Man facing manslaughter charge in shooting death of pregnant girlfriend in Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A man already facing weapons charges in the shooting death of his pregnant girlfriend in Portage Park has been arrested on additional manslaughter and child endangerment charges.
Edith Castrejon, 35, was five months pregnant when she was shot and killed on Jan. 16 at her home in the 5800 block of West Newport Avenue. Doctors were able to deliver her baby, Jesus, but he died one week later.
Castrejon's boyfriend, 42-year-old Robert Pasco III, who fathered Castrejon's baby and three other children, originally was charged with one felony count of unlawful use of a weapon and one misdemeanor count of possession of a firearm with out a valid firearm owner's identification card, and was released from custody two days after the shooting.
On Monday, Pasco was arrested on additional charges, including one felony count of involuntary manslaughter, one felony count of child endangerment, and three misdemeanor counts of child endangerment.
According to court documents, Pasco was sleeping with a gun under his pillow on the night of the shooting, when Castrejon reached over and grabbed it. Pasco woke up and fired the gun, killing Castrejon.
Castrejon's and Pasco's three other children were sleeping in the same room at the time of the shooting.
Pasco is due to appear for a detention hearing on the new charges on Wednesday.
According to court records, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has granted custody of their three children – an 8-year-old boy, a 4-year-old girl, and a 6-month-old girl – to their grandmother, who has obtained an order of protection against Pasco.
A judge granted the order of protection on Jan. 21, after the children's grandmother signed an affidavit claiming she was concerned for the children's safety while Pasco was on pretrial release, and feared he would harass and stalk her and the children.
The order of protection prohibits Pasco from going to the grandmother's home, her place of work, or the children's schools, or from contacting the children or their grandmother.
Prosecutors have said Pasco has multiple previous convictions on weapons charges.
