A former Marine recruiter will spend the next 40 years in prison for a random, brutal attack on a sleeping child.
Ricardo Perez Castillo, 25, was sentenced last Wednesday for breaking into a stranger’s home last June and stabbing an 11-year-old girl during a sleepover. Investigators say Castillo entered the house around 3 a.m., armed himself with a kitchen knife, and went upstairs to find victims.
The attack was described as completely random. Prosecutors revealed chilling details in court, stating Castillo admitted to detectives that he intended to kill everyone inside and sexually assault the girl.
“I Remember the Smell”
The emotional toll of the attack was laid bare during the sentencing through a victim impact statement read by the prosecutor.
“I remember being in a lot of pain on the floor,” the 11-year-old victim wrote. “I remember seeing all my blood everywhere. I remember feeling warm running down my body from the blood. I remember the smell of it.”
The girl wrote that she remains terrified, noting she never guessed an “innocent sleepover” would end with her hospitalized with severe injuries.
The homeowner also addressed the court, dismissing Castillo’s defense regarding alcohol consumption. He described the trauma of cleaning up the blood and the necessity of moving his family out of the home entirely to escape the memory of the event.
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A Courtroom Apology
In a dramatic turn during the hearing, Castillo knelt on the courtroom floor to offer an allocution. Claiming he had “found God” and was a “lost person” at the time of the attack, he asked the families and the community for forgiveness.
“I can’t imagine all the nightmares,” Castillo said. “I can’t imagine anything that you have felt for the past 15 months. But I’m sorry. I’m truly from the bottom of the heart.”
Despite the plea for leniency and forgiveness, Judge Mims issued the 40-year sentence, citing the “egregiousness” of the random violence.
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