Michael Romano gets life in prison for killing dad, stepmom
Calling his actions "disgusting," a judge sentenced a former Algonquin man to life in prison Thursday for killing his dad and stepmom for their inheritance.
"The defendant's actions in this case were disgusting," Judge Sharon Prather said. "It was an execution of his parents prompted by greed. It's unforgivable."
A jury convicted Michael Romano, 56, in early October of gunning down his father, Nick Romano Sr., 71, and his stepmother, Gloria, 65, in their Cary-area home in November 2006 to get a share of a $2 million inheritance.
The double murder went unsolved until Romano was charged in early 2014 and brought back to McHenry County from Las Vegas.
During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Romano was $135,000 in debt, used a specialized ammunition in the murder, lied to police about where he was and what he was doing the night of the murder, bragged to a store clerk he was getting a large inheritance, and acted indifferent and cold about the murders afterward when he met his mistress.
Romano, however, didn't know his father had cut him out of his will years before the murders.
Under Illinois law, a life prison sentence is mandatory for a person convicted of killing two or more people.
Nick Romano Jr., who testified against his brother in the trial, attended the sentencing but did not address the court and declined to comment afterward.
McHenry County Assistant State's Attorney Patrick Kenneally said Michael Romano lied from the beginning.
"This man has the heart of a reptile and the conscience of a thief," Kinneally said, "and yet, like any true sociopath, wears this false mask of victimhood that he has crafted for one lie after the next. The sickest part of this entire affair, aside from the execution of Nick Sr. and Gloria, is that in some twisted way, he believes every lie he told."
McHenry County Assistant Public Defender Angelo Mourelatos said Romano maintains his innocence and did not have any previous criminal offenses before the murder conviction.
Romano is appealing his conviction. He declined to address the court when given a chance to apologize.
Afterward, Kinneally said investigators reviewed their evidence in late 2013 and decided to take the case to trial.
"It's refining what you have and after we were able to do that and look at it in its totality, we thought we could win the case," Kinneally said.