Braulio Castillo is now a prime suspect -- but cops first need to prove that Michelle's death was murder, not suicide. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary "These children are actually thriving if you can imagine it," said Wittmann. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org Today, the four youngest remain together in a new home. The order was imposed, and Braulio Castillo was forced to move to another home a few blocks away in Ashburn. VA's health record 'reset' has budget fallout, OMB, CISA set to release common form for software self-attestation, NASA struggles to improve workforce diversity, Space Force should look to the private sector to fill data gaps, watchdog says, The Next Phase of Zero Trust: Measuring Outcomes, IARPA's plan to hack the brains of hackers, VA paid for but didn't deploy an emergency communications system, Some states may be barring the door to unemployment benefits, National Park Service considers a digital park pass, IRS outlines tech modernization, CX plans as part of $80 billion overhaul, GovExec eBook: How The Federal Government Plans To Better Serve Citizens, Yes, I want to receive occasional updates from partners. People don't do that, and I've had lots of suicides. Fcw is part of the Media & Internet industry, and located in Virginia, United States. 20210104154037065.pdf Minor, Mexican & Independent Lg Stats. Accused of murdering his estranged wife and staging it to look like a suicide, Braulio Castillo's life hung in the balance as he strode to the witness stand in a Loudoun County courtroom Monday. Roseman, described by Castillo as a friend, declined to testify before the oversight panel. to learn more. "At one point I was laying there at night, I was just going to sleep, and my wife watches these crime shows, and she said 'Well maybe he got in before 12 o'clock, maybe he got in before Michelle got home,'" said McCaffrey. Oh my GOSH! She was found to be hanging from a shower head with an electric cord wrapped around her neck. Privacy Policy | His wife now visits him in the joint. Castillos lawyers, Peter Greenspun and Jonathan Shapiro, argued that the divorce was amicable and proceeding toward a mutually agreed resolution. Interment will be held at Union Cemetery in Leesburg On Tuesday, April 8, 2014 at 11:00 AM. tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. They wanted to be there for their mother.". Based on his conviction, Braulio was sentenced to life in prison with an additional 16-year prison term. see some advertising, regardless of your selection. If police are right, the football disability did not prevent the beating to death of his wife and hanging her from a ceiling. Wherever there is government money there will be rampant fraud. If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have ", "It looked like it was staged," said Nicole Whittmann. "That was certainly susupicious," Chapman said. Michelle graduated from Northside High School in Warner Robins, Georgia. The day before MichelleCastillo's body was found, the estranged couple had a court date related to their divorce. The businessman wasn't going to let that happen. Michelle was born in Warner Robins, Georgia on January 15, 1971. 0. Greenspun asked the judge to reduce the sentence, to allow Castillo to be released from prison one day and reconcile with his children. Chapman told WUSA9 that aneighbor's surveillance cameras caught Braulio Castillo sneaking into the home the night before, on March 19, at 8:09 p.m., just before his wife and children came home. BRAULIO M. CASTILLO, MBA CAREER HISTORY STRONG CASTLE, INC. - Presid ent & CEO 2012 to Present Mr. Castillo is the President and CEO of Strong Castle, Inc. Mr. Castillo works with clients, IT solution partners and major hardware and software manufacturers, as well as the company's management and employees. He moved into another house the couple owned in the same subdivision a few blocks away. Her youngest four children are being cared for by a friend. Castillo took the witness stand in his own defense last week, looked directly at the jury and calmly denied he killed his wife or entered his former house. Until he was convicted for fraud. But on the eve of the trial, McCaffrey is hit with news that could jeopardize the entire case: he's fired by the county sheriff. What to Know. Braulio Castillo was charged April 1 with the first-degree murder of his wife, according to Loudoun County authorities. Police say he was seen on surveillance video exiting the house by himself several hours later, just after midnight. 18 0 obj <> endobj 17 0 obj <>stream Find Braulio Castillo's contact information, age, background check, white pages, social media profiles, arrest records, places of employment, publications, work history, photos and videos, phone numbers & home addresses, resumes and CV and public records . And at 8:19 I see the mother and the children go into the house. Braulio M. Castillo v. Loudoun County Department of Family Services :: 2018 :: Virginia Court of Appeals - Published Opinions Decisions :: Virginia Case Law :: Virginia Law :: US Law :: Justia Justia US Law Case Law Virginia Case Law Virginia Court of Appeals - Published Opinions Decisions 2018 Braulio M. Castillo v. There is a disturbing case out of Northern Virginia where Braulio Castillo, the CEO of a computer company, is accused of beating his wife and then hanging her from the ceiling to make it look like a suicide. Cops arrive to search the home and make a gruesome discovery: Michelle is hanging from a shower head in the basement bathroom, an electrical cord wrapped around her neck. That person, or someone, emerged from the house at 12:30 a.m., the surveillance video showed. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other "And Mr. Castillo I think realized that this kid is going to come popping out and come back into this room looking for this security blanket, and so what the little boy said was that his father appeared and brought him his little 'lovey' blanket, he said he didn't say anything to him, but he gave him the blanket," said Wittmann. Braulio Castillo is being held without bond. She was obviously a very well-loved person, Wittmann said. It looked very surreal.". Castillo has been under investigation by Congress over $500 million in contracts secured through a special service-disabled veteran status law. UPDATE, Tuesday 4:25 p.m.: The Loudoun County jury who convicted BraulioCastillo on Monday heard evidence and argument Tuesday morning, and then sentenced him to life plus 16 years in prison Tuesday afternoon. At his sentencing he did not address the court or show any emotion when his children vilified him. When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect When she asked me what I did for a living her eyes lit up. After hearing five weeks of evidence and testimony, the jury deliberated for more than nine hours before convicting Castillo on all three counts. internet device. Initially, the police decided to look for intruders around the midnight mark but were unable to find any. "She was a wonderful human being and a great mother, a great friend, a great neighbor, and what a loss," said neighbor VeronicaFinamore. The Virginia Court of Appeals affirmed the convictions for first degree murder, burglary and violation of a protective order against Braulio Castillo. Braulio Castillo had four of their children over for dinner at his house a few blocks from their home, while Nicholas was away at college. The fact that the Florida state court vacated Castillo's conviction in a ruling adverse to Castillo distinguishes this case from the Ninth Circuit decision in United States v. That status allowed him to qualify for the advantage in bidding on contracts and helped him secure $500 million in contracts for his company Signet Computers (renamed Strong Castle in 2013) under the VAs Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business program. Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information. So it struck me almost immediately that this doesn't seem like somebody who would voluntarily leave her children alone.". information. "The evidence shows she was beaten and suffocated before she. The jury was not told the specifics of what Castillo had done to deserve a protective order, but they were aware of the order and that he was not allowed in the house. The Loudoun County jury who convicted Braulio Castillo on Monday heard evidence and argument Tuesday morning, and then sentenced him to life plus 16 years in prison Tuesday afternoon. Her funeral service will be held in the Smith Center at McLean Bible Church, 8925 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, Virginia 22182 on Sunday, April 6, 2014 at 1 pm. Castillo is planning to appeal the sentence. Adding to the drama, another key witness has an even more difficult time showing up in court to testify against Braulio: Nicholas Castillo. services we are able to offer. 2021-01-04T16:12:20-05:00 "Verbal abuse, emotional abuse, sure, yes of course I saw that," said Nicholas Castillo, the Castillos' eldest son. Michelle G. Castillo, was found dead in her home on March 20th when police entered the home to check on her wellbeing. company arrested for the murder of his wife 4/04/2014 The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office arrested Braulio M. Castillo, 43, and charged him with first-degree murder in connection with his wife's death. It wasn't always that way. Michelle Lee Castillo, 43 years old, of Ashburn, Virginia, passed away on March 20, 2014. You can usually find these settings in the Options or The Castillos were active in McLean Bible Church, Braulio Castillo coached his kids sports teams, and the family was well-liked in Ashburn. "Yelling, screaming, cursing directed at her, directed at me.". They alleged that Castillo staged his wifes death to look like a suicide. Michelle was born in Warner Robins, Georgia on January 15, 1971. All rights reserved, Julie Carey, Northern Virginia Bureau Chief, Coach Mentors District Heights Kids Through Basketball, Man Shot Trying to Stop Scooter Robbery in Northwest DC, Witnesses Say, 7 Bodies Found During Search for Missing Oklahoma Teens. His wife was found with bruises on her face and her hair hanging over her face, and the shower in her master bathroom had been running all night. The four youngest children now are being cared for by foster parents, two of Michelle Castillo's closest friends. "He also says that if I keep doing it, he is just going to crash this plane and sink this ship. A six week trial concluded in the Spring of 2016 with the Jury fixing Castillo's sentence at life, plus sixteen years imprisonment. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising 2023 by Government Media Executive Group LLC. You may not have broken any laws but you have broken trust of this great nation.. Soon, forensic evidence begins to support that conclusion. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly An Ashburn man brutally beat and strangled his estranged wife, then made her death look like a suicide, investigators said. McCaffrey. Loudoun Chief Deputy Commonwealths Attorney Nicole Wittmann argued that Castillo did not want his ex-wife controlling access to his children and wanted to share his life with a triathlete he had begun dating. View Braulio Castillo results in Virginia (VA) including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Braulio Castillo has a preliminaryhearing next month. "I kind of dismissed it 'cause she claims I rolled my eyes and she got a little upset with me, but I didn't -- I thought it through and the next day I called up the CSI people and said 'Can we get video from 8 o'clock at night, 'cause that's the last known time Braulio was seen. The whole thing is a joke and should be ended. Strong Castle had software contracts with the IRS with a ceiling value of $500 million. OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL 202 North Ninth Street Richmond, Virginia 23219 [email protected] Affiant, K~ A. Reese THE LEX GRoupDc 1050 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Braulio Castillo, president and CEO of embattled government VAR Strong Castle, is currently behind bars and being held without bond after being arrested and charged with first-degree murder of. The IRS canceled the contracts amid allegations that the agency's deputy director for IT acquisition, Greg Roseman, offered Strong Castle an inside track on the business. Personal Information. When I took my criminal investigation class, we were told that a family member commits the crime 90+% of the time. ", "This was a very quick but very savage attack," said Alejandra Rueda. Circuit Court Judge Stephen Sincavage presided over the six-week jury trial in 2016. added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as 2023 Telepictures Productions Inc. Michelle was a loving mother to five children. Va. CEO accused in wifes death testifies that he did not harm her. Castillo is being held without bond. According to Deputy Commonwealth's Attorneys Alejandra Rueda and Nicole Wittmann, divorce papers allege disturbing behavior. Prosecutor Nicole Wittmann shares Detective McCaffrey's suspicion. Braulio Castillo (Photo: Loudon County Sheriff's Office). He got so many govt. Help us tailor content specifically for you: This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and "She was out with her friends celebrating the fact that she had just qualified for the Boston Marathon and had just days before completed running her first triathlon," said Wittmann. There is a disturbing case out of Northern Virginia where Braulio Castillo, the CEO of a computer company, is accused of beating his wife and then hanging her from the ceiling to make it look like a suicide. Northern Virginia Bureau Chief Julie Carey reports. At trial in June, Braulio Castillo took the stand and denied having any role in his wifes death. Access this case on the Virginia Eastern District Court's Electronic Court Filings (ECF) System Search for Party Aliases Terms of Use | Please share a memory of Michelle to include in a keepsake book for family and friends. According to Loudoun County Sheriff's lead investigator Detective Mark McCaffrey, the children woke the next morning, March 20, 2014, and called their father in a panic. Investigators can't be sure yet. This may impact the On the night of March 19, 2014, Castillo had dinner with four of his children, ages 3, 6, 9 and 11 his oldest, Nicholas, was away at college and his sister then drove them to be picked up by their mother. "The children had told me that they had searched the basement, but later on it was pretty apparent that they did not search the entire basement, and I think that's merciful that that didn't happen," said McCaffrey. Michelle Castillo was found dead, hanging by an electrical cord wrapped around a basement shower head, in the family home on March 20, 2014. "I see him at the top of the stairs, he's on his phone," said McCaffrey. Braulio Castillo was immediately sent to jail Monday night. Sheriffs deputies found Michelle Castillo hanging in a basement shower with bruises on her face and her hair hanging over her face. The contractor, Braulio Castillo, is the president and CEO of Strong Castle Inc., which has recently drawn scrutiny over hundreds of millions of dollars worth of questionable IRS contracts it has . Im having a tough time trying to figure out how to do stuff.. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be "We had gotten the defendant's blood on Michelle Castillo's sweatshirt in multiple locations, as well as on one of the sheets in her bed," said Wittmann. He appeared in court Monday for an arraignment and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for next month. "These children are actually thriving if you can imagine it," said Wittmann. ABC News Censors Democratic Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Hunters Collapsing World: Why a Criminal Plea Could Now be the Best Option for the Bidens, Alito: I Know Who Likely Leaked the Dobbs Decision, The Dark Biden Rises: The Reinvention of Hunter in a New and Menacing Image. default settings according to your preference. In early 2012, they bought a small company, renamed it Strong Castle, and quickly began receiving tens of millions of dollars in federal IT contracts from the IRS, which attracted Congressional scrutiny. After a jury in June convicted their father, former IT executive Braulio Castillo, of first-degree murder, three of the children tore into him in a Loudoun County courtroom Friday as a judge considered Castillos sentence. He is a WASP. determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and You will still Most minority companies are funded by wealthy backers and why should a person from Spain or India be given minority status? "They said 'Mom isn't here, we don't know,' and they were crying and they were upset and they were scared," said McCaffrey. Its not about whether he has been and continues to be a good person, the judge said.