John Jefferson
Left: Corrina Woodhull, Woodhull as seen in a photo taken with her children (GoFundMe). Right: Robert Castillo (Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)
Months after pleading guilty to second-degree murder, a Minnesota man with was sentenced to serve more than three decades in state prison for stabbing his wife, a mom of five, 10 to 20 times with a hunting knife in front of family members at a Bible study. The violence unfolded just moments after he whispered something in the victim’s ear that prompted her to “sh[ake] her head no.”
The defendant, 40-year-old Robert Castillo, was sentenced Friday to spend 33 years in prison for murdering 41-year-old Corrina Woodhull, and he must serve at least two-thirds of that sentence before he can be released, local CBS affiliate WCCO reported. At sentencing, Woodhull’s still grieving mother reportedly revealed that she found divorce papers in her daughter’s car after the murder.
“She knew it was time to walk away, and that’s why she’s dead,” Linda Castle reportedly said.
According to a the St. Paul Police Department, cops were called to the home of Castillo’s sister, where the Bible study was held, around 9:00 p.m. on March 21, 2023, more than a year ago now.
“When officers arrived, they located an adult female who was suffering from apparent stab wounds to her upper body,” cops said, noting that family members tackled and disarmed her admitted killer until authorities arrived. “Multiple witnesses on scene were holding an adult male suspect.”
Castillo’s sister told police that she hosted the Bible study group at the home on Tuesday nights, and that Woodhull and Castillo had arrived together and sat on the couch, local WCCO reported. Once there, Castillo, a man with numerous felony convictions on his record, had apparently been holding Woodhull’s hand, kissed her, and whispered something into her ear before pulling out the hunting knife and stabbing her repeatedly.
Castillo’s brother, who was also at the Bible study, reportedly told police that Woodhull and Castillo had been having marital issues, hence the discovery of the divorce papers.
Witnesses reportedly told police that they saw Castillo stab his wife 10 to 20 times and that Woodhull had pleaded for her life.
“Don’t let me die,” one witness recalled Woodhull saying, according to a Kansas City Star report.
According to WCCO, Castillo had an active warrant out for his arrest at the time of the stabbing, and he had failed to appear in court in connection with charges that he had assaulted a prison guard while an inmate at a correctional facility in Stillwater, some 20 miles east of St. Paul. Castillo reportedly had eight prior felony convictions, including an assault charge for allegedly beating the purported mother of his child with a hammer.
Prior to her death, Corrina Woodhull had worked for Juel Fairbanks Recovery Services and helped others with substance abuse.
“We are sad to report that one of our employees, Corrina Woodhull was tragically killed last night. Corrina had so much light and she spread that light and positivity each and every day to our clients and staff. Corrina was a force to be reckoned with. She had so much strength and was strong minded. She had a huge heart and genuinely wanted to help others,” the company said after news of her murder. “She leaves behind a legacy here at Juel Fairbanks and she will be truly missed. Please keep her family, our clients, and staff in your prayers.”
Family said that Woodhull was the mom of five “beautiful children” and had a “had a passion to help others experiencing substance use disorder and domestic abuse and violence.”
Castillo’s lawyer had asserted that his client was a meth and heroin user who was in a state of psychosis when he stabbed Woodhull, KARE reported.
Marisa Sarnoff contributed to this report.
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