Jun 1, 2008 1:03 pm US/Eastern
Father Faces Life In Prison For Drowning Deaths
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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Mark Castillo, who is accused of drowning his three children in a Baltimore City hotel bathtub, was re-arraigned Friday morning.
CBS
A man charged with drowning his three small children in a downtown hotel is told if convicted he may never get out of prison.
Suzanne Collins was in the courthouse as Mark Castillo learned the state is seeking life without parole.
Mark Castillo shook, wept and moaned in court as he learned what he faces if he's convicted of killing his three small children.
"We are letting the defendant know we intend to seek life in prison without the possibility of parole," said Joe Sviatko with the State's Attorney's Office.
Castillo has claimed he has mental illness and is not responsible for the murders. The discovery of the three small bodies in a room at the downtown Marriott even rattled the police.
"We believe the children were drowned one at a time in the tub," said Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld.
The children's mother found the courage to speak publicly about the murders and the custody dispute she says led to the killings.
Amy Castillo says she warned the courts about Mark Castillo's mental health. She was concerned for the safety of her children, but he still got visits.
"The difficult part is I don't understand it right now and at this time I'm so afraid to go through this pain that I know I'm going to have to go through," said Amy Castillo.
Life without parole doesn't mean the state won't seek the death penalty, but they don't have to decide that issue until July 22.
"The decision to seek the death penalty has not been made yet. Ms. Jessamy is reviewing all the relevant paperwork around it. She has not made that decision yet and we are awaiting the court psychiatric evaluation as well," said Sviatko.
State's Attorney Pat Jessamy has only sought the death penalty twice in the past. One was the case of Joe Metheny who helped police find the buried bodies of the women he murdered. The other was the case of Jovan House, who murdered a city detective. Neither man ended up on death row.
The court medical office is still evaluating Mark Castillo to determine if he suffers from severe mental illness and may not be responsible for the killings.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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