The parents and friends of Leonor Castillo watched Wednesday as her estranged husband received 20 years to life in prison for running her down with his pickup truck in Chula Vista on Nov. 28, 2014, the day after Thanksgiving.
The three young daughters of Cesar Vallejo Castillo, 38, were not present and Chula Vista Superior Court Judge Ana Espana ordered him not to have any contact with them for 10 years. She left it open if they want to contact him in prison after they are older or adults.
Deputy District Attorney Christy Bowles said moments after Castillo ran his 37-year-old wife down twice with a pickup truck at 7:10 p.m. on Elm Street, he then went to his wife’s parents’ residence and tried to take all three girls to Mexico. They are now 3, 8 and 11 years old.
Bowles said Vallejo Castillo lied to Leonor Castillo’s parents and said she agreed to have him take them to Mexico. The children did not want to go with him and he left without them.
“I have three grandkids. They miss her very much. They don’t miss him. They’re afraid of him,” said the victim’s mother Elena Rodriguez. “I hope that God will forgive him because I can’t.”
Espana sentenced Vallejo Castillo to 15 years to life for his guilty plea to second-degree murder.
She added three years for violating a restraining order the victim had against him, and another year for hit and run resulting in death.
Espana added one year for using the truck as a deadly weapon in a homicide.
She ordered him to pay $6,205.28 in restitution to the Crime Victims Fund which paid for her funeral, and fined him $10,364.
Castillo received credit for 199 days spent in jail.
Castillo initially fled to Mexico but he returned Dec. 1 with his truck to the San Ysidro Port of Entry where he was arrested.
One of the victim’s friends set up a fundraising campaign for the family on the GoFundMe website. Chula Vista Police officers helped raise money for the family to buy Christmas presents for the girls.
