Mar 31, 2008 6:29 pm US/Eastern
Community Mourns 3 Children Killed By Father
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
A father is charged with killing his three young children inside a hotel room in downtown Baltimore.
Mike Hellgren reports the suspect and victims' community in Montgomery County is expressing disbelief.
"I'm a mother, and I understand how it is to lose one child, and it's three," said Maria Galvis.
Galvis choked back tears as she described the three children she grew to love.
Galvis rented a room in her home in Rockville to their father Mark Castillo, who is now charged with their murders.
"Mister Mark was an excellent person, an excellent father," said Galvis. "I don't believe it."
Galvis says Castillo never acted strangely, and she saw the kids just last week.
"They played, they were very happy. They were very healthy," said Galvis.
But court records reveal attempts by Castillo's wife to stop him from seeing the children and keep him away from her.
She claimed he was suicidal, but a judge refused to make the temporary restraining order permanent.
A letter from Castillo's therapist states, "He exhibits personality issues that at times compromise and cause distress in his social functioning." But it continues, "There are no reports that any of his behaviors have placed his children at physical risk."
"We'd just presumed that it was domestic disturbances. A lot of times there'd be two or three cop cars there, and they'd call the husband out," said a neighbor.
According to court records, the children's father had at one point been labeled to have narcissistic personality disorder, a form of depression characterized by self absorption that can lead to hospitalization.
"I just couldn't believe somebody could do something like that, kill their children," said neighbor Ron Williams.
Williams lives near Castillo's estranged wife Amy.
A stream of mourners came to the house to grieve.
"I was shocked because he seemed like a friendly-enough guy," said Williams.
Williams remembers the birth of little Athena.
"They had a big sign out in the yard with balloons around it, and I believe it said, 'It's a girl,'" said Williams. "It seemed like they kind of wanted the neighbors to know, celebrating their joy of having a new baby."
Joy turned now to pain for Amy and an entire community now that Athena and her brothers are dead and their father is in custody.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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