Edith Castrejon, a 35-year-old Hispanic woman, was fatally shot on January 16, 2025, in her home in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago. She was five months pregnant at the time of her death. The shooting occurred in the early morning hours while Castrejon and her boyfriend, 42-year-old Robert Pasco III, were in bed. According to Pasco, he had a firearm under his pillow, and when Castrejon reached for it, he fired the weapon, striking her in the chest.
Castrejon was rushed to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where doctors delivered her baby, Jesus Castrejon, at 5:48 a.m. Tragically, Castrejon was pronounced dead at 6:24 a.m., and her newborn son succumbed to his injuries a week later.
Initially, Pasco was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and misdemeanor firearm violations. However, as the investigation progressed, authorities filed additional charges against him, including involuntary manslaughter and felony child endangerment. Three other children, aged 3, 4, and 7, were present in the home at the time of the shooting but were unharmed. Following Castrejon’s death, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services granted custody of the children to their grandmother, who later obtained an order of protection against Pasco.
Pasco, who has prior convictions for weapons-related offenses, was released from custody two days after the shooting but was later arrested again on the new charges. Prosecutors sought to detain him pending trial, citing concerns for the safety of the children and their grandmother. The case has drawn attention due to the circumstances surrounding Castrejon’s death and the tragic loss of her newborn son. Authorities continue to investigate the incident as Pasco awaits his detention hearing.
