He didn’t pull the trigger to kill Isaiah Castillo in 2021 but the youth who tried to conceal the murder was a big part of the homicide, said Crown Attorney Brett Moodie.
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“He was an integral part of the crime,” Moodie said at the sentencing hearing this spring for the now 20-year-old man, who can’t be named due to his status as a youth at the time of the murder.
“He brought a bag for the purpose of concealing the firearm, took the gun back to his residence and assisted in getting rid of the car.”
Castillo was shot inside a Diana Avenue townhouse complex just after midnight on April 14, 2021, triggering concerns of a drug and turf war and some “hysteria in the community” said the Crown attorney.
Castillo was hospitalized but died hours later.
Police identified three people involved in the shooting, including Nebiyu Myers, 19, who they believe actually pulled the trigger. Myers was shot and killed three days later by Elijah Marfoh.
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In the month that followed Castillo’s death, police charged the 17-year-old with first-degree murder and Taylor Pasco, then 25, of Stoney Creek with conspiracy to commit murder.
Pasco was part of a plan to rob Castillo of drugs and shoot him in the legs but Myers went to the meeting without him. Police concluded Myers ended up killing Castillo.
Pasco was convicted of conspiracy to commit an unspeakable offense, along with firearms offenses and sentenced to seven-and-a-half years less time already served.
The then 17-year-old, who helped plan the robbery that took a dark turn, already had a violent and voluminous criminal record, despite his age.
Based on that record, Moodie applied to have the youth sentenced as an adult and that application wasn’t fought by the man, who pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to murder, or his defense lawyer, David Holmes.
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“I agree that an adult sentence can and should be administered in this case,” Holmes told the judge, who thanked him at the end of the sentencing for his stance.
“In an environment where defense counsel often has a ‘take no prisoners’ attitude in defending their clients, Mr. Holmes worked to defend this case thoughtfully, fairly and justly,” said Justice Gethin Edward.
During sentencing, Edward heard from Castillo’s step-mother, sisters and aunt who described Castillo as a boy who loved to sing and dance, believing he was the next Justin Bieber.
“He was a vibrant force of love, life and dreams,” said Castillo’s aunt.
“His love for his family was boundless and his absence has torn through our family, leaving a hole caused by a bullet.”
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Most of the family lived in the United States at the time of Castillo’s death and couldn’t wait for his funeral due to the closed border in 2021. Instead, they had to watch him buried via video.
Moodie said the youth had participated in a “cold-blooded murder”, getting the shooter out of Brantford and into the GTA after the fact.
The Crown attorney described the young man as having a challenging upbringing where he witnessed a lot of childhood trauma that resulted in outrageous behavior.
“He was suspended from daycare at three and suspended from elementary school for assaulting staff,” said Moodie. “His mother (thought) he might become institutionalized and lost hope for his future.”
Even as an incarcerated youth, the man had a horrible and violent record and was moved around the province to various facilities after insulting staff and others.
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“He’s on a very, very dangerous path and needs a course correction,” said Moodie.
Holmes agreed but said there are two sides to the offender.
“I’ve been dealing with him for a couple of years and he’s been polite, respectful and reasonable,” Holmes said. “There’s some hope going forward.”
The lawyers agreed on a joint submission for the man to receive a six-year sentence less credit for two years of time served. (Although the offender has been in custody for more than three years since Castillo’s death, some of that time was used to deal with other convictions.)
The judge accepted the suggested sentence, which leaves the man four years to serve in a penitentiary.
“Society needs to take every opportunity to denounce the scourge of guns for criminal purposes,” said Edward.
“Those who engage in such activity – or help people to get away with such activity – will be held to account.”
@EXPSGamble
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