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Columbo again denied parole in Elk Grove Village triple murder

Patty Columbo, who as a young woman was considered the "mastermind" behind the violent slaying of her parents and brother in Elk Grove Village, has once again been denied parole.

Illinois Prisoner Review Board members Thursday voted 13-1 to keep Columbo in prison. Board member Edith Crigler was the only vote in support of granting parole.

Columbo, 60, and her former boyfriend, Frank DeLuca, 79, are each serving sentences of more the 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. The parole board voted to hear Columbo's case again in three years.

In April, the parole board unanimously denied parole for DeLuca.

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

The triple murder became a signature case in the career of recently retired Lake County Undersheriff Ray Rose. Rose, who investigated the homicides as a detective for the Elk Grove Police Department, has appeared at every parole hearing to fight the early release of Columbo and DeLuca.

Retiring cop fights killers' parole bids

DeLuca again denied parole in Elk Grove Village murders

'I can still smell that crime scene': Ray Rose recalls 50-year career

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