October 13, 2008
Sun coverage: 3 children drowned at hotel
Castillo ordered held for mental evaluation
A Baltimore Circuit judge yesterday ordered a Montgomery County man accused of drowning three children in his Inner Harbor hotel room to undergo a 30-day evaluation at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center in Jessup. Mark Castillo, 42, has asked to represent himself at trial, and forensic psychiatrists at Perkins will assess whether he is legally fit to do so. The ruling came after court medical evaluators determined they could not render a decision on Castillo's competency to represent himself. Castillo is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Anthony, 6; Austin, 4; and Athena, 2, whom he confessed to drowning one by one at the Marriott Inner Harbor hotel in late March. Police said Castillo then tried to kill himself. Police believe Castillo killed the children in an act of revenge against his estranged wife. Circuit Judge Gale E. Rasin said at yesterday's hearing that she must carefully follow the law to minimize the chance of a successful post-conviction appeal, if he is convicted.
Service honors young victims
On a stage before nearly a thousand mourners, the violinists played notes of elegant sorrow.
Father held without bail in 3 killings
The Montgomery County man charged with drowning his three children in a Baltimore hotel bathtub during a bitter custody battle with his estranged wife was ordered held without bail yesterday as experts on domestic violence cases struggled to determine whether the killings could have been prevented.
What drives parents to kill?
Whatever drove a 41-year-old Rockville man to apparently kill his three young children in an Inner Harbor hotel last weekend might never be fully understood.
Father admits he drowned kids
Mark Castillo of Rockville walked with his three young children Saturday afternoon through Baltimore's Inner Harbor, where tourists congregate along the city's waterfront promenade.
Access to kids a big issue
More than two years ago, Amy Ashley Castillo pleaded for help in court papers, saying that her estranged husband had threatened to kill their three children to punish her by leaving her alone in the world.
Experts question family legal system
As details emerged about three youngsters apparently drowned by their father in a downtown hotel room over the weekend, legal experts and family advocates questioned whether Maryland law goes far enough to protect children in custody disputes.
Jean Marbella: Children casualties in divorce warfare
Lynn Shiner heard the news as she drifted off to sleep Sunday night, and when she awoke yesterday morning, she thought maybe she had dreamed it. A few taps on the keyboard, though, confirmed that the crime, however nightmarish, was no dream.
3 children killed at city hotel
A Montgomery County father engaged in a custody battle brought his three children to an Inner Harbor hotel and apparently killed them yesterday, Baltimore police said.
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