A St. Paul, Minnesota, man was sentenced Friday to life in prison for stabbing his wife to death during a family Bible study in 2023.
Robert Castillo, who had a history of drug abuse and criminal activity, pleaded guilty in the case and was sentenced to more than 33 years in prison for the death of his wife, Corina Woodhull. KARE 11 Reported on friday.
“According to prosecutors, Castillo and the victim were attending a Bible study at the home of Castillo's sister on the evening of March 21, 2023. Witnesses said Castillo leaned in and whispered in Woodhall's ear, then pulled out a hunting knife and stabbed him at least 20 times,” the news outlet reported.
Castillo's family members disarmed him, and witnesses told authorities they feared he would hurt others at the scene if they didn't intervene, Local 12 said. Reported on sunday.
image show The men and victims involved in this incident:
Castillo's lawyer said his client had taken so many drugs that he didn't remember anything after that morning.
“Even though I cannot remember anything that happened that day due to drug-induced psychosis, I take full responsibility for my actions,” Castillo said afterward.
The victim's mother, Linda Castle, described her as a person who loved people and wanted to help them, but her family had encouraged her not to marry Castillo because of his history of felony convictions.
Her mother said, “She believed she could save her husband, that with her love they could live together.” Investigators later found divorce papers in the victim's car.
Woodhull appeared to be trying to help people in prison get a new start in life, said her father, Randy Kirschman.
In a statement to the court, he said, “If ever there was a justification for the death penalty, it would be this.” show Castillo's ruling:
The man's lawyers have filed a motion seeking a reduced sentence, pointing to the trauma of the man's childhood.
“But Ramsey County Judge Richard Kyle Jr. said he had not proven the defendant was incapable of understanding his actions that night and sentenced him to 400 months in prison (33 and one-third years), with a minimum of 22 years to be served,” the KARE report said.
