General News
A mom of five who was stabbed to death by her ex-con hubby at a Bible study session had divorce papers in her car at the time, it surfaced last week — as he was sentenced to 33 years in prison for the grim slaying.
Corinna Woodhull, 41, was fatally knifed by her spouse, Robert Castillo, 41, in their St. Paul, Minn., home in front of horrified relatives in March 2023 during the religious meet-up she hosted for them each week.
At Castillo’s sentencing Friday, prosecutors disclosed that Woodhull — who shared five children with her husband — had been planning to leave him before she was murdered.
Woodhull’s mom had found divorce papers in her daughter’s car soon after her death, the court heard.
Corinna Woodhull, 41, was stabbed to death by her husband, Robert Castillo, 41, in their St. Paul home in March 2023 — during the Bible study session she hosted for relatives each week. CBS News
Prosecutors also described how Castillo, who has a lengthy rap sheet for other violent attacks, had a history of hurting those closest to him — and that members of both their families had even tried to urge her not to marry him.
“It’s a testament to the kind of person she was that she went through with it, thinking she could help him,” the prosecutor told the court.
“I can’t believe that she knew her wedding vows would ultimately be her death sentence.”
Castillo, who pleaded guilty earlier this year to second-degree murder in his wife’s death, apologized in court for killing her roughly two years — but said he didn’t recall anything that happened then because he was in a drug-induced psychosis.
Police said relatives had told them the couple was sitting on the couch during the Bible session the night of March 21, 2023, when Castillo whispered something in his wife’s ear.
When she shook her head, “No,” Castillo whipped out a hunting knife and stabbed her several times until his own family disarmed him.
“I’m taking full responsibility for my actions, even if I don’t recall anything that happened that day due to my … drug-induced psychosis,” Castillo said at the hearing.
His lawyer, Mark Austin, previously said Castillo’s last memory as a free man was from early that morning when he got high with a friend and ingested so many drugs that he didn’t recall what happened afterward.
Before the slaying, Castillo already had eight felony convictions, including second-degree assault for beating another woman with a hammer in 2014, to his name.
At the time of the fatal knifing, Castillo was on intensive supervised release and had a warrant out for his arrest when he failed to show up at a court hearing on charges that he assaulted two correctional officers at the Stillwater state prison in 2020.
The judge ended up sentencing Castillo to more than 33 years behind bars for killing his wife.
His lawyer had asked for a sentence of 25 years, saying Castillo was remorseful.
With Post wires
