DeLuca again denied parole in Elk Grove Village murders

Frank DeLuca, a convicted murderer in one of the suburbs' most notorious killings, has once again been denied parole.

Illinois Prisoner Review Board members voted unanimously Thursday to keep DeLuca, 79, in prison for the slaying of three Elk Grove Village family members four decades ago.

DeLuca and his former girlfriend, Patty Columbo, 60, are each serving sentences of more than 200 years in prison for killing Columbo's parents, Frank and Mary, and her teenage brother, Michael.

Under Illinois sentencing laws as they existed in the mid-1970s, DeLuca and Columbo have a right to parole hearings every three years. On Thursday, the parole board voted to hear DeLuca's case again in three years.

The parole board will vote on Columbo's case May 25.

DeLuca and Columbo brutally killed the family members, repeatedly stabbing, beating and shooting them in their home in May 1976.

Retiring Lake County Undersheriff Ray Rose, who investigated the case as a detective for the Elk Grove Police Department, has attended parole hearings for both prisoners to oppose their release.