On January 15, 2025, Mark Crites pled guilty to the September 2022 murders of John and Gloria Norgaard. Crites was sentenced to life in prison, as is required by Illinois law when more than one life is taken.
Circuit Judge John Madonia determined that the defendant had a mental illness as defined by Illinois law that was present at the time of the murder, leading to a guilty but mentally ill finding. Under Illinois law, a person convicted of murder, but found to be mentally ill, is sentenced to the Illinois Department of Corrections. In this case, the defendant is sentenced to a term of natural life in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
On September 11, 2022, deputies from the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a home on Southwind Rd. for the report of a person down. When they arrived, deputies located a female with a gunshot wound and later found a male who had also been shot. Both victims died from their injuries. The firearm used in the murders had been taken from the home, along with a vehicle belonging to the Norgaards. The vehicle was found the next day in Macoupin County, occupied by Mark Crites, who was still in possession of the firearm used in the murder.
During the hearing on Wednesday, Judge Madonia heard from a family member of John and Gloria who told the Court that the Norgaards "were good people and [Crites] took good people away from us." The Court also heard from Crites, who apologized to the Norgaard family.
State's Attorney John Milhiser said, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of John and Gloria Norgaard. Hopefully, the convictions and sentence today help to bring them closure. I want to thank the Sangamon County Sheriff's Department for their professional and thorough investigation into this tragic case."
The case was prosecuted by Sangamon County First Assistant State's Attorney Mary Beth Rodgers.