ST. PAUL, Minnesota — A Minnesota man has been sentenced to more than 33 years in prison for stab his wife to death during a Bible study session.
Robert Castillo, 41, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in March, apologized in court Friday for killing his wife, Corinna Woodhull, the This was reported by the St. Paul Pioneer Press. They have been married for about two years and have five children, who are now between the ages of 11 and 24.
Castillo’s sister told police she hosted a weekly Bible study at her St. Paul home. On the evening of March 21, 2023, the couple was sitting on a couch when Castillo whispered something in Woodhull’s ear. After she shook her head “no,” Castillo pulled out a hunting knife and stabbed her multiple times, until his own family disarmed him.
His attorney, Mark Austin, told the court that Castillo’s last memory as a free man was of that early morning when he got high with a friend and took so much that he couldn’t remember what happened next. He asked Ramsey County District Judge Richard Kyle for a sentence of only 25 years, saying Castillo was remorseful.
“I take full responsibility for my actions, even though I cannot remember anything that happened that day due to my … drug-induced psychosis,” Castillo told the court.
According to District Attorney Dan Rait, Castillo has a history of hurting people who care about him.
The judge sentenced him to 33 1/3 years. In Minnesota, defendants typically serve two-thirds of their sentences in prison and the rest on supervised release.
Castillo had eight previous felony convictions, including second-degree assault for beating another woman with a hammer in 2014. At the time of the stabbing attack, Castillo was under intense surveillance and had a warrant out for his arrest after he failed to appear for a court hearing on charges he assaulted two guards at the Stillwater Correctional Facility in 2020.
Both Woodhull’s and Castillo’s relatives urged her not to marry him.
“It’s a testament to the kind of person she was that she went through with it, thinking she could help him,” the prosecutor said. “I can’t believe she knew that her marriage vows would ultimately be her death sentence.”
Woodhull’s mother, Linda Castle, said she found divorce papers in her daughter’s car after her death.
“She knew it was time to walk away, and that’s why she’s dead,” Castle said.
Castle had a message afterward about domestic violence: “Women need to understand: Don’t accept this kind of behavior. It’s not okay.”
