The eldest son, Nick, still struggles to make sense out of such a senseless loss. "She was forward and her hair had been pulled in front of her face and the ligature was pulled around and on top of the hair, and been pulled," said Det. "One of the children had noted -- his attention to detail was pretty amazing for someone that young -- he had noted to us that the bed did not look right when he went in his mother's bedroom that morning looking for her, the bed was made but it was not made the way she did it," said McCaffrey. Strong Castle, a government IT solution provider, was blasted this week by Congress for alleged fraud related to more than $500 . "No one's prints, and it looked like there was white marks, there was nothing there, it was wiped down. ", "This was a very quick but very savage attack," said Alejandra Rueda. And at 8:09 I see a figure that looks suspiciously like him, I couldn't identify him 100 percent, running down the street at 8:09 and enter that house. She had obtained a protective order against her husband. may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other Joseph F. Kovar. According to court documents obtained by News4's Julie Carey, Michelle had accused her husband of being physically abusive and threatening her before they separated. His trial was a heartbreaking affair as the jury sat through painful testimonies determining what happened on that fateful night. 2021-01-04T16:12:20-05:00 Horrific: Northern Virginia CEO Braulio Castillo (right) is charged with brutally beating his wife Michelle (left) to death then trying to cover it up by hanging her body from a ceiling The. Michelle and Braulio Castillo purchased and then ran a small Leesburg-based IT company called Strong Castle, which had been awarded $500 million worth of IRS contracts in 2012. All rights reserved, Julie Carey, Northern Virginia Bureau Chief, was convicted in June of killing his wife, Michelle Castillo, Coach Mentors District Heights Kids Through Basketball, Man Shot Trying to Stop Scooter Robbery in Northwest DC, Witnesses Say, 7 Bodies Found During Search for Missing Oklahoma Teens. Don't let the image of their picture-perfect Colonial household in Virginia fool you: According to their oldest son, Nick, behind closed doors, Braulio and Michelle Castillo were struggling to save their marriage. LEESBURG, Virginia - June 4, 2019. Privacy Policy | Reports even state that the couple's eldest son, Nick Castillo, filed a wrongful death lawsuitagainst his father. Adding to the drama, another key witness has an even more difficult time showing up in court to testify against Braulio: Nicholas Castillo. At present, Braulio Castillo is still incarcerated in the Buckingham Correctional Center in Buckingham County, Virginia. He moved into another house the couple owned in the same subdivision a few blocks away. Strong Castle attractedcongressional scrutiny in 2013 when it was revealed that the company had received preference on government contracts because Braulio Castillo claimed he was a service-disabled veteran. He had injured his ankle playing football at a military prep school in 1984. "It was very hard from the standpoint of This is my dad, I didn't want this to be my dad, it looks like my dad, this could be my dad, I think it's my dad, it is my dad -- I had to go through that process to slowly but surely make my way to the end of where I said it was," said Nick Castillo. According to Loudoun County Sheriff's lead investigator Detective Mark McCaffrey, the children woke the next morning, March 20, 2014, and called their father in a panic. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and "And so, you know, if you can't trust the lead detective, how can you trust the evidence?". He came under fire during a hearing last summer, when Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, a veteran who lost both legs in Iraq, scolded Castillo for getting a disabled veteran status for his company, Strong Castle, based on a high school football injury. Please share a memory of Michelle to include in a keepsake book for family and friends. When Michelle Castillo was found slain in her Ashburn home in March 2014, five children were left without a mother. Loudoun Circuit Court Judge Stephen E. Sincavage set sentencing for Oct. 6, where he can impose the jurys sentence, suspend or reduce it, but not increase it. "And I asked him 'How did you know it was your dad?' In 2012, he filed a claim with the Veterans Affairs office to get the special status as a service-disable veteran. Briefs on the motion revealed that Loudoun Sheriff Mike Chapman had refused to reappoint McCaffrey as a deputy on the eve of the trial because McCaffrey didnt support Chapman for reelection. A mother of five goes missing, only to be found dead in her mansion basement. Every memory left on the online obituary will be automatically included in this book. Michelle was a loving mother to five children. of the site will not work as intended if you do so. State v. Garcia, 596 So.2d 1237, 1239 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1992). That was when authorities finally managed to recover Michelles body from a bathroom in the basement. Ive lost my mom, but Ive also lost my dad. SJc#M' But who could've staged it? Police tell News4 that Braulio Castillo was seen on a neighbor's security camera entering Michelle's home on the evening of March 19, just minutes before she came home. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly The following day, they issued the sentence of life plus 16 years. Read More: Joel Zalsos Murder: Where Is Franco Sevandal Now? Career; 1991; 1992; Batting Game Logs. He looks like a big guy himself, perfectly capable of lifting his wife. Thus, armed with concrete proof to build their case, Braulio was arrested and charged with Michelle Castillos murder. My football injury prevents me from doing repetitive lifting and seeing the photo of the couple, I do not think I could get her up in a noose by myself. The jury will return Tuesday to consider a sentence, according to the. services we are able to offer. They adopted their first two children, then had three of their own. information. Michelle Lee Castillo, 43 years old, of Ashburn, Virginia, passed away on March 20, 2014. Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. His marriage was over and his wife was going to take him to the cleaners. Thus, they began checking security footage of the evening and noticed that around 8:09 pm, a figure reportedly resembling Braulio entered the house. Northern Virginia Bureau Chief Julie Carey reports. Gel Manicure Risks: Dermatologist Shares Tips on Shielding Hands From UV Light, Metropolitan Police Department (DC Police / MPD), Family Awaits Return of DC Mother Missing for More Than 3 Weeks, 5 Reasons to Choose a Family Medicine Doctor. Loudoun Chief Deputy Commonwealths Attorney Nicole Wittmann argued that Castillo did not want his ex-wife controlling access to his children and wanted to share his life with a triathlete he had begun dating. I am a PI who did a lot of insurance fraud cases. Braulio Castillo, the president of IT contractor Strong Castle, was arrested April 1 by Loudon County, Va., authorities and charged with first degree murder in the death of his estranged wife, Michelle. 44 Virginia Castillo, 29 Candido Castillo, 60 Martin Rudzinski, 63 . This article was published more than6 years ago. Castillo won a . When Michelle Castillo was found hanging from a showerhead in her Ashburn, Virginia, home with an electrical cord around her neck, her family was dumbfounded. Additionally, Castillo's firm enjoyed a special status as a HUBZone company under a Small Business Administration program that gives preference to firms located in designated neighborhoods. We all know it.. A subscription to PACER is required. The prosecution questioned Castillo's alibi, namely the black eye he received the night she died and his trip to his friend's house. Soon a divorce case started. By the end of the first day of deliberations, the jury reaches its verdict: guilty of first-degree murder. "I know that she was seeking somewhere in the neighborhood of $14- to $17,000 a month in child support," said Nicole Wittmann. He had been free on $2 million bail, according to the report. Other Resources & Links. For her part, Michelle Castillo maintained an unbreakable bond with her kids and sought to re-build her battered self-esteem. Braulio Castillos DNA was found on her bed and on her sweatshirt, prosecutors said. The two were in the middle of a bitter divorce and custody battle. Sincavage ruled that Greenspun could not have used the report, and denied the motion. He staged the mother of five's death to look like a suicide, prosecutors have said. The children were staying with her and were surprised to find her missing the following morning. The government procurement system is so broken. "And Mr. Castillo I think realized that this kid is going to come popping out and come back into this room looking for this security blanket, and so what the little boy said was that his father appeared and brought him his little 'lovey' blanket, he said he didn't say anything to him, but he gave him the blanket," said Wittmann. Michelle Castillo, a 43-year-old mother of five, was found hanging in a basement shower on March 20, 2014, apparently having taken her own life. Wittmann said she had never conducted a trial where so many of the victims friends were present every day. Its not about whether he has been and continues to be a good person, the judge said. A Virginia IT company inappropriately secured $500 million worth of IRS contracts based on false statements and ties to an agency official, according to a congressional staff report released on Tuesday. "What was interesting to me was when we dusted the shower stall there were no prints, nobody's prints," said McCaffrey. internet device. This may impact the Now if somebody stepped in the shower their fingerprints would be on there -- there were no fingerprints on there.". Castillo has been under investigation by Congress over $500 million in contracts secured through a special service-disabled veteran status law. This is the same guy that was dressed down by Rep. Tammy Duckworth last year in a hearing regarding preferred contracting. Family and friends are coming together online to create a special keepsake. The Castillo children called their father in the morning when they couldnt find their mother. Braulio Castillo'ssister spoke on his behalf, asking for leniency and citing his charitable work. "We feel that he disabled her very quickly and got her unconscious very quickly.". Braulio Castillo is accused of killing his estrangedwife, Michelle Castillo, and trying to make the death look like a suicide, according to media reports.Michelle Castillo's body was found March 20. You do the crime, you dont get a pass., Local news, weather, sports, events, restaurants and more, Kids rip Ashburn CEO for murder of their mother, judge imposes life sentence, Daves Hot Chicken will have you begging for more, and maybe for mercy. Braulio Castillo was immediately sent to jail Monday night. We just wanted to be here to see it come to culmination. %PDF-1.4 % You wake up and realize it isn't a nightmare; you relive it.". After a jury in June convicted their father, former IT executive Braulio Castillo, of first-degree murder, three of the children tore into him in a Loudoun County courtroom Friday as a judge. If true, this guy has been taking liberties with the contracting process and is a loose cannon at home. used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. But there is no sign of any intruder or possible suspect. "And the dog immediately ran down to the basement and alerted in the shower, where Michelle was hanging. He also moved right down the street from his estranged wife. browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking Her funeral service will be held in the Smith Center at McLean Bible Church, 8925 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, Virginia 22182 on Sunday, April 6, 2014 at 1 pm. Word of Michelle's disappearance reaches oldest son Nick, who's away at college. NBC Washington notes that court documents show Michelle Castillohad accused her husband of being physically abusive and threatening her before they separated and that she had a protective order against him. will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Get the must-read daily newsletter covering FCW community. He got so many govt. But it will take two weeks for DNA tests to confirm whose blood. Braulio Castillo . Defense experts testified that her injuries could have been caused by hanging herself. I heard part of an interview at Congress, I think it was, where he was questioned by a REAL disabled veteran who goes through life feeling like nails are being rammed into her foot 24/7. McCaffrey thinks he's got his man, but he's about to be dealt a shocking blow that could destroy the entire case. I agree to the use of my personal data by Government Executive Media Group and its partners to serve me targeted ads. 18 0 obj <> endobj 17 0 obj <>stream Although the death looked like a suicide, the autopsy told a different story. More Castillo Pages. Roseman, described by Castillo as a friend, declined to testify before the oversight panel. Circuit Court Judge Stephen Sincavage presided over the six-week jury trial in 2016. Initially, the police decided to look for intruders around the midnight mark but were unable to find any. "She was adamant that that protective order stay in place, and in fact when he had visitation with the children, he was not allowed to pick them up or drop them off at her house. "And then he comes down and he tells me he's on the phone with his lawyer and his lawyer has advised him not to speak to me. The neighbor called police while Braulio Castillo went home. Warner Bros. Entertainment | The case is set to be reviewed on May 26, 2017. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org But he did not speak Friday, or show any emotion as his children vilified him, or react when Loudoun Circuit Court Judge Steve Sincavage sentenced him to life in prison without parole plus 16 years for murder, burglary with intent to commit murder and violating the protective order his wife had obtained against him for repeated spousal abuse. "He locked her in a closet once for a couple of hours, demanding that he have sex with her," said Wittmann. That night, Michelle Castillo went out for celebratory drinks with a group of runners because she had just qualified for the Boston Marathon. But something about this suburban tragedy doesn't sit well with investigators. Thats the prep school football injury disabled veteran? Soon, forensic evidence begins to support that conclusion. Investigators can't be sure yet. However, you So it struck me almost immediately that this doesn't seem like somebody who would voluntarily leave her children alone.". When he arrived at the home, he asked a neighbor to help find Michelle because he couldn't enter the house due to the protection order. Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active. The Castillos were active in McLean Bible Church, Braulio Castillo coached his kids sports teams, and the family was well-liked in Ashburn. Braulio Castillo is now a prime suspect -- but cops first need to prove that Michelle's death was murder, not suicide. She was 43, and the couple had been married 18 years. Detective McCaffrey has the solemn burden of calling Nick, who then had to tell his siblings. The shower in her master bathroom was running all night, water records showed. web. Michelle G. Castillo, was found dead in her home on March 20th when police entered the home to check on her wellbeing. The sheets had been changed, the bedding was gone. McCaffrey finds Braulio Castillo relaxing in a local coffee shop and arrested him on the spot. Va. husband accused in wifes death testifies that he did not harm her. Michelle Castillo had made certain that her estranged husband did not have the code. ", "It looked like it was staged," said Nicole Whittmann. Preferences menu of your browser. According to reports, Nick Castillo (the eldest son of the couple) filed a wrongful death lawsuit against him. Sincavage could impose or reduce the sentence, but not increase it. "At Christmastime, I was taking my kids on a family vacation to Williamsburg for a Christmas light festival and I got the call that I wasn't coming back," said McCaffrey. After Loudoun sheriffs deputies watched the surveillance tape and learned of the Castillos divorce proceedings and the protective order based on Michelle Castillos claims of extensive abuse by her husband, they obtained a murder warrant for Castillo. Braulio Castillo is being held without bond. TB3NfbLuZ;P}"_N.Uk|I J,]=/+nO'. Once produced in court, Braulio claimed that he was innocent and pleaded not guilty. The day before MichelleCastillo's body was found, the estranged couple had a court date related to their divorce. "I was looking at the time frame from midnight on and I didn't see any perpetrator going into the house, and I couldn't understand it because if it was after midnight, the alarm would've went off, those kids would've woke up, everybody would've woken up, so I couldn't understand it, and I'd lay there at night thinking in the initial stages, How did this happen?" The blood was a perfect match to Braulios DNA and confirmed that he was present on the night of the murder. Jeter Downs needs to play to develop. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org Theres no room with the Nationals. Suite 500, #5190 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 955-0001 2 I am duly authorized under the laws of the District of Columbia to administer oaths. They If police are right, the football disability did not prevent the beating to death of his wife and hanging her from a ceiling. MICHELLE LEE CASTILLO Michelle Lee Castillo, 43 years old, of Ashburn, Virginia, passed away on March 20, 2014.Michelle was born in Warner Robins, Georgia on January 15, 1971. . Earlier in the week, Greenspun asked Sincavage to set aside the verdict, claiming that lead homicide Detective Mark McCaffrey had falsified a key report in an unrelated death case. The businessman wasn't going to let that happen. your data under the CCPA. Regarding our company or our marriage or our life? And then at 12:31 I see a figure run out of the house when we reviewed it.". uuid:4a669763-40fb-4e65-9692-5eece7782af9 Loudoun County Sheriff's Office arrested Braulio Catillo earlier this week, charging the Ashburn resident with first degree murder. The fact that the Florida state court vacated Castillo's conviction in a ruling adverse to Castillo distinguishes this case from the Ninth Circuit decision in United States v. personalize your experience with targeted ads. Braulio Castillo was charged April 1 with the first-degree murder of his wife, according to Loudoun County authorities. 2021-01-04T16:12:20-05:00 "[He] wakes me up at 2:30 in the morning yellling, pointing his finger in my face and telling me not to talk to my friends about him," Michelle said in a court filing. information by using this toggle switch. Because of his restraining order, Braulio asks a neighbor to search the house for Michelle while he takes his kids to school. Lets delve deep into the details of this case and find out where the murderer is at present, shall we? "It looked at first blush, yes, as a suicide, there's a woman hanging from a shower," said Det. SBA decertified Strong Castle's HUBZone status in May 2013, while the Department of Veterans Affairs affirmed Strong Castles SDVOSB status last September. Braulio M. Castillo v. Loudoun County Department of Family Services :: 2018 :: Virginia Court of Appeals - Published Opinions Decisions :: Virginia Case Law :: Virginia Law :: US Law :: Justia Justia US Law Case Law Virginia Case Law Virginia Court of Appeals - Published Opinions Decisions 2018 Braulio M. Castillo v. Nick Castillo is currently suing his father for wrongful death, hoping to get back some of the family inheritance that he says his dad cleaned out before he went to prison. Michelle was born in Warner Robins, Georgia on January 15, 1971. Braulio M. Castillo ("appellant") was convicted of first-degree murder, in violation of Code 18.2-32, burglary with the intent to commit murder, in violation of Code 18.2-90, and violation of a protective order, in violation of Code 16.1-253.2. Josiah Gray finishes April with a flourish as Nats avoid a series sweep. Josiah Gray finishes April with a flourish as Nats avoid a series sweep. default settings according to your preference. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising. browser. Castillo is planning to appeal the sentence. The hanging did not cause her death. Statistically, they are the most likely. "It's really, really hard on the mind," said Nick Castillo. Braulio's 9-year-old son offers one last damning piece of information on how his dad got in the house that night. . Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have Later that evening, Michelle picks up her children from a visit with Braulio. Braulio Castillo may have had millions of dollars in the bank, but that money wasn't buying him happiness. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be A six week trial concluded in the Spring of 2016 with the Jury fixing Castillo's sentence at life, plus sixteen years imprisonment. Prosecutors had asked for life plus 21 years. Help us tailor content specifically for you: This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and And at 8:19 I see the mother and the children go into the house. You You may not have broken any laws but you have broken trust of this great nation.. Detective McCaffrey canvasses the neighborhood for surveillance footage from the night of the murder and scores a potential hit: video from a camera across the street. We have gotten to know several people who work @ the Navy Hospital here in San Diego. Loudoun murder trial starts for Braulio Castillo, who claims wife committed suicide. People don't do that, and I've had lots of suicides. "The evidence shows she was beaten and suffocated before she was found hanging in the downstairs bathroom," said Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman. braulio castillo: loudountimes.com reports virginia ceo of i.t. Private Sector. The house was locked all night and the alarm was set. The IRS canceled the contracts amid allegations that the agency's deputy director for IT acquisition, Greg Roseman, offered Strong Castle an inside track on the business. website. But what happened next inside their multimillion-dollar home shattered this family forever. "These children are actually thriving if you can imagine it," said Wittmann. When she asked me what I did for a living her eyes lit up. I smell a rat. "He said 'I know you did it, dad, and I know you did this, and you made me give you the pass code and you yelled at me' -- it was just a horrific time, a horrific moment," said McCaffrey. Theres no room with the Nationals. Investigation Discoverys On the Case With Paula Zahn: No Escape portrays the horrible murder and shows how a police investigation unraveled a sinister plot fueled with hatred and rage. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the '", "It was very difficult for the jury to hear that testimony," said Rueda. We also It looked very surreal.". can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the Were certain that we arrived at the right verdict, said Sheri Muilenberg of Leesburg. Prosecutor Nicole Wittmann shares Detective McCaffrey's suspicion. The victim had extensive injuries on her face and neck, along with severe bruising to her legs, which hinted at possible physical assault. Both Braulio and Michelle wanted a big family. 2023 Telepictures Productions Inc. All signs were pointing to him as a suspect in his wife's murder, which was first thought to be a mysterious suicide.

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