Your support helps us to tell the story
A man who stabbed his wife to death at a Bible study hosted by his sister has been sentenced to 33 years in prison.
Robert Castillo, a 41-year-old from Minnesota, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and apologized in court for killing his wife, ABC News reported.
Castillo and his wife, Corinna Woodhull, 41, were married for about two years and shared five children when they attended Castillo’s sister’s Bible study on March 21, 2023.
At approximately 9 p.m. that night in a home in St. Paul, Castillo leaned in close to his wife and reportedly whispered something in her ear, CBS reported.
She shook her head as if to say “no,” at which point Castillo pulled out a concealed hunting knife and stabbed her multiple times until the family was able to snatch the weapon from his hands, prosecutors said.
St. Paul police described a “chaotic scene,” with multiple people restraining Castillo before officers arrested him at the house, said CBS. Woodhull ultimately died at the hospital.
Castillo’s attorney, Mark Austin, said his client was unable to remember anything about the attack as he took so many drugs that morning.
Nevertheless, Castillo accepted responsibility for his actions, telling the court: “I’m taking full responsibility for my actions, even if I don’t recall anything that happened that day due to my... drug-induced psychosis.”
Woodhull’s family was hesitant about the marriage due to her Castillo’s troubled past, which included eight prior felony convictions, including second-degree assault for beating another woman with a hammer, according to ABC.
Her mother, Linda Castle, told NBC her daughter wanted to help people who couldn’t help themselves and “she thought she could save him.”
Police uncovered divorce papers in the victim’s car, which Castle assumes were a clear motive behind her murder.
“She knew it was time to walk away, and that’s why she’s dead,” she said.
In a GoFundMe that was set up in Woodhull’s memory, the family wrote: “She was a victim of domestic violence, her husband stabbed her at Bible Study and she was pronounced dead at the hospital. We want to raise money to help honor Corrina's life and legacy.”
Sentenced to 33 years in prison, Castillo is set to spend at least 22 years of his sentence behind bars, said CBS.
