Norman McCaster was a 22 year old man who was murdered and dismembered by his wife in 2012 in Illinois. After an investigation, almost all of the evidence pointed to his wife Juatasha Denton-McCaster and she was sentenced to 78 years for his murder.
Norman Raymel McCaster was born on June 18, 1990 in Illinois. Norman was an Army National Guardsman and his father described him to be, “a wonderful son.” Norman and his 24 year old wife Juatasha Denton were high school sweethearts. Juatasha was a student at the University of Illinois, and the two were about to reach their 2 year anniversary at the time of Norman’s death.
On October 29, 2012 in Springfield, Illinois, a man was driving home after doing some hunting when he passed by a creek and saw what he thought was a dead deer. He continued driving and arrived home, however, he could not stop thinking about the object he saw. The man then asked a friend to go back with him to check it out. When the two men returned to the dark and wooded area, and they finally saw the object up close, they realized that it was not a dead deer.
WARNING ⚠️ graphic detail below
What the two men had discovered was a dead body. The remains were only a torso; the head, arms, and legs had been removed. Authorities were called to the scene, which was described to be incredibly gruesome. Investigators began to work on identifying the remains, but could not find any recent missing persons reports. Without being able to get fingerprints or use a face for a facial reconstruction, it was difficult for investigators to find out who this was.
The evidence investigators were able to find were discarded receipts from Walmart near the body’s location. The receipt included items such as: a reciprocating saw, respiratory masks, cleaning supplies, plastic sheeting, and blankets. The next day, the receipt was traced back to the credit card of Juatasha Denton-McCaster.
After this finding, investigators placed Juatasha under 24-surveillance to watch her actions. On the following days, she took some trash out to the curb of her house, which the detectives then obtained. As they search her garbage, in one bag they had found floor tiles, which Juatasha removed from her home. Investigators immediately found this odd, and the tiles were then sent to a crime lab for testing. They also found multiple bottles of Visine, or eye drops, which they were originally puzzled about. But they later found out that if Visine is ingested in large quantities, it can be fatal. As they continued searching through the garbage, they found one bag full of men’s clothing, including a soldier’s uniform. As they keep looking through this bag, they discover a man’s identification card. It belonged to Norman McCaster, Juatasha’s husband.
The detectives then contact the Illinois National Guard and learn that Norman did not show up for a mandatory drill. They later go to Juatasha and Norman’s home to talk to Juatasha. She was polite and did not act suspicious. Juatasha went on to tell the police that their marriage was suffering because of Norman’s supposed drug addiction. She claimed that the last time she saw Norman, he was leaving with some druggies with “nothing but the clothes on his back.” Later when speaking to Norman’s father Marcel, he stated that Norman had never done drugs and was not even aware that Norman was missing. He knew Norman would not have just up and left without telling him first.
As the investigation continued, investigators found more surveillance footage of Juatasha purchasing different items in a store, which included cleaning supplies and plastic covering. The investigators then contacted the Illinois National Guard to obtain a DNA sample of Norman’s. They were then able to finally match and confirm the remains found as being those of 22 year old Norman McCaster.
Norman’s father Marcel recalled the moment when he received the phone call confirming Norman’s death, stating how it “tore him”. At first, the investigators would not tell Marcel the manner of Norman’s death, but when he later arrived at the police station and the detectives revealed what happened to Norman, his father stated how he felt angry like he wanted to hurt someone, specifically the person who did it.
At first, investigators did not think Juatasha could be responsible for the horrific crime because of her background. She was a young, church-going woman who attended college, so they did not think she could’ve committed such a crime. But they were wrong. As the evidence began to pile up, they strongly believed that she was responsible for her husband’s brutal murder.
With some strong enough evidence, detectives ask Juatasha to come to the sheriff’s headquarters shortly before Thanksgiving. While interrogating her, Juatasha claimed she kicked Norman out after a heated argument a few days before their 2 year anniversary. She then stated that he took all his stuff when she kicked him out. The investigators had finally caught Juatasha in a lie because when they came to her house weeks before asking about Norman, she claimed he left with nothing but the clothes on his back.
After being confronted about this lie, Juatasha tried to stick to her new story that Norman had taken everything with him, but at this point, detectives knew she wasn’t telling the truth. The detectives then handed Juatasha 2 search warrants, one for the couple’s home and another for a DNA sample from her. She was then placed under arrest for the murder of Norman.
During Juatasha’s trial, incriminating searches found on her laptop that began in June were used as evidence. These searches included: “how to kill a spouse and get away with it” and “how to kill your husband”. A classmate of Juatasha also came forward as a witness, stating that she had borrowed a gun from him, and the next day she returned it and it was missing two bullets. Investigators assume that Juatasha must have shot Norman in the head, which is why his head was removed. The medical examiner also revealed that large amounts of visine was also found in Norman’s system, suggesting that Juatasha had tried to poison him with the substance.
Norman’s head, arms, and legs were never recovered, but investigators assume the Juatasha must have discarded them in a body of water somewhere in Chicago. During the trial, Juatasha still denied killing Norman, despite all of the obvious evidence against her. She tried to use her faith and church activism as a defense, but as a Youtube comment stated, “going to church does not automatically make you a good person!” On November 26, 2012, Juatasha was convicted to 78 years in prison; 55 years for first-degree murder, 20 years for dismemberment of a body, and 3 years for concealing a homicidal death.
What happened to Norman McCaster was so vicious and brutal, and to think that his own wife was responsible. Norman’s family remember him as the good-hearted soldier he was. His father Marcel states that he often mourns for his son alone and dearly misses him. Norman did not deserve what happened to him, but I am glad that justice has been served and his killer is put away. I hope that in the times to come, the rest of his remains will eventually be found.
Resources-
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