 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
Court records contain chilling words that foreshadowed the deaths of three children who were allegedly drowned by their father in a Baltimore hotel on Saturday.
The children's mother, Amy Castillo, filed a petition in Montgomery County (web|news) District Court on Christmas Day 2006. She wrote that when her husband, 41-year-old Mark Castillo, took their children for visits, he would not tell her where they were staying.
She wrote, "He has never actually hurt (the children), but did tell me that the worst thing he could do to me would be to kill the children and not me so I could live without them."
At a 2007 court hearing, she told a judge she paid a nanny $3000 a month so that Mark Castillo would not be alone with the children.
A Judge asked, "Why have you chosen to hire and pay a nanny as opposed to allowing your husband, who is unemployed, watch the children?" Amy Castillo replied, "Because of the incident this summer where Mark Castillo was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward."
Castillo had been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric unit for a week that summer for suicide threats and manic behavior. After that, however, she said he had refused treatment and was driving around the country, living in his car and threatening to kill himself.
A temporary protective order was approved three days after the filing, but a permanent order was rejected by Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Dugan on Jan. 10, 2007.
Neighbors who knew the family in their Silver Spring neighborhood were frustrated and angry.
"This poor mother tried desperately to protect her children, and no one listened. And this is what happens when no one listens and that saddens me even more when three young, beautiful children are gone," said neighbor Elaine Grove.
"We certainly did see the police called down there frequently," said neighbor Keith Lamirande. "It's just an unspeakable tragedy to hear of, hear of this happening. I never really saw the children. We didn't see them outside very much."
Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld said Monday that Castillo was in custody at an area hospital and he would be charged after his release from the hospital.
Castillo underwent treatment for what police described as self-inflicted cuts to the neck.
Police and rescue crews went to the hotel about 1 p.m. Sunday, after hotel staff said they had received a call from Castillo stating he had killed his children and was going to kill himself.
"Through our investigation, we believe that moments before, Castillo called the front the front desk and advised hotel staff that he had killed his children and was going to take his own life," said Bealefeld.
Bealefeld said Castillo drowned the children, one at a time, in the hotel room bathtub on Saturday. According to Bealefeld, the conclusion was based on statements by Castillo and evidence at the scene.
Castillo had custody of the children Saturday and took them to Baltimore's Inner Harbor, according to Bealefeld.
The children were supposed to be returned to their mother by 8:30 p.m. When they did not arrive, the children's mother, Amy Castillo, notified Montgomery County police. Bealefeld could not say what steps Montgomery County police took to track down Mark Castillo and the children.
"We had zero clue that there was anything amiss, that there was any cause for concern in Baltimore relative to this incident," said Commissioner Bealefeld. "We have absolutely no indication whatsoever that anyone in Baltimore city would have known anything was amiss in this case."
Investigators say they have no idea why Castillo picked Baltimore to allegedly murder his children.
"It's really inexplicable why he chose Baltimore," said Bealefeld.
"We will be asking ourselves, 'Why? Why could someone do this to three young, innocent children?'" said Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon.
Authorities have charged Castillo with first-degree murder for drowning his three children, identified as Anthony, 6, Austin, 4, and Athena, 2. He is being held in jail without bond.
ABC 7 News to leave comments on news stories.