A Minnesota man has been sentenced to over 33 years in prison for fatally stabbing his wife during a Bible study session.
Robert Castillo, 41, who pleaded guilty in March to second-degree murder, expressed remorse in court on Friday for killing his wife, Corinna Woodhull, as reported by the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The couple had been married for about two years and shared five children, ranging in age from 11 to 24.
The tragic incident occurred during a Bible study hosted by Castillo’s sister at her St. Paul home on March 21, 2023. According to authorities, Castillo and Woodhull were sitting together on a couch when he whispered something in her ear. After she shook her head in refusal, Castillo drew a hunting knife and repeatedly stabbed her until his own family members intervened and disarmed him.
Castillo’s attorney, Mark Austin, explained that Castillo had no memory of the event due to drug use earlier that day, which had led to a psychotic episode. He requested a lighter sentence of 25 years, citing Castillo’s remorse.
“I fully take responsibility for my actions, even though I can’t remember what happened because of the drug-induced psychosis,” Castillo said during the sentencing.
However, Prosecutor Dan Rait pointed out that Castillo had a pattern of violence, particularly against those who cared for him. Castillo’s criminal record includes eight felony convictions, among them a 2014 assault where he attacked another woman with a hammer. At the time of Woodhull’s murder, he was on intensive supervised release and had a warrant for missing a court date related to charges of assaulting two correctional officers in 2020.
Judge Richard Kyle sentenced Castillo to 33 1/3 years. In Minnesota, offenders generally serve two-thirds of their sentence in prison, with the remainder under supervised release.
Both families had warned Woodhull not to marry Castillo, fearing for her safety. “It shows the kind of person she was—she believed she could help him,” Rait said. “Tragically, her wedding vows became her death sentence.”
After the murder, Woodhull’s mother, Linda Castle, discovered divorce papers in her daughter’s car, indicating that Woodhull had been preparing to leave the marriage. “She knew it was time to walk away, and that’s why she’s dead,” Linda Castle remarked.
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In her plea to others, Linda urged women to recognize and reject abusive behavior: “Women need to understand: Don’t accept this kind of behavior. It’s not OK.”
