PALMETTO, Fla. — A Palmetto man convicted of murder after stabbing his wife 35 times has been sentenced to life in prison, the Florida State Attorney's Office said in a news release.
Julian Castillo was convicted by a jury on March 1 for the 2020 murder of his wife, Jessica Martinez-Lumbreras. The life in prison sentence was handed down that same day.
The state attorney's office said the murder happened on Aug. 2, 2020, after a backyard party. Castillo stabbed his wife inside their home with a knife from their kitchen.
After stabbing her 35 times, he turned the knife on himself, stabbing himself "numerous" times in the stomach. When police began their investigation into the murder, the release said officers initially believed Castillo's story that an intruder committed the murder and stabbed him, too.
However, they soon realized his story was "implausible" and the doctor treating Castillo reported most of his wounds were "superficial," the release said. From there, authorities found at the time of the murder the door to the house was locked, there was no forced entry and the doorbell camera didn't capture any intruder.
DNA evidence and testimony from a blood spatter expert reportedly helped convict Castillo.
"While it is clear that the defendant stabbed himself, it is unclear if he did so in an attempt to perpetuate the intruder theory or if it was a failed attempt at suicide," the state attorney's office's release said.
“This crime utterly devastated Jessica’s family and unfortunately they will never be the same. Hopefully this verdict will provide some comfort to them knowing her murderer has been held accountable,” Assistant State Attorney Suzanne O'Donnell said in a statement.
In 10 Tampa Bay's previous reporting of this case, at the time of the murder, the couple's four children were found sleeping in their bedrooms. They were unharmed and then taken to be with family.
