check on her, though, and make sure she's okay if you live there. Please. Certainly. Man, the dog is wine. So you live in this house, though? I live in the basement.

Okay, so you live here. That's all I need it. Man, I'm like, the dog is trying to get out. Well, I tell you what, how about this? How about you go see you can get her to come out here before we go outside? 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 you got up? I'm telling you she ain't going to get up. Okay, but you can hear her? She's not aware. I did push her a couple times. She's what? Bleak not the mouth.

She's bleeding out tonight. I did it. Police department. Police department. You said she's got blood coming out of her mouth? I said she's not. She's called me, my won't. I don't believe.

Ma'am. Oh, shit. Officers stepped inside to find Neil's mother, Norma Carricker, 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. Hey, pop him, contain him. Where did that guy go?

I'm not out of the big door. Listen, for right now, this is your ventilation. 146. Can you roll out here? Listen, you're just being in the table. As Neil was detained and removed from the scene. As Neil was detained and removed from the scene, Officer Alex immediately began performing CPR on Norma. She wasn't breathing, but she wasn't breathing, but her.

her body was still warm, indicating she had only recently stopped breathing, and there was still hope she could be saved. Come here. Hey, LT. Yeah. This, come here real quick. She's still warm to the touch. Somebody strangled her.

This is homicide, man. So we've not cleared the rest of the house yet. Okay. I'm going to keep working on her. He's the sun's intoxicated. He said somebody ran out of 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 seven 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 canine unit was dispatched to track any trace of the mysterious. a suspect. He might want to get a canine track started. He said

somebody ran out the back door. He's intoxicated. It looks like somebody wrapped a bungee cord around her neck. Okay, where was he at when you got here? He was outside. He didn't, we contacted him. She's a towel. basement stairs leading into the basement stairs leading into the basement of the south

North, back door, door is not. Despite their efforts, the mysterious date seemed to have vanished without a trace, and the search revealed no tracks or, 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.

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with a 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, Gil. What am I doing here, man? You're gonna call my business. You're saying, here's a thing.

You are our only link to any information in this moment. But we have to get the search. You know, I can go out of the photo room. And now we're going there in the wrong room. We have to get to search one thing before we can do anything there. Why do I am I ever? Because you're our own. only link to information.

Without you, we have nothing. I need you over here, right? All right. Yeah, I'll get you a bottle of all. I'll just, it's fine. I'll get it for you. Everybody's going to be disappointed in me. I'm killed.

At the station, Neil's severe intoxication prevented detectives from reading him his Miranda rights 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 Neal'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 more. 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, because 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, I just kind of had a feeling, um, something What do you mean he blew your phone up? On Facebook. He told me that. my mom had some guy over here and that they were, I guess, having sex or something like that. And it was gross and, you know, so. What time was that?

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 had a call from my friend that lives. in this neighborhood back here 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 tape up. Okay. Who was that? Her name is Lori. She came. When was the last time you talked at normal? Honestly, I haven't talked to her. It's been probably, I don't know, It's been several months. When was the last time you talked to, Neil? It was last night for I went to bed. What time was that? Probably around 11 between one and two. I missed the gazillion calls.

And then I woke up, just we were to go. And then I couldn't get any call in an answer. And I got a fucking up. And I just said, we were just going to be here. I guess what was the one on. She said he text you? Yeah, I was freaking out. I can't understand how I do.

Yeah. Do you mind show me those texts? Mm-hmm. Please? As officers continued her as well. 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? She's a little friend of mine, is Norma all right? We'll discuss that in a little bit, okay, sir? That's Terry Deets. That's Terry Deets?

That's Terry Deets. They have a good, turbulent relationship. This was the first time officers made direct contact with Terry Deets. Don 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 Dietz 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 get me ready, utensil. You got to help me with some information.

Well, that's kind of what we need you for too. We know you know Norma very well. Yes. I know you guys have been dating or love or something like that. Yeah, man. I never got really close, close to Norma. So when is the last time you talked to her? 7.45 p.m. last night.

Oh, okay. She asked me to come out to Lucky Rooster at St. Jacob. So 7.45 p.m. at Lucky Rooster? Yes. You were out there in Sar? Yes. Was anybody else there? Just me.

Nobody else there or anything to that sort? No, no, that's the same table. Okay, perfect. No, no, not even at the table. table like it looked like there was a guy hanging out at the bar like he was trying to head on or talk to her or anything of that. Oh, I couldn't. I didn't have noticed. Okay. That's the key what I mean by that fellow. Yeah. 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 that sort that you would have been a beneficiary on? Yes, I am the beneficiary on New York Life. Okay. What is it?

How much? What? What is it? You said it's New York Life, is it her life insurance? 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. 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 Dietz 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's final question that, I told that he's going to me in that kill him. Why did you say that? He would get irate. I saw him get irate, this was several months ago, at normal because she wouldn't give him any money to go get boops.

She said, I'm done doing that, I'm not going to give me any more money with blah, blah, blah, and he blew his time. 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 Neal as a serious threat. Is there anybody else you think of that we should talk to? Hey, you're probably ought to talk to this person or hey, this person. Somebody wouldn't know or would miss or... That would kill Mortimer?

Well, that would even know anything about Norma. They could relate anything to do with Norma. As I sat there this morning, I was thinking about, you know, going to records and stuff what the 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 were very need to their mom well you know about her son with her now well I know she had a lot of problems with him if I will let me start with what's what I know He killed his dad, supposedly, who 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 21, 2005 in Mesquite, 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 12, 2003, surveillance footage captured Norma Carricker, leaving the Lucky Rooster with an unidentified man.

This footage marked 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 called me, you usually expect her about each other, and she says she's going to help me. And I heard my mom's voice, and I sit there in the bed and say, listen, I heard them up. I heard them bang off of it, either the headboard or the dresser. Is that where they were sexed? 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 took the back doors closed. And that's what you did. You went upstairs and make sure it was closed. I went upstairs. I heard the dog lying in her room. And did you go in there?

No, I didn't open to her door. Her door was closed. She went down there. I was like, Wiener, come here. Wainter, come here. 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.

I wasn't hollering. Her mom wasn't answering. Mawes are a voice person. All right, and way it went silent was hearing. What made you decide to call him? Because my grandmother hadn't necessarily

with my uncle, but they tried to say he said with his egg fire type of 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's got a guy, I'll tell you this guy, I'm trying this guy.

Perry, it's his name. And we, and she pays her, she don't need to work three jobs. Tom Carker took care of all right She has no bills This guy every day She just was on his side To sue my other sister For 30 G's

This guy runs around town She's poor in this guy He just knows him's Terry Terry's man 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. Detective 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. You know, I've got to give them shit to her very long. This is going to ruin everything, everybody's thing. I want to let her down slow. And I don't want to tell her that fault for none. You're going to go to the mom's deceased, right? No. Her mom's deceased.

I said she was hurt. The mom's deceased. So that's why we're making this into what we need to have you around available for us, okay? Okay. I'm looking to see my sister. Oh, wait. Let's get you. Oh, sit down, okay.

So you're not leaving. You're not leaving. That right. Yeah. You're not leaving. Your mother's deceased. The other person we know that saw her laugh so 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 officer's asked you to. You were the last one there with her. So you're the only one we have to her. 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 either. I knew it. You spoke with her at either. I caught 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 Dietz. 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. I really appreciate to take time to come in with me, so I'm in the patience. And then just, like I said, my, my biggest issue, is, you know, I love my mom.

Me and my mom have always been super close, but this hairy guy came in, and he has just totally broken her down. So do you think, you know, could I end up with an issue to hurt your mom? I don't put a testing, especially when he's drunk and drugging and, I mean, yeah. Tell me a little bit about what's going on with me. She was so in love with that man.

It's sickening, you know, and just my mom's relationship with Terry meant more to her, you know, than the relationship with her daughter. And I guess what I'm saying is Terry, Terry just uses my mom, you know, for her money and all her fat and, you know, she 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, Andre, come here. You know, she, I mean, she was talking to multiple different, and I 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 the other are both alcoholics. My mom doesn't handle hers very well. She becomes very belligerent, 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 to this before you. 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 detective's 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. God, I'm sorry. Three other things come up. So I wanted to go with my car. As we're just at least you.

Six o'clock this morning, no one knew what happened, and we all just pulled up. Terry shows up. Well, what happened to Norma? Six o'clock in the morning, we all just showed up on site. Terry should not have known anything or what happened, but yet he shows up in front of the house.

So, Norman had a day last. Norman had a date last night. I don't know who it was. She goes on these weird dating sites, which I've warned her about. You don't know who you're talking to you. 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. Normally is extremely depressed all the time. Terry is a big problem. If Terry thought that his income was coming to a close, if she was dating, they were probably making very very much. They were probably making very angry she had in an escrow, but millions and millions of dollars. If Terry's been a fishery, and Norma's gone, Terry did it up to five million hours. So this year, Roma would have gotten to Tom's State?

Yes. Like, $5 million? Do we know that for certain? Because I say that, I don't know 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 Dietz, 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 comes home from one job. She works like a great job. She's a sugar mom to more than one guy. She, do you know these guys?

I know one, but somehow she going online and meeting guys random, random guys coming out of the house. That's got to be tough for you with her son. I used a gone, I use the lead, I'm in bed, I'm asleep. I didn't even see her yesterday. She goes from one job or the other, and my sister was supposed to come by and take me to our old house, which is in Troy, to make sure it was clean because she was showing it.

My sister didn't have shown up. I can hear my mom upstairs. She comes in, changes, shirt changes. She's usually gone. She usually calls me when she's leaving her other job, to ask me that she wanted anything to eat she called me later than usual she called me you look at the phone she called me at 930 a little bit quarter after 9 and says just a quarter of time she said 930 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 and said all right So when I got to hurry up, she said, just take all the clothes off the kitchen table and throw them in the laundry. 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 because 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 week, and it was hard for her to drive. And I said, no chance you're coming in the night. And she said, hey, I can't, but she got me all day to come along.

And I started sending her, like, love songs and that. And then I called my sister again. I wanted to know why she didn't show up, and what am I supposed to do about dressing? I'm giving her away on Saturday. I didn't want to wear a tuxedo on my wedding dress called No answer, no answer, so I loved 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 three 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?

Like, you'll see, I got a big, um, big jug. It was probably sitting there right to buy my phone. I drink that on that job two days. So I'm going 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 because I heard the back door. So you hear the...

You can hear the sliding back door over the country today. 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? Howling out her door. hollering you ain't got to believe so bad so when you crack the door to let the dog

out of your mom's bedroom you know could you see your mom I thought she was sleeping so that why did you call the police I call my sister and I call my girlfriend's 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 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 to me, I guess, where I struggled, and I feel bad for you, I do.

I think that you got dealt a shit in hand, because you poor guy, you've been through hell and back with health issues, and then you have to live in his basement. Oh, the sewage, the rocks. 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 asses. And I tell you right now, I would be

upset. This is a known fact you can ask my sisters. You know, I'll go tell him my mom is dangerous. Your mom's dangerous? Oh, these random guys. Well, yeah. Yeah, but you know what, man? Sleeping in a basement

putting on earplugs and avoid listening to your mom have sex and have random guys coming over and listen to country music grow loud at all. 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 Dietz, 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 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 analogies 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 1249 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 10, 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.

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