The Rockville father charged with drowning his three children in a Baltimore hotel bathtub burst into tears Friday as prosecutors told him they plan to seek a penalty of life with no possibility of parole.
In front of a Baltimore City Circuit judge, Mark Castillo, 41, doubled over, shook violently and demanded to speak.
“Your honor, I’d like permission to speak,” he said, his voice rising.
But his attorney, public defender Natasha Moody, cut him off and ordered him to remain silent.
When asked after the brief morning hearing what Castillo had wanted so badlyto say, Moody refused to comment.
Baltimore City Assistant State‘s Attorney Julie Drake said the notice filed Friday does not preclude prosecutors from seeking the death penalty.
Baltimore City State‘s Attorney Patricia Jessamy, who is reviewing the case, must decide at least 30 days before Castillo’s Aug. 22 trial whether to seek death.
Jessamy’s spokesman, Joseph Sviatko, said she seeks death only for the “most egregious or most heinous” crimes.
Baltimore’s top prosecutor since 1995, Jessamy has unsuccessfully sought the death penalty in only two cases: in 1998, against a suspected serial killer, and, in 2004, against a man who fatally shot police Detective Thomas Newman.
On March 31, police say Castillo confessed to killing sons Anthony, 6, and Austin, 4, and daughter, Athena, 2, at the Marriott Inner Harbor Hotel.
Estranged wife Amy Castillo has said publicly that she’s in favor of life without the possibility of parole.
Mark Castillo told Baltimore police he killed his children March 30 because of a “recent divorce stemming from domestic issues with his wife,” according to Detective Robert Ross‘ report.
Castillo took 100 Motrin pills and tried to slit his own throat after drowning his children, charging documents state.
