Colorado judge sentences Joseph Castorena to 4 life sentences after quadruple homicide conviction

A judge sentenced Joseph Castorena to four consecutive life sentences in prison after his conviction for a quadruple homicide. Castorena was convicted of shooting and killing the four victims at a house in the 900 block of Geneva Street in the early morning hours of Oct. 30, 2022.

Castorena was arrested in Mexico in December 2022 in the north-central Mexican state of Aguascalientes after he left the country.  

The victims were Kenneth Eugene Green Luque, 21; Rudolfo Salgado Perez, 59; Jesus Serrano, 51; and Maria Anita Serrano, 22. Two of the victims had filed restraining orders against Castorena just six days before they were killed. 

Prosecutors said three of the four victims were relatives of Castorena's ex-girlfriend. According to investigators, Castorena broke into her home and waited inside with a gun until the family returned home. His ex-girlfriend and her two children were not harmed. 

Castorena's brother and a cousin were arrested in the Denver area following the shooting. Both were facing a charge of accessory to first-degree murder after the fact after they allegedly helped Castorena with his escape following the crime.

A jury in Arapahoe County convicted Castorena on May 16 of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. 

"Mr. Castorena attempted to evade justice by fleeing to Mexico," Senior Chief Deputy District Attorney Darcy Kofol said in a statement. "We were not going to let a cold-blooded coward get away with murder. It was my honor to prosecute this case and help bring justice to the victims' families."

The Aurora Police Department's Fugitive Unit worked with the FBI, other federal agencies and Mexican authorities to eventually track him down in Mexico and extradite him back to Colorado.

"In the blink of an eye, Mr. Castorena destroyed many lives," Deputy District Attorney Lauren Raible said in a statement. "This guilty verdict ensures the defendant will never be able to victimize anyone else."