Following the issuance of a restraining order one week earlier, a man will be imprisoned for the remainder of his life for the 2022 murders of three members of his ex-girlfriend’s family.
The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Colorado has announced that on September 3, a judge sentenced 23-year-old Joseph Castorena to four consecutive life sentences, along with an extra 24 years, for the first-degree murders of Rudolfo Perez, Maria Anita Serrano, Jesus Serrano, Kenneth Luque, and myself, as well as for the first-degree murder attempt on his ex-girlfriend.
In May, a jury found him guilty of the counts. Every first-degree murder conviction in Colorado carries an obligatory life sentence without the possibility of release.
Prosecutors claim that on October 30, 2022, Castorena broke into his ex’s house while brandishing a gun and watched until the family left. Castorena’s ex-partner allegedly found her keys in her bedroom and alerted to the police that he might be hiding inside the property because he was the subject of a restraining order.
It was alleged that she heard several gunshots while talking to dispatchers.
Upon arrival at the scene, officers found that all four victims had died from gunshot wounds. The former girlfriend and her two little children reportedly suffered no physical harm, according to the district attorney’s office.
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The ex-girlfriend’s family members made up three of the dead victims, and the fourth victim rented an RV on the property. The fourth victim, according to the authorities, was shot and killed when he ventured outside during the incident.
Prosecutors claim that after the event, Castorena ran away to Mexico, where he was apprehended in December and then extradited back to Colorado.
Darcy Kofol, Senior Chief Deputy District Attorney, declared, “This coward killed an innocent tenant and an entire family.” The defendant found it difficult to comprehend that his ex-girlfriend desired to move on from their relationship. Rather, he made the terrible decision to kill every person she cared for.”
