Illinois prosecutors moved quickly after police say a suburban St. Louis man killed his mother and tried to erase the crime by blowing up her house.
A 38-year-old Illinois man is now facing murder charges after investigators allege he suffocated his elderly mother and attempted to disguise the killing by triggering a potentially explosive fire inside her home.
Police say the case unfolded after a routine welfare check turned into a violent death investigation with interstate implications.
Officers with the O’Fallon Police Department were dispatched to a residence in the 1300 block of Bossler Lane around 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 27 for a well-being check.
Inside the home, police discovered the body of 72-year-old Terrie Nguyen. Authorities quickly determined her death involved violence and was not natural.
Investigators zeroed in on her son, David Nguyen, identifying him as a person of interest almost immediately.
Police say that focus intensified as evidence pointed toward deliberate actions taken inside the home following Terrie Nguyen’s death.
According to charging documents, David Nguyen allegedly attacked his mother during an altercation inside the house.
Prosecutors accuse him of striking her in the face and suffocating her by placing plastic wrap over her nose and mouth, a method described in court filings as intentional and fatal.
Police allege the violence did not stop there. Investigators say Nguyen then attempted to conceal the killing by creating conditions designed to destroy the home and any remaining evidence.
Court records accuse him of turning on unlit gas burners on the stove, allowing gas to fill the house, and leaving behind a lit candle with the intention of causing an explosion.
The alleged attempt to stage a fire marked a turning point in the case, according to authorities, who say the plan failed before any blast occurred.
Police moved quickly as the investigation escalated from a suspicious death to a homicide case.
As officers worked the scene in O’Fallon, Nguyen allegedly attempted to flee Illinois. Law enforcement agencies were alerted, and a search effort began within hours of the discovery.
“Efforts to locate him were immediately initiated,” O’Fallon police said. “At approximately 4:30 p.m. that same day, the Missouri State Highway Patrol located David traveling westbound on Interstate 70 near Concordia, Miss.”
Authorities say Nguyen refused to stop when troopers attempted to pull him over.
“David attempted to flee from troopers but was taken into custody following a crash on I-70 at mile marker 51,” police stated.
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Nguyen was transported to a local hospital for treatment following the crash and later charged with felony fleeing.
After his release from medical care, he was transferred into the custody of the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department.
St. Clair County Prosecutors charged Nguyen with one count of murder with intent to kill or injure and one count of concealment of a homicidal death. He remains in custody pending extradition back to Illinois.
Police have not released a motive, but court records outline a violent sequence that investigators say unfolded entirely inside Terrie Nguyen’s home.
Terrie Nguyen, 72, was known locally for her work at a nail salon in nearby Collinsville. After news of her death spread, customers shared tributes and messages of remembrance on social media, describing her as kind and hardworking.
While the Illinois case centers on alleged suffocation and an attempted arson cover-up, authorities in other states have reported similarly disturbing cases involving adult children accused of killing their parents.
In Massachusetts, prosecutors detailed a separate investigation involving a 26-year-old man accused of shooting his mother multiple times inside her home.
Police say the suspect, Anthony Nunez-Romano, made statements suggesting he would inherit the house whether his mother was “dead or alive.”
When officers conducted a wellness check at the Methuen residence on Dec. 29, they discovered the body of 55-year-old Dominga Romano. Her body was found wrapped in a comforter, with paper towels around her face.
“Officers immediately observed signs consistent with rigor mortis,” Assistant District Attorney Paige Timko told the court during Nunez-Romano’s arraignment. “Her body was cold to the touch.”
Prosecutors allege Romano was found on the second floor of the home, where her son also lived. She suffered gunshot wounds to her hip and neck.
Investigators later recovered a firearm from a kitchen drawer, along with spent shell casings located near Nunez-Romano’s wallet.
During the initial response, police say Nunez-Romano claimed his mother had been shot through a window. Authorities say evidence at the scene contradicted that account.
Family members and witnesses told investigators that Nunez-Romano had a history of aggressive and unstable behavior.
A cousin alleged that his fixation on the house led him to pressure his mother to transfer ownership to him.
Nunez-Romano pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail. He is scheduled to return to court for a probable cause hearing on Feb. 20.
In another high-profile case, Las Vegas police arrested a 27-year-old man accused of beating both of his parents to death with a baseball bat.
Authorities say the suspect, Adrian Bailey, contacted police himself shortly after the attack.
According to police reports, Bailey called dispatchers just before 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 27 and admitted to killing his parents, telling authorities he “killed them” and “couldn’t take it anymore.”
During a second call from a different location, Bailey allegedly told dispatchers that “officers need to kill [him] on sight” because he was a danger to himself and others.
When asked if he had harmed himself, he reportedly replied that he “hadn’t killed himself yet, but had ‘done some others.’”
Police traced the calls to a home in the 6400 block of New Brunswick Avenue.
Inside, officers found Roger Bailey and Kristine Bailey suffering from severe blunt force trauma in the living room.
Roger Bailey was pronounced dead at the scene, while Kristine Bailey later died at a local hospital.
Investigators say a baseball bat was used in the killings. Bailey was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on two counts of murder with use of a deadly weapon.
