Bond reduction denied for McHenry man charged in teen's '02 death

A Fox Lake business owner charged with murder in the 2002 disappearance of a teenage employee will remain locked up in the McHenry County jail after a judge Tuesday refused to lower his $5 million bond.

McHenry County Judge Sharon Prather sided with prosecutors who said Mario Casciaro, 26, would have motive to flee if he goes free on a lower bond while awaiting trial on five counts of first-degree murder and one count of concealment of a homicidal death in the slaying of 17-year-old Brian Carrick.

Casciaro, of the 2700 block of North Patricia Lane in McHenry, will plead not guilty to the charges when he is arraigned Friday, said defense lawyer William Gibbs.

Carrick, then a high school student, vanished Dec. 20, 2002, from Val's Foods, a grocery store near his Johnsburg home. Casciaro, who now owns a Val's Foods in Fox Lake, was his supervisor at the time. Traces of Carrick's blood were found in the store, but there has been no other sign of him since.

The charges allege he, or someone for whom he was legally responsible, struck Carrick in the head during an act of intimidation and unlawful restraint, causing his death. Casciaro then concealed the slaying, the indictment states.

Gibbs argued Tuesday that the $5 million bond his client has been held on since his arrest Friday was unreasonable given Casciaro's status as a longtime McHenry County resident and his willingness to surrender his passport and follow any other conditions imposed by the court.

"He has cooperated fully throughout this investigation," he said. "He is not a flight risk in any way. It's been seven years and during that time Mr. Casciaro has not fled the jurisdiction."

Assistant McHenry County State's Attorney Michael Combs, however, said Casciaro now faces more than 60 years in prison if found guilty, providing motive to flee that was not there previously.

"We do not believe that this is an excessive bond based on the nature of the offense," Combs said.

Prosecutors did not provide any additional details about the alleged murder or the investigation that led to Casciaro's arrest, as is often the case during bond reduction hearings.

Gibbs declined to comment on the allegations, other than to note that Casciaro is charged under an accountability theory, meaning he may not be accused of striking the fatal blow.

"That means there's a principal (offender) out there somewhere," he said.

Among family members on both sides in court Friday was Carrick's father, William Carrick, who said his family was relieved to learn of Casciaro's arrest last week. Asked about the long wait for an arrest since his son's disappearance, he said, "It didn't bother me."

"I knew that justice would eventually be served," he added. "What really bothers me is that this entire affair was totally unnecessary. It was just a stupid act."

The major break in the seven-year investigation appears to have come in recent months when, multiple law enforcement officials said, longtime suspect Shane Lamb agreed to cooperate in exchange for immunity for his role in the incident. A witness in prior criminal proceedings against Casciaro testified that the businessman told him he asked Lamb to scare Carrick, things got out of hand and "an accident" happened.