Son charged with mom's murder in Mt. Prospect slaying

Cook County Judge Kay Hanlon set bond at $5 million Friday for 43-year-old Mount Prospect resident Paul Castronovo, who police charged with first-degree murder in the death of his 76-year-old mother, Mary.

Mount Prospect police went to the victim's home on Debbie Drive Thursday after another son reported his mother missing. The defendant, a married father of three who also lives in the home, greeted them at the door.

Police discovered the body in the furnace room covered with a rug, said Assistant State's Attorney Kristin Piper. A Cook County medical examiner indicated strangulation as the cause of death.

Castronovo, who has no criminal background, admitted in a videotaped statement to police that he strangled his mother almost a week earlier on Dec. 12, authorities said. He has also been charged with concealment of a homicide. He next appears in court on Jan. 16.

Mary Castronovo's death and Paul Castronovo's arrest came as a shock to Doris Giustino, who said she has lived next door to the family for 42 years.

"I never saw any fighting or strife in the family. It's hard to believe," she said.

"This is something I never expected to happen. These are the kind of people who went to church all the time. She had prayer groups in her home. I never thought something like this could happen."

Paul Castronovo, an attorney, had always lived in the home and both he and his mother attended St. Emily Catholic Church, she said. Paul's dad, Joseph, who owned a produce store in Chicago, suffered a heart attack while driving about 40 years ago and died in the ensuing accident, Giustino said. Mary Castronovo never remarried.

Paul Castronovo was married in Poland and has three daughters, the oldest about 6, she said. He has two siblings, an older sister and a younger brother.

He would frequently be seen walking around the neighborhood, and Giustino said she'd last seen him doing that a couple of weeks ago.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=259274">Foul play suspected in Mount Prospect death <span class="date">[12/18/08]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>