Trial Begins For Accused 'Freeway Shooter'
HOWELL (WWJ/AP) - A trial is set to begin for a man charged in a series of shootings on and off Interstate 96 in Michigan.
Raulie Casteel is scheduled to go on trial Tuesday in Livingston County Circuit Court in Howell. He pleaded no-contest in November to related charges in neighboring Oakland County and is awaiting sentencing.
The 44-year-old unemployed geologist is suspected of carrying out two-dozen random shootings along a 100-mile I-96 corridor through four counties in late 2012. Police say they matched Casteel's gun to bullet fragments recovered from victims' vehicles.
No one was seriously hurt.
Michigan's attorney general is prosecuting Casteel on terrorism and other charges in Livingston County. If convicted as charged, he faces up to life in prison.
Defense attorney Douglas Molkauf told a District Court judge that his client will not use an insanity defense. But he does say Casteel suffers from "serious mental problems" and "delusional disorder."
On professional websites, Casteel described himself as a geologist and soil scientist with experience in environmental cleanup. He is a Michigan native who lived in Taylorsville, Ky., before returning to his home state. Prior to his arrest, Casteel lived with his wife, daughter and in-laws in Wixom. Defense attorneys say he has no criminal history.
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