
In a courtroom scene that has stirred the Portage Park community, Robert Pasco, the man accused of fatally shooting his pregnant girlfriend, stood before a judge for a brief status hearing. Pasco, 42, was arrested following the death of 35-year-old Edith Castrejon, who was five months pregnant at the time of the incident on January 16. Despite the serious nature of the event, Pasco was not charged with Castrejon's murder but instead with unlawful use of a weapon, according to CBS News Chicago. The court has set his return for February.
At his residence in Portage Park, it's reported that Pasco had a gun tucked under his pillow when Castrejon purportedly reached for it, prompting him to wake up and shoot her in the chest, a statement gathered by the WGN-TV. Castrejon was pronounced dead at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, although doctors successfully delivered her baby, who was initially given only a 25% chance of survival. The couple's three other children were also reported to have been sleeping in the same room at the time of the shooting.
This case has drawn particular attention because of the weapon involved: a 9mm "ghost gun," an untraceable homemade firearm that can be assembled from a kit or produced with a 3D printer. Pasco, who has a history of weapons convictions, had allegedly hidden the gun in a closet before the police's arrival, as detailed by CBS News Chicago. Under the terms of his release, Pasco must report to his probation officer, attend future court hearings, surrender his Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card, and relinquish any weapons in his possession to Chicago police.
The decision by prosecutors not to file murder charges, but only a felony gun charge against Pasco has left many questioning the legal process. At his initial court appearance, prosecutors attempted to argue that he posed a clear and present danger, but the judge did not grant the state's request to detain him until trial, an event reported by WGN-TV.