WEST PALM BEACH — To begin: A 19-year-old male from West Palm Beach has pled guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of his girlfriend in April 2022. The guy told the court that he felt regret for his conduct.
During a hearing that took place on Wednesday at the Palm Beach County Courthouse before Circuit Judge Caroline Shepherd, Alex Castanon was given a sentence of twenty years in state prison.
The plea was entered two days after the one-year anniversary of the death of Dolores Felipe, who was 18 years old. According to the findings of the investigation, Felipe was shot while she fought with Castanon over the possession of a pistol in their West Palm Beach house. Felipe died as a result of her injuries.
Castanon informed the investigating officers of the police shortly after the deadly gunshot that Felipe had been slain by an unknown intruder.
Later on, he altered his narrative and said that the pistol went off as a result of Felipe grabbing it during a dispute that took place at their apartment on 34th Street.
Castanon told the investigators that he and Felipe were laying on the sofa together when he felt a pistol between the cushions. Felipe was also there at this time.
He said that he was trying to put the gun away in another place when Felipe grew furious at him because she did not want him to have firearms near her. He stated that she did not want him to have guns around her.
After originally being charged with second-degree murder, Castanon entered a guilty plea at the hearing that took place on Wednesday.
He pled guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter with a handgun. He expressed regret to Shepherd and said that he did not want Felipe’s family to have to go through the ordeal of a court trial.
Shepherd said that Castonon had spent 368 days in the Palm Beach County Jail, which is little more than a year’s worth of time there.
