The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Robert Castillo and Corrina Woodhull came to Cartillo’s sister’s home for a Bible study on Tuesdays. During this week’s Bible study, Castillo pulled out a hunting knife, and repeatedly stabbed Woodhull, killing her.
A man fatally stabbed his wife during Bible study at a St. Paul residence, according to a murder charge filed Thursday.
Robert Castillo, 40, and Corrina Woodhull, 41, were sitting on a couch in the Payne-Phalen home when Castillo whispered something in Woodhull’s ear. After she shook her head “no,” Castillo pulled out a knife and stabbed her multiple times, a criminal complaint said.
Witnesses didn’t hear what Castillo said to Woodhull. The couple was no longer together because they were having marital problems, Castillo’s brother told police.
Woodhull had been trying to get away from Castillo, but he kept asking her for another chance, said Erin Honken, a friend of Woodhull’s for about 14 years who’d been her current roommate.
Family members of Castillo got him to stop stabbing Woodhull and wrestled him to the floor. Woodhull said, “Don’t let me die” to another person in the home who provided aid to her, the complaint said.
Police were called to the 1000 block of East Maryland Avenue about 9 p.m. Tuesday and arrested Castillo.
Officers provided medical aid to Woodhull, who said she couldn’t breathe. Paramedics took Woodhull to Regions Hospital, where she was pronounced dead about 9:40 p.m. Tuesday.
Woodhull leaves behind five children — three are minors and two are young adults, Honken said.
….
Castillo’s sister, who lives at the residence, told police they host Bible study at the home every Tuesday night and Woodhull and Castillo came over for it. They “were acting normally” and Castillo held Woodhull’s hand and kissed her, the complaint said.
They’d been at the home for about 90 minutes before the stabbing and Castillo’s brother also said he hadn’t seen “signs of hostility.” When he returned from the bathroom, he saw Castillo standing over Woodhull with a knife in his hand.
Castillo’s sister said she saw Castillo stab Woodhull with a hunting knife with a 6-inch blade. She grabbed Castillo’s hair and tried to pull him off Woodhull. Other family members also intervened and disarmed him.
Two witnesses estimated Castillo stabbed Woodhull 20 times and another said it was about 10 times. An autopsy found she had a stab wound to her chest that penetrated her breast and heart, and additional sharp force injuries to her face, chest and upper extremities.
Castillo’s sister told police that he “had a thing about carrying a knife all the time to protect himself.”
She previously saw Castillo hit a different woman, the mother of his child, with a hammer. It also happened at her home. She said it “was a long time ago and she thought Castillo was getting better,” according to the complaint.
Castillo received a 10-year sentence for the assault with a hammer, which happened in 2014, and he was on intensive supervised release. At the time of Tuesday’s stabbing, he had an active Department of Corrections warrant for alleged violations of conditions of his release.
….
The Ramsey County attorney’s office charged Castillo with intentional second-degree murder, not premeditated, and he could face an increased sentence because of his past convictions for violent crimes.
An attorney for Castillo declined comment. Castillo is being held in the Ramsey County jail and his bail was set at $5 million.
Castillo has eight prior felony convictions.
In addition to the DOC warrant, he had a warrant for failing to appear in court on a charge that he assaulted a correctional employee while he was in the Stillwater prison in 2020 for the 2014 assault.
In 2001, Castillo was charged with first-degree assault for stabbing a 22-year-old man in his back, head and neck in Vadnais Heights. Castillo accused the man of telling his girlfriend he’d brought another woman to their apartment complex, according to a criminal complaint.
Bruce Gerencser, 66, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 45 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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Derrick Thiessen decided to weigh in on this post:
We wonder why this post is there under that series. The offender is not a Christian, is not a church leader, is not a pastor missionary or youth pastor, etc. Yet it was included in this waste of time series.
We call it a waste of time as it is only parroting the news and not revealing anything anyone does not know. The same event was posted on the FOX breaking News website earlier today. Our response to its posting is ‘whoopie’. [sounds like Thiessen needs some whoopie in his life.]
We guess the author of that series does not know that crime happens in churches, services, meetings, and so on. What we do know, is that posting blog articles on these events does nothing to solve the problem and only helps fan the flames of hatred against churches, etc.
Since the police were called, there is nothing this immature, hate-filled blog post will do except lie to the readers and deceive them. it also misrepresents the situation, muddies the waters, and does nothing constructive for anyone. [What lie? What misrepresentation? All I did was quote a news article.]
But this is what you can expect from evil people. If we do not pray, do not set the right example and so on, it will get worse. Remember, the unbeliever has no objective moral code that they follow thus you cannot expect them to tell the truth about anything.
They reject the only objective moral code available and think they are greater than God in this matter. Without an objective moral code, do not expect the unbeliever to solve any problems the world faces at this time.
They do not have any answers and simply try to manipulate others and turn many away from Christ. They have nothing to offer anyone so be careful you do not fall into the trap by accepting their lies and deceptions, even when the headlines seem to sound correct. They aren’t.
Note: All I did is report the news. I suspect the couple was at the Bible study because they were told doing so would “help” their marriage. Jesus — the cure for what ails you, even if you are a violent, murderous felon.
Oh Mr Tee, bless his heart.
I wonder if the perpetrator will claim that Jesus told him to stab his wife.