First, Mark Castillo asserted he was sane and should be punished for drowning his three children in a bathtub at a downtown Baltimore hotel last year.
Then, his attorneys changed his plea to not criminally responsible — Maryland’s version of the insanity defense.
Castillo later objected and tried to proceed to trial, where he said he would formally admit his guilt.
Now, he wants to be considered insane again.
On Tuesday, Castillo, 42, of Rockville, changed his plea for a fourth time — invoking the not criminally responsible defense for a second time, after previously rejecting it.
The change in plea meant another postponement of the trial and another medical evaluation of Castillo. He had changed his plea before a previous evaluation could be completed.
His estranged wife, Amy Castillo, sat silent in the Baltimore City courtroom during the proceeding and declined to comment afterward.
Unlike at some previous court hearings, Mark Castillo appeared controlled and clean-cut in front of Judge Gale Rasin. He was shaven, his hair was cut, and he wore a tan suit, but his neck still showed the scar of an attempted suicide after his children’s murders. He did not speak, except to waive his right to a speedy trial.
He participated with his attorney, public defender Natasha Moody, whom he had previously tried to fire.
Castillo’s demeanor stood in stark contrast to that of his last court appearance, in October, in which he mocked and refused to cooperate with Rasin — and claimed to be riding aboard “The Little Engine That Could.”
When the judge told him, “I’m driving this train,” he responded:
“You can conduct this train, but I’m on a different train, called ‘The Little Engine That Could.’ I’m no longer going to cooperate with you.”
Since his March 30 arrest, Castillo said he has been trying to plead guilty to drowning his sons, Anthony, 6, and Austin, 4, and daughter, Athena, 2, at Baltimore’s Marriott Inner Harbor Hotel.
Baltimore police say Castillo told officers he killed his children March 30 because of a “recent divorce stemming from domestic issues with his wife.”
Castillo took 100 Motrin pills and tried to slit his own throat after drowning his children, charging documents state.
His next court hearing is scheduled for April 28.
