Former Algonquin Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Father, Step-Mother

A former Algonquin man has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering his father and step-mother at their Cary-area home in 2006.

Michael Romano was sentenced to natural life plus 50 years in prison in a McHenry County courtroom last week. A jury in October found him guilty of first-degree murder for gunning down his father, Nicholas M. Romano, and his step-mother, Gloria Romano, McHenry County State’s Attorney Louis Bianchi said in a news release.

Prosecutors presented evidence during Romano’s trail that showed he had $123,000 in debt when he shot his father and step-mother in their home in November 2006 with the hopes of getting a share of a $2 million inheritance, the Daily Herald reports. Romano did not know that his father had cut him out of his will. 

“The defendant’s actions in this case were disgusting,” Judge Sharon Prather said. “It was an execution of his parents prompted by greed. It’s unforgivable.”

Romano, who was most recently living in Las Vegas, was taken into custody in 2014 for the murders, which occurred at 6206 Kilkenny Drive in the unincorporated Crystal Lake area on Nov. 19, in 2006. The investigation into the couple’s death had remained open and active for seven years prior to the arrest.