Family of pregnant woman killed in Portage Park share grief as accused shooter faces charges

CHICAGO (WGN) — For the first time Thursday, we heard from the family of a pregnant woman who was fatally shot last month in Portage Park, just two days after the accused killer faced felony charges in her case.

“Es muy doloroso esto. Le quitaron la vida a una persona que tanto amamos,” Edith Castrejon’s father said. “Ella siempre estuvo con nosotros. Ella siempre nos estaba buscando.”

Translation: “This is very painful. They took the life of a person we love so much. She was always with us. She was always looking for us.”

Castrejon’s father said she was always visiting them, taking over their three grandchildren with her, who are nine years, six years and six months old.

On Tuesday, the Chicago Police Department said 42-year-old Robert Pasco III was charged with one felony count of involuntary manslaughter involving a family member, one felony count of causing death or endangerment to a child, and three misdemeanor counts of child endangerment.

Pasco III is due back in court on Feb. 28.

Castrejon, who was pregnant at the time, was shot in the chest on Thursday, Jan. 16 in the 5800 block of West Newport Avenue. She was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, where she later died.

According to court documents, Castrejon and Pasco were sleeping in the same room with the three young children when prosecutors said Castrejon reached over and grabbed a gun under Pasco’s pillow, which caused him to wake up and fatally shoot her in the chest.

Castrejon’s child, a baby boy, was delivered prematurely and survived for seven days before he died of premature complications.

“Yesterday we were burying Jesus Castrejon,” one family member said. “Burying the baby was painful.”

Moving forward, Castrejon’s family said they are taking things day by day, with their main priority being the safety of the three children she left behind.