TROY, Illinois — Neighbors said it's not the norm to see yellow crime scene tape around white picket fences at a home in Troy, Illinois.
However, the yellow crime scene tape surrounds the home because police found Norma Caraker, 60, dead inside.
"We're very hurt. We're broken. It was very sudden. It took us all as a shock," Jenna Kuhner. said
Police went to Caraker's home on Lower Marine Road around 1:30 Wednesday morning to perform a wellness check and discovered her body.
Thursday afternoon, Madison County prosecutors charged Neil Howard, 45, with two counts of first-degree murder.
According to court documents, Howard was the woman's son. He's accused of strangling his mother which resulted in her death. Neighbors said he lived with his mother.
"I'm hurt. Norma was a very loving, bright and kind soul. She would do anything for her friends and family," Kuhner said.
Kuhner said her friend was a beloved mom, grandma and a dedicated waitress who worked at the Troy Family Restaurant for nearly a year.
Norma celebrated her 60th birthday just last week.
Kuhner told 5 On Your Side Caraker was also a server at the Lucky Rooster Restaurant in nearby St. Jacob, Illinois.
"She loved serving the public. She would work every day she could. She was a very hard worker and all she wanted to do was work," Kuhner said as she cried.
Jenna said her friend was also the widow of Troy's former Mayor Charles "Tom" Caraker who died five years ago.
Back in the Troy neighborhood, the murder of the popular woman in the town of more than 11,000 has hurt many. It's the second killing in the community in the past two-and-a-half weeks.
"It makes me feel a little uneasy. In a small town like this, you really don't hear of something like that so close together. I'm considering moving," Miriam Silva said.
"I want Norma to have the justice she deserves," Kuhner said.
Records also showed that Howard was charged with murder in Texas in 2005. However, a grand jury later refused to indict him.
Howard remains in the Madison County jail on a $3 million bond.