Robert Castillo pleads not guilty to killing wife Corinna Woodhull at Bible study meeting
UPDATE (March 18, 2024): Robert Castillo changed his plea to guilty in the stabbing death of his wife, court documents show.
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A St. Paul man accused of fatally stabbing his wife during a Bible study earlier this year has entered a plea of "not guilty."
Robert Castillo entered his plea in court Thursday. No further court dates have yet been scheduled.
The Ramsey County Attorney's Office charged Robert Castillo with second-degree murder in connection to the March stabbing, which happened on the 1000 block of Maryland Avenue East in St. Paul.
According to the criminal complaint, St. Paul police officers responded to the residence at around 9 p.m. on the report of a stabbing. When they arrived, they found 41-year-old Corinna Woodhull with severe injuries to her torso, chest and arms. Police said Castillo was being held down on the floor by several people.
Woodhull was treated at the scene and taken to Regions Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Castillo's sister told police that she hosts Bible study at the home on Tuesday nights with family members. She said Woodhull and Castillo arrived and sat together on a couch, the complaint said.
At one point Castillo whispered something into Woodhull's ear and then pulled out a knife and stabbed her repeatedly, the complaint said.
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Castillo was then tackled by family members and disarmed. Another witness at the Bible study says they believed Castillo would have stabbed others had he not been disarmed, the complaint said.
Castillo had an active warrant out for his arrest at the time of the stabbing and recently failed to appear at a pretrial hearing in connection to fourth-degree assault charges in Washington County. He allegedly assaulted a prison guard while being an inmate in Stillwater. He also has eight prior felony convictions that include first-degree assault, second-degree assault, possession of a firearm by an ineligible person and second-degree burglary.
If convicted of the murder charge, Castillo faces up to 40 years in prison.
Local Domestic Violence Resources
Women's Advocates
wadvocates.org
Crisis Line: (651) 227-8284
St. Paul & Ramsey County Domestic Abuse Intervention Project
stpaulintervention.org
Crisis Line: (651) 645-2824
Minnesota Day One
dayoneservices.org
Crisis Line: 1-866-223-1111
Esperanza United
esperanzaunited.org
Bilingual crisis line: (651) 772-1611.
For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.