Trial Underway In Murder Of Teen Whose Body Was Never Found
WOODSTOCK, Ill. (CBS) -- The trial is underway for a man accused in the apparent murder of a McHenry County teenager whose body was never found.
As CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman reports, Brian Carrick disappeared in 2002 at the age of 17. His father, William Carrick, has been in the courtroom during the trial of the man charged with murder in the case.
William Carrick said he doesn't harbor any anger about his son's death anymore.
"I'm not looking for revenge," he said. "I just want it to be over so I can go on with my life."
It's like one part of that life has been stuck in time. In 2002, William Carrick's son Brian disappeared.
At the McHenry County grocery store where Brian Carrick worked – one that bears a different name now – police found the teenager's blood, but they never located his body.
Former federal prosecutor Tad DiBiase, an expert on no-body murder cases, says new technology makes it easier than ever to prove conclusively that a missing person was probably murdered.
"It's a lot easier than even 20 years ago to show 'Hey, this person hasn't used their cell phone. They haven't updated their Facebook status. They used to update things every day,'" DiBiase said.
DiBiase says when there is no body, prosecutors bring only the strongest circumstantial cases to trial.
"They've got to believe there's a better than 50 percent chance to win," DiBiase said.
Asked if he thinks he'll ever know what happened to his son, William Carrick said, "I'm hoping that will come out in the trial. Whether or not they produce a body … I don't really think that's important anymore."
What is important, he said, is resolution. So William Carrick, who surrounds himself with pictures of his family, has been going to court every day to see if resolution comes.
Mario Casciaro, 28, has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and is currently on trial.
"Mario allegedly was selling dope and I think he coerced my son into working for him," William Carrick said. "Somehow, yeah, things got out of hand."
Prosecutors have said Casciaro had another person rough Brian up over money owed and the teen ended up dead.
People in Johnsburg haven't forgotten. They want closure, too.
"It's a small town. You know, there's just not a highly populated town and most people know everyone else," Johnsburg resident Mike Mlynski said. So when one family loses a child, it's like every family lost a child.
"I think about Brian every day," William Carrick said.
Casciaro, who worked at the supermarket with Brian Carrick, was cleared of an earlier related case. In this case, prosecutors have said he's responsible for Carrick's murder.
Carrick's father will be back in court Thursday. His mother passed before this trial's charges came to light.
