A Chicago man has been charged in connection to the tragic deaths of a pregnant woman and her newborn child. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Robert Pasco III was apprehended and is facing one count of involuntary manslaughter of a family member, a felony count of causing the death of a child, and three misdemeanor counts of child endangerment.
Pasco, 42, was arrested on Tuesday, and his detention hearing is duly scheduled for the following Wednesday. The incident in question unfolded on January 16th, in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago. Edith Castrejon, aged 35 and five months pregnant, was shot in the chest while lying in bed. Pasco purportedly told officers that the gun, which was kept under a pillow, discharged when he believed Castrejon had tried to move it while his hand was also near the weapon, according to a police report obtained by The Chicago Sun-Times.
Castrejon was rushed to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where the baby was delivered by emergency cesarean section but faced critical condition with a "25% chance of survival." The child, named Jesus Castrejon, tragically passed away seven days later. Pasco was previously charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a convicted felon and misdemeanor possession of a firearm without a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification card, making this incident part of a troubling pattern.
During the time of the shooting, three other children were present but not physically harmed—two girls, ages 3 and 4, and a 7-year-old boy. FOX 32 Chicago reported that Pasco was later detained in the 1400 block of East 52nd Street.
