Shownotes Transcript
Great news, Bloody FM fans. Our show, Dead Space Deep Cover, is a finalist for a webby. Hi, I'm Shelby Novak. I'm one of the hosts of the Bloody Disgusting podcast, and I play multiple roles on Dead Space Deep Cover.
I am so, so excited to tell you that Dead Space is a Webby finalist for podcast sound design. We're up against podcast giants like Stanley Tucci and Malcolm Gladwell, so we really need your help. So please go to bit.ly slash DeadSpace.
Dead Space Webby and vote for Dead Space. This is a great way to show your support for Bloody FM and to make sure that cool shows like Dead Space happen way more often in the future. And if you haven't listened to Dead Space Deep Cover yet, well...
What are you waiting for? You have 12 hours of sci-fi horror written by Warhammer's Ben Counter waiting in your favorite podcast app. Again, that site is bit.ly slash deadspacewebby. Please go vote for Dead Space Deep Cover today.
Warning, the following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects. Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children. This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned.
Finding a life partner can be really hard. And at times, it can be scary. Because in the beginning, when you first meet someone, they are always on their best behavior. They're showing you the best parts of themselves. They're treating you well, making you feel special, and proving that they are worthy of your time.
And typically that version of them is who you fall for. But deep down within every human are flaws, personality traits that we aren't proud of. And usually after being with someone for a while, you begin to see those traits creeping in. At the end of the day, you can't hide them forever.
But even after witnessing these red flags, you keep going back to those good qualities you saw in the beginning. You think to yourself that surely that good person is still somewhere within them. However, sometimes that's not the case.
There are people out there where once they find a partner, something changes within them. They become possessive, manipulative, controlling, abusive. And after a while, that good person you once knew in the beginning is no longer there. The dangerous part about dating someone like this is that sometimes,
Even when you try to leave, they don't always take no for an answer. And they are willing to do just about anything to keep that control over you. Today's story is about just that.
A man named Joseph Castorina, who abused and terrorized his girlfriend Jessica for years. After realizing that he was dangerous, Jessica took all the right steps to protect herself from him. But in the end, he would hurt her in the most horrific way you can imagine. So this is the story of the Serrano family massacre. I'm Courtney Browen. And I'm Colin Browen. And you're listening to Murder in America.
Our story starts in the town of Aurora, Colorado. Located outside of Denver, Colorado, nestled in the Rocky Mountains, Aurora is breathtaking.
Courtney and I actually just visited there last month on our anniversary trip, and we can see why people choose to live there. When you drive through Aurora, there are parts that have a very small-town feel, even though there's a population of over 380,000 people. It's a very family-friendly community with a lot of outdoor activities.
And being the third largest city in Colorado, Aurora is known for its diversity. Its population has a mix of Native Americans, Asians, African Americans, Hispanics. So there's a lot of culture here. According to Visit Aurora, there are over 90 languages spoken in the Aurora school system.
Dubbed the City of Sunshine, the area is lucky to have over 300 days of sunshine each year, making it one of Colorado's most sought-out locations for outdoor enthusiasts and tourists. But as you may know,
The town has had its fair share of tragedies, including the Aurora Theater shooting that took place on July 20, 2012. 24-year-old James Egan Holmes opened fire inside a Century 16 movie theater and brutally murdered 13 people, including an unborn infant, while wounding 70 more.
We actually stopped by and drove around back to see where the gunman entered into the theater. And as you can imagine, it was incredibly eerie. Pictures of the scene showed blood covering the concrete outside and where the gunman had parked his vehicle. But now, over a decade later, it just looks like your average theater.
Now we will definitely be covering that story on the podcast one day, but this tragedy really rocked the community of Aurora, as with any community that's been affected by gun violence. But a few years back in 2022, another violent tragedy would take place in Aurora, Colorado. The city that has always prided itself on sunshine and warmth was once again reminded that darkness always has a way of creeping back in.
Now, I know we usually give a lot of background information on the people in our stories, but sadly, there isn't a lot out there on the people in this case. What we do know is that Joseph Castorena and Jessica Serrano had a long, twisted history together. One filled with love, pain, and betrayal. And they were young.
In 2022, Joseph was just 22 years old, so he and Jessica were just kids when they started dating. And of course, like any new relationship, especially as a teenager, the two quickly fell in love. And in the beginning, things seemed to be going well for the couple. They were happy. Eventually, he and Jessica found out that they were pregnant with a little girl. And soon after that, they had another daughter.
From the outside looking in, they appeared to be a beautiful, loving family. But looks can be deceiving. Because beneath the surface, their relationship was volatile. Joseph had a bad temper. He would physically and emotionally abuse Jessica whenever he got upset. And sadly, he was even beating her while she was pregnant. For women in abusive relationships, pregnancy can be a very dangerous experience. In fact, the leading cause of death for pregnant women
is homicide, which is horrifying. One would think that because they're growing a baby, the abuse would stop, but that's not always the case. In some situations, physical abuse can actually get worse for a number of reasons, like how the mother's attention has shifted to their baby instead of their husband. And sadly for Jessica, she experienced this firsthand.
Now, Jessica would put her foot down when things got really bad. She had actually left him on a number of times over the course of their relationship. But sadly, every time, Joseph would come running back to her, begging for another chance. He would give her all of these empty promises, telling her all of the ways he was going to change going forward. And being the good person she is, Jessica would give him the chance to prove himself.
After all, he was the father of her children. She wanted her daughters to grow up with their dad, so she would take him back.
But without fail, after a brief period of him being on his best behavior, Joseph Castorena always reverted back to his old ways. Joseph and Jessica had been on this vicious and never-ending cycle for years. Their relationship was plagued with domestic violence, frequent breakups, and an unhealthy obsession. Every time Jessica got back together with him,
It was only a matter of time until he started being controlling, jealous, and violent. But one of the worst times of their relationship occurred in August of 2020, when Jessica and Joseph's daughter was rushed to the Children's Hospital in Colorado. She was only three months old at the time, and she was severely injured.
When the doctors looked at her little body, they saw that she had a broken arm and multiple skull fractures. As it turns out, Joseph's abuse wasn't just towards Jessica, but his children as well. Now following this, he was arrested and charged with felony child abuse. And this is also the year that Jessica decided to leave Joseph once and for all.
It had taken her years to finally come to this realization, but she knew she couldn't live the rest of her life being afraid. She had already lost so much because of this man, so she made the brave decision to leave. And Jessica was moving on with her life. That year, she got on Facebook and saw that she had a message from someone. She didn't know the guy, but from what she could tell by his profile picture, he was attractive.
And based on his message, he wanted to get to know her better. So from there, the two began messaging back and forth. I'm sure it was refreshing to talk to someone new, to get to know this guy. Eventually, he even asked her out on a date to which Jessica said yes. But as soon as she did,
She learned that this guy she was messaging wasn't even real. It was Joseph. He had made an entire fake Facebook account using someone else's name in pictures. He then started messaging Jessica pretending to be this guy. And when Jessica agreed to go on the date, Joseph revealed that he was the person she had been talking to the entire time. Following that, he flew into a rage.
It was very clear to Jessica and her entire family that Joseph was extremely unstable. It seemed that after their breakup, his obsession with her got even stronger, and soon enough his behavior would escalate. On the afternoon of October 23rd, 2022, Jessica was leaving her work when she suddenly saw Joseph in the parking lot, and the look on his face was terrifying. He quickly approached her demanding they talk over lunch, but Jessica refused.
She tried to walk away to get into her car, but before she knew it, he grabbed her by the arm and forced her into his Hummer. And that's when she saw the gun. Once in his car, Joseph pulled out his small black handgun and pressed it up against her. He then told her that he was going to kill her if she didn't do what he said.
But at that moment, Jessica knew that she needed to get out of there. She knew what he was capable of. So she attempted to flee the vehicle. She would later say that when she opened the car door, he grabbed her by the shirt, trying to keep her inside. But she fought back. Jessica ended up falling backwards out of his car, and from there, she took off running.
Luckily, her car was in the parking lot, so she quickly ran towards it. But as she did, Joseph was right on her tail. Fortunately, Jessica was able to get into the driver's seat and lock the door. But as she put her car in reverse, Joseph was standing there at her driver's side door. And horrifically, he was holding a tire iron. Jessica tried her best to get away, but before she knew it,
Joseph smashed in her window with that tire iron. There was glass everywhere, and she even got a few minor cuts. But from there, Joseph was able to get a hold of her. Later that day, Jessica's father, Jesus Serrano, was at his house when he started to get a horrible feeling. Jessica usually came home from work by now, and she still wasn't back.
It wouldn't be until the following afternoon on October 24th when Jessica finally came back home shaken up and covered in cuts. Apparently, Joseph had held Jessica against her will for an entire day before she was able to escape. And while he was holding her hostage at his house, Joseph's family was apparently witnessing the entire thing without stepping in to help.
Now, as you can imagine, when Jessica's family heard this story, they were horrified. They knew that Joseph was a dangerous man. In fact, they had even heard him threaten Jessica in the past. So that afternoon, when she finally came back home, they decided it was time to file a police report.
Together, Jessica, her father Jesus, and her twin sister Maria drove to the Arapahoe County Police Department and filled out a criminal complaint and protective order. And sadly, this wasn't the first time they had done this. Her family had filed separate protective orders against Joseph in the past.
specifically for his violent behavior and threats. But on this one, Jessica wrote on the report: "I was planning on going home and he didn't let me. While being pregnant with my first child, he would hit me. Really controlling, harassing all the time. I had to listen to him or he'll hit.
Wouldn't let me see my family." Her father Jesus was also a part of this report. And in regards to this recent incident, he wrote: "The next day she showed up around 3 p.m. She was covered in glass and had cuts all over her arms. Joseph had broken her driver's side window while she was on the driver's side. He was upset because he didn't want her to leave. Joseph also had a gun on him. He used it to scare her.
Jessica's twin sister Maria said: "She told me that Joseph was waiting for her outside of work, and he told her that she was going to spend the night at his house. Once she refused, he took out his gun and put it against her and he broke her car window. He took out a gun on my sister and put it against her waist on the right side.
He told her to stay at his house with him. His whole parents and sisters watched and didn't do anything. Joseph and my sister have had many incidents that have happened within the past 10 years. My family and I have been going through all of this for 3 years straight and we're getting tired of it. He ends up getting arrested and he's out on bail the very next day. I just don't want him nowhere near my daughters.
But Jessica wasn't the only person who was afraid of Joseph. Her father Jesus filed his own order of protection against him. As it turns out, Joseph had threatened him as well, especially when it came to Jessica and Joseph's daughters. In Jesus' report, he wrote,
he harassed me at my own home he told me that he was going to kill me if we weren't going to give him his kids now following this both jessica and jesus were granted temporary orders of protection and a permanent order of protection was scheduled for a hearing on november 4th 2022 her twin sister maria also requested a protective order against him but there were no records that indicated it had been granted
According to KDVR, the judge denied it, citing no imminent danger. But as we've seen time and time again, these protective orders are simply a piece of paper. And when it comes to monsters like Joseph Castorena, it isn't going to stop them.
In the past, these orders meant nothing to him. He had a long criminal record for violating court orders and failure to appear in court, so clearly he didn't care about this protective order. And despite these charges against him, Joseph was able to evade punishment and continued to harass and threaten his ex-girlfriend and her family. It was also reported that even when Joseph would get arrested for these crimes, his family was always there to support him and immediately bail him out of jail.
But for the meantime, Jessica and her family were relieved that the courts were on their side. Their protective orders also made it to where Joseph wasn't allowed to possess a firearm, which was also a relief considering he would use it to threaten her. But as you can imagine, things were extremely complicated, especially because they had two children together. And Jessica's family said that Joseph always used the kids as a way to control and manipulate Jessica.
Now, on October 29th, 2022, after all the protective orders had been issued, CPS actually removed both of their daughters from their custody, citing concerns about the volatile environment and the unstable dynamic between their parents. And Joseph was still awaiting trial for that felony child abuse case from two years back. So, from here, the girls actually went to live with family members in Texas. Now, considering how abusive their father was, this was definitely for the best.
But it also seemed to be the breaking point for Joseph. First, he lost Jessica. Then he was issued these protective orders. And now he's lost his daughters. He had lost control over everything in his life. And he certainly wasn't happy about it.
The day after his daughters were sent to Texas was October 30th, 2022, the day before Halloween. And as the sun set on the quiet suburban town of Aurora, Colorado, no one had any idea that they were on the brink of an unimaginable tragedy. While most of the town was out celebrating, having fun in their Halloween costumes, Joseph Castorina was writhing with anger. For months,
The feelings he had about their breakup had festered into something dark and sinister. After the protective order and these new charges against him, he knew he had lost full control over Jessica and their children. He couldn't bear the thought of losing them. And instead...
he hatched a plan to get back at Jessica once and for all. He was prepared to do whatever it took to regain possession of what he believed was rightfully his. So in the early morning hours of October 30th, he grabbed his gun, the one that he wasn't supposed to have due to his protective order. And from there, he left his house and headed to 942 Geneva Street, the location where Jessica and her family lived.
When Joseph finally arrived, video showed him creeping around the outside of the house, observing his surroundings. And somehow, he was able to get inside. But as he entered the residence, he quickly saw that no one was home. So instead, he found a hiding spot and he waited. Eventually, at around 2 a.m.,
Jessica, her father Jesus, her twin sister Maria, and Maria's husband Kenneth finally pulled in the driveway. The family had just come home from a party where they spent the night laughing and enjoying each other's company after a stressful week. As they walked into the home, no one suspected a thing. The Serrano family was settling in for the night.
completely unaware that someone was watching and lurking in the shadows of their home. As they tucked themselves in, they thought they were safe and sound. Jessica even went to her bedroom, ready to jump into bed and go to sleep. But that's when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. In her closet,
There was a jacket, some jeans, and car keys that were just laying there. And she knew exactly who they belonged to, her ex-boyfriend, Joseph Castorena. Now, Jessica knew that those items had not been there before she left that night, which led her to a terrifying conclusion that Joseph had been in their home, and even worse, that he might still be there hiding. So immediately, Jessica grabbed her phone and dialed 911.
What is your first and last name? Jessica Serrano. Tell me exactly what happened, Jessica. My ex-boyfriend has a shoe order and he's not supposed to be here around me with this house. And I just found his jacket here, his jeans, and his keys here.
Okay. Okay. Give me one second. Okay. Is there anybody that saw him in the house at all? Sorry.
Okay.
How many people are in the house with you right now that you know of? Four. Okay. Do you have cameras around your house? Yes, we do. Okay. Did you see anything on the cameras? I don't. I'm not at the moment. I'm traveling because my sister's the one that has the cameras. But I told her to check and she's going to do that now. All right. Is anyone there experiencing any flu symptoms with an asthma subclinic? No, ma'am.
Immediately, police officers are dispatched to the scene. And while she waits for them, Jessica stays on the phone with 911. But horrifically, as her father, sister, and brother-in-law are downstairs, Joseph Castorina comes out of his hiding spot
holding a gun. It's believed that the first person he shot was 20-year-old Kenneth Eugene Green Luque. Joseph encountered him at the foot of the basement stairs and quickly fired off several shots. Directly behind him,
Jessica's twin sister, Maria, watched as her husband dropped to the ground. Seeing this, she let out a terrified scream and then Joseph turned the gun on her, shooting Maria two times. Upstairs, 51-year-old Jesus Serrano heard the gunfire down in the basement. But before he could even react,
Joseph Castorina was standing in front of him. Sadly, Jesus would be shot twice in the hallway of his home. But Joseph's reign of terror wasn't over just yet. Lastly, there was the Serrano's family friend,
49-year-old Rodolfo Salgado Perez. He had actually been renting out an RV on their property. When he heard the gunshots, he ran over to see what was going on. And like the others, when Joseph saw him, he was quickly shot and killed.
Within seconds, four people had been gunned down within this home. And upstairs, Jessica Serrano heard everything. She heard the gunshots followed by her family screaming, and she knew that she would be next. So instinctively, she ran into a nearby bathroom, locking herself inside.
Now she had been on the phone with 911 during this whole thing, so you're about to hear her reaction to hearing her entire family get murdered. Trigger warning, it is very difficult to hear.
Already. I do have that in here. Okay, we're going to go out there. If you do end up seeing him on camera, just give us the call back that I have it in, okay? What's going on, Jessica? Oh, my God. There's shots of Brian in the house. Okay, what's going on? I don't know. I can't watch myself. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.
Stay on the phone with me. Stay on the phone, okay? Don't hang up. Do you know who shot at the house? No, we don't have the downstairs music. Okay. Okay. How many shots did you hear? Okay. Was that another one? Okay.
Okay, stay on the phone. Stay away from the doors and the windows, okay? Okay, where is everybody else? Jessica, take a deep breath. I have this in, okay? We're getting them out there. Just stay on the phone right now. Okay.
Okay. Who's that in the background? Is there anybody with you? You know who's that yelling in the background? Okay.
Okay. What room are you in? Are you in the bedroom or the basement? The first room. The first room? Okay. I need you to get down on the ground, okay? On your stomach for me. Okay.
Officers were rushing to the scene, but the wait felt like an eternity. And after that initial bout of gunfire, the house went quiet. Joseph was looking for her. After all, she had been his intended target that night. So he went room to room hunting her down. Eventually, he reached the bedroom upstairs, and that's when he noticed that the bathroom door was locked. He tried his best to get inside, even shooting at the door, but he was struggling.
I need you to say it a little bit louder if you can. Ma'am, can you say your address a little bit louder? Hello?
Ma'am? Ma'am, hello? Hello?
Hello?
Hello? Joseph continued kicking in the door. And while he was doing this, you can hear him tell Jessica, you're next. Why did you do this to me? What do you want me to do? Come out and talk to me. And the entire time, Jessica is screaming. She's pleading with him, please calm down. Stop this, please. No, Joseph, please no. But he won't listen. Hello?
*crying*
- I'm okay.
No! No! No, don't do it, please! No! What do you want me to do? What do you want me to do? No! No! No! No!
No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No!
Eventually, Joseph is able to kick the door in. Once he did, Jessica saw him standing there holding a gun with a crazed look in his eye. Now, fortunately, he had run out of bullets, but that didn't stop him from going after her. So it's here where Jessica had to fight for her life. Somehow during the struggle, she was able to push him into the bathtub. And once she did, she ran as fast as she possibly could.
On her way out of the house, she saw the body of her father, Jesus. But Joseph was right on her tail. And over the next few minutes, he chased her around like a madman. First, Jessica ran into the backyard where she saw the body of their family friend, Rodolfo. Then she ran back into the house
but Joseph was behind her the entire time. Finally, she made it out into the street where she saw headlights in the distance. Jessica began frantically waving her arms, trying to get the car to stop, but they ended up driving past. However, seeing this, Joseph was spooked and instead of trying to kill Jessica, he decided to flee the scene. But clearly, Jessica was still in fight or flight.
With adrenaline running through her body, she continued to run down Geneva Street. And that's when she encountered Sergeant Paul Davis at 2:16 AM. - Okay, come back here. All right, I'm in contact with female. What's wrong? - He shot my family. - What do you mean he shot your family? Stay right here. All right, she's telling me he's just shot her family. Stay right there.
As you just heard, Jessica was screaming "Papa". She was coming to the realization that her family was dead. From here, Sgt. Paul Davis went through the home where he saw a horrific scene.
The bodies of Jessica's family members were strewn all throughout the home. There was blood and bullet casings covering the ground. Sergeant Paul Davis discovered the deceased body of Rodolfo outside in the backyard. Apparently, Rodolfo had entered the residence during the chaos but was met by Joseph and his gun.
He was shot once, stumbled backwards into the yard, and collapsed on the ground. The deceased body of Jesus Serrano was located in the hallway near the kitchen. Both Maria and Kenneth would be found in the basement. Now, at this point, Sergeant Paul Davis is the only officer on scene, and his first priority is clearing the home to make sure the gunman isn't still around. And as he's outside, Jessica makes her way down into the basement. And that's where she sees the bodies of
of her twin sister Maria and her husband Kenneth. Horrifically, Sergeant Paul Davis' body cam captures the moment she makes that discovery. I've got one down, gunshot wound in the kitchen. Get the female out of here! Get out of here! Ma'am, come on! You need to get out of here! Come on! Go out there! Go outside! Go outside! Stay outside! Come on!
Help me! I'm trying to get around. What's he look like? He shows up custom in that. What's he wearing? He's wearing a gray sweater. I don't know. He wanted to kill me too, but he didn't have no more bullets. Okay, you got to come back over here. I want you to sit right here. I don't want to lose my child. The girl.
what girls they're in the boat the room i don't know okay stay here i need you to stay here girls the girls i might have some girls inside once you stay here
As you just heard, Jessica came to the realization that her nieces were in the house. Maria and Kenneth's two young daughters who were just one year old and three months old. Immediately, officers ran inside the house where luckily they found the children unharmed. It was reported that the girls were traumatized, but everyone was happy to see that they were alive. With four people gunned down inside of the home,
first responders had the difficult task figuring out how to remove the children without them having to see the carnage that had been left behind. - How many do we have in there? - Three. - Okay, so... - Kids don't need anything. - I'm here, Sergeant. - Mom of these two little ones,
i think those are her sister's kids oh there you go yeah i think those are her sister's kids well there's the sister she's dead can we get those kids out yes we're gonna hold here we need to work on getting those kids out that lady we're gonna get them out a different way okay we need to do it okay
Where we asked for our search. Have we done a backyard? We have not done a backyard. No, because she came in after I came in here and I had to get her out of here. So I did not do a backyard search. How many fired? Is there any way to get them out of here without having them see?
Let's wrap them up in blankets? Yeah, we'll probably just go out this way, cover eyes and head. We'll take the children's. Right now, I have to tell they're okay. They're green. I'm grabbing a blanket. I'm going to hold it. Okay. Will you both transport in yours? Yeah, I'm just going to hold the blanket here. You're taking them to the hospital, right? Yes. Okay. Okay.
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Soon enough, Geneva Street was lit up with blue and red flashing lights. Yellow crime scene tape surrounded the Serrano home. Officers in town were actively on the hunt for Joseph Castorena while other investigators worked the crime scene. EMTs had arrived at the house, but as they checked the four victims for any signs of life,
they found none what had started out as a fun night for the family tragically ended with four people losing their lives outside of the home sergeant davis escorted jessica to a quiet portion of geneva street where he did his best to console her
But in the thick of her grief came anger because despite all of the problems she had had with Joseph, all of the threats, abuse, 911 calls and protective orders, he was still allowed to walk around free. And the worst part was that Jessica and her family saw this coming, which is exactly why they reached out to law enforcement for protection. But look where they were now. My son! My son!
I know, I know. I want you to take it. I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I know. I can't breathe. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know.
I need to go to my aunt. I need you to just relax for me, okay? I know. I need you to relax for me, okay? I'm telling you to hurry up. I know. I'm telling you to hurry up. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know.
I know. I know. We always called you guys. Always called you guys about him. Always coming here. Doing this and that. You guys don't arrest him. I don't. I'm just. The dad in the mom always spells him out. It's always the same. I know. The same shit. I know. I just can't believe it. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know.
I know, I know, I know. Why? Why me? Why? Why me? My God, he's got very high, very high. I know, I know. You guys wouldn't listen to me. You guys wouldn't listen. Why? Why? Why?
From here, Jessica and the two children were taken to a local hospital. Fortunately, all three showed no signs of physical injury. However, there were emotional scars. The three were also placed under protective custody, since Joseph Castoreno was still on the run.
But that night, Jessica had to let her family members know that he had finally done what they'd all been afraid of all along. Jessica's uncle, Ubaldo Codina, spoke with Fox 31 Denver and admitted they were all afraid of Joseph. He had threatened to kill Jessica and her family on numerous occasions, and he finally made good on that threat. They also knew that he was not one to follow protective orders.
In fact, Jessica, Jesus, and Maria had even called the police on Joseph many times for violating protection orders, and still, nothing happened. She was afraid of him because...
He would always tell him that he was going to kill our family. Ubaldo Codina waking up to a phone call from his mom learning multiple people in his family had been killed. They didn't know who was killed. We didn't know. After a couple of hours, they probably let us know that. Codina sharing these photos with Fox 31 of three of the victims. One of them, his niece Mariana, along with her husband Ken and her dad Jesus. He killed Jesus and then killed Mariana.
Mm-hmm.
I guess the old guy came out to see what was going on and he killed him too. Aurora police searching the area of 10th and Geneva Street Sunday morning for the suspect, 21-year-old Joseph Castorina. He has a criminal background. The problem solvers confirmed Castorina does have a criminal rap sheet. Kadina told us his other niece survived the shooting. Jessica ran into the restroom.
and locked herself in, and that's when she called the cops. She shared kids with the suspect. But she was scared because if she would do something,
Back at the crime scene, investigators searched for clues inside of the home. They found a stolen 9mm Kim handgun and nine spent shell casings. The gun was eventually traced back to a man in Iowa who had originally purchased the gun in 2016. It is unknown how Joseph came to be in possession of the stolen firearm, but fingerprints on the gun would later be found to match those belonging to Joseph.
However, there was still no sign of him. Ring camera footage caught him escaping through the back of the house barefoot. It was extremely cold that morning, so investigators believed that he had most likely gone back to his parents' house, located only a few blocks from the Serrano residence.
Even further, investigators were able to determine that Joseph's cell phone had pinged nearby. He couldn't have gone far. So from here, police descended upon his neighborhood with canines. They quickly taped off the entire street and searched on foot, in between houses, backyards, and they also went door to door to find out if the neighbors had seen anything. While searching, they located his red Hummer H2 parked in the street, abandoned.
But it was a little after 3am when police came knocking on his family's door with the news that their son had just massacred an entire family. According to them, they had no idea where he was. Here's his sister talking with the police.
Here's the deal. I'm gonna be straight up and honest with you. We want to get in contact with your brother before somebody else, some other agency does, okay? I would rather your brother be alive and under arrest than to be dead or shot because he does something stupid, okay?
Is there any way that you can help us out to find out where he's at? I already tried calling him. My sister tried calling him. He won't answer. Okay. Does he have any social media that he might be on right now? Why would his phone be hidden? Why would we be seeing stuff around here? What do you mean? As far as where he was last located. For his phone? Yeah. Like his phone here? Yeah. I don't know.
Is there anything, is there anybody that he would be living or going to someone's house around here or anything like that? I don't know. I just got home. I noticed my dad and mom were gone. They were over here. I called them. That had happened with Joseph. Okay, so are you cold right now? Yes. Okay. I'm scared. I'm nervous. Okay, don't be nervous around us. We're here to make sure that things are good so there's nobody that's in danger inside your house. Just my mom and sister.
I know I seen him earlier before I left to work. Okay. What do you mean? And what how was that contact? How was that? I just seen him walk out the door. That's it. Okay. Was he mad? Was he angry? No. I think he said something about a haircut. So here's the deal. If you're cold, here's the deal. I don't want you going back in the house because I don't know if he's in there somewhere. All right.
And obviously, well, I'm not going to arrest you or anything like that. I just don't want you going back in the house and I would like you to be compliant with us, okay? Because the situation is... Well, see, I've never been in a situation like this. I'm like, I don't have my dad. My dad's the one that usually, you know. I mean, my deal is preservation of life, right? So if you come out, maybe we can have you call the other females that are in there and have them come out of the house if you would.
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With the help of a bilingual officer, they were also able to talk to Joseph's mother. And that's when they learned about the tumultuous relationship between the couple. But they still needed to search the Castorena home. Officers had a feeling that Joseph might be hiding inside. So, at 4:30 am, a team of officers led by Sergeant Paul Davis entered the Castorena residence. Once inside the house, the team of police officers went room to room searching for Joseph.
Their canines also searched for him, but there was no indication that he was at home. And although his cell phone still pinged in the area and he was clearly on foot, authorities couldn't find him. During the early investigation, one police officer noted that he heard a loud truck roaring out of the neighborhood, followed by a sequence of gunshots. Investigators wondered if the truck had been used as a distraction to allow more time for Joseph to escape. They also wondered if Joseph had an accomplice.
Now, after hours of searching around the neighborhood, there was still no sign of Joseph. But during the sweep of the Serrano's backyard,
investigators found his discarded iPhone. Apparently, Joseph had either dropped it during his escape or he had left it behind on purpose. But from here, the Aurora Police Department alerted the public that murderer Joseph Castorena was on the loose and they warned that he could be armed and that he was dangerous. Residents were urged to shelter in place.
And by now there was a massive manhunt to locate him. Police canine units were called in, drones were used, and eventually several witnesses came forward with some information. Neighbors in the area stated that they had seen Joseph leaving the area on foot, but other people told investigators to take a closer look at his family. In fact, investigators would later say that Joseph's parents actually came to the crime scene hours later
and attempted to interfere with the investigation. Apparently his father even tried to punch one of the police sergeants. But as the town of Aurora woke up that morning, everyone learned of the unspeakable tragedy that had taken place. Here is the Aurora police chief, Daniel John Oates, updating the media on the status of the investigation. - Deceased adults in the home.
two very young children and one adult female who were unharmed. The adult female is the domestic partner of our suspect. Earlier this week, a restraining order had been issued directing the suspect not to go to the residence or approach or come near the domestic partner. We began investigating, we identified the suspect and began searching the neighborhood in the dark.
At one point, we went to a nearby other residence, which we believe to be the residence of the suspect. We spent several hours there with consent. We eventually searched that home and did not find him at that location. Shortly after this incident began, we issued a reverse 911 call to residents within a one mile radius, asking them to shelter in place.
We located what we believe is the suspect's car nearby. That has since been towed and will be subject of a search warrant. Victim advocates are supporting the survivors and they are in a safe place. We did a search at night and we have just begun a daylight search of the neighborhood.
We even had drones up in the air at first light. And we're now doing a thorough search of the immediate neighborhood because we are concerned and want to find the subject. His name is Joseph Mario Castorena, date of birth 5/24/01. He's 21 years old. We have to assume he is armed. And we are very concerned and want to do everything we can to find him and take him into custody as soon as possible.
His photo has been released on APD social media. If you look at it closely, you will see that he has a very distinctive lion tattoo on the left side of his neck. We're obviously requesting the public's assistance and the media's assistance to find him. If anyone sees him or has any information about his whereabouts, we ask that 911 be called immediately.
And with that, I'm happy to take any questions. So what should people who live in this area, what should they be doing right now? We're going to search the immediate neighborhood. When that is completed, we will send out an all clear to the same parties who received the reverse 911. I think this search will take another half hour to an hour to complete, but we're gonna search the immediate area.
You know, I can't speculate on where he might be, but the sensible thing for anyone who knows the police is looking for him would be to leave the area. But we're going to be as thorough as we can with the search and do the best we can to reassure the community, have a presence here. We're going to be here for the crime scene for quite some time. All of the deceased are still at the crime scene, so we'll be here for quite some time, and I think that should have some reassurance to the community along with the search that we're doing.
Chief question, the picture that you released on Twitter was from a previous arrest. It seems like less than 30 days ago. Can you shed light into some of those other charges? He has a history involving domestic violence, and I don't have all the details. I'd rather not go into that, but this was an accumulation of events here that led to this.
So, yes. Did this have anything to do with the custody dispute? Because that's what some relatives had told us. Well, the children of the suspect and his domestic partner are not even in state. They are elsewhere with family and safe. So, the question, with obviously a history of domestic violence, this person was obviously not in jail, not in police custody. Is there a reason for that? Can you speak to that at all? I can't.
I don't have an explanation for that at this time. - And that's what we were wondering as well. Before the massacre, Joseph forced Jessica into his vehicle as she was leaving work. He busted her car window out with a tire iron as she was trying to leave. And then he kept her at his house against her will, holding a gun against her. And Jessica took all the right steps. After that incident, she went to the police and got a protective order.
Her whole family did. And somehow this monster was able to walk around free. On the afternoon of October 30th, Jessica's mother was interviewed by Fox 31 Denver, and she provided more insight into the relationship between her daughter and Joseph. This has been going on for two years already. And even the cops know...
that how many times I've called and my daughter has called. I'm trying to get answers. I haven't received any phone calls from anybody. I haven't heard from my daughters. I don't know anything about my granddaughters. I don't know why nobody has contacted me. The only thing I know is that I want justice and I want everybody to please find Joseph Castrena.
Now, because Jessica and Joseph's daughters had just been sent to Texas the day prior, investigators feared that Joseph may have gone there. What if he had a plan to get his daughters back?
They also had to consider the fact that Texas borders Mexico. And considering he is a fugitive wanted for a quadruple homicide, it wouldn't be farfetched to assume he would try and flee the country. According to his family members, he had just visited Mexico only a year prior to attend his grandpa's funeral. So he had family there. But at the end of the day, investigators were still thinking that he was in Colorado. After all,
He didn't even have shoes on when he fled the scene. He also didn't have a car. So the only way he could have fled is if he had accomplices.
At 7:50 AM on the morning of October 30th, Josephs Hummer was towed and searched at the Aurora Police Department Evidence Bay. DNA was swabbed and lifted from the interior, and they also located his driver's license, his social security card, two credit cards, one debit card, and a Costco card inside his wallet. After finding these items, the thought of him fleeing seemed even less likely. Leaving the country without any money or an ID wouldn't be easy.
Back with Aurora police say they're still looking for the man who they believe killed four people early yesterday morning near Del Mar Parkway and now court records show two of the four killed filed a protection order against the suspect just last week.
Police are looking for 21-year-old Joseph Castorina. They believe the shooting is related to an ongoing domestic situation between Castorina and a woman who was present but was not hurt during that shooting. Relatives have identified three of the shooting victims as family members of that woman. In 9 News reported, Jalisa Arizari is with us now. It sounds like the family had been dealing with this for a while now.
Yeah, Tom, at least one of the protection orders filed last Monday states there have been issues between Castorena and this family for at least three years. Court records indicate the woman Castorena was in a previous relationship with as well as her sister and her father all took step to try and distance themselves from him. Darkness can cloud details.
And what happened in the shadows one early morning in Aurora is still coming to light. This was an accumulation of events here that led to this. So, yes. Interim Chief Dan Oates didn't have all the information on Sunday morning. But court documents obtained Monday fill in some of the gaps. Records show three people filed protection orders against the suspect, 21-year-old Joseph Castorena, last Monday. According to family members, two unidentified.
of those individuals are now dead. If a survivor has a strong relationship with a friend or a family member, especially somebody living within their own home, perpetrators are going to exploit that. Abby Henson is a chief program officer at Safe House Denver. While she can't speak on specific cases, she says family members of domestic violence survivors are often at risk.
Last week, Castorena's ex-girlfriend, her father and sister all filed protection orders against him. They claim Castorena pulled a gun on his ex-girlfriend and threatened to kill her father if her father didn't give Castorena his kids.
A hearing to make the protection order filed by Castorena's ex-girlfriend permanent was scheduled for later this week. I mean, these kind of situations are so tragic for so many reasons. And I think it's really also important to highlight that for so many survivors, protection orders are working and they are keeping themselves and their kids safe.
And so it really needs to be a case by case basis if a protection order is right for any particular survivor. And those conversations can be had with a specially trained confidential domestic violence advocate such as Safe House Denver.
Now we should add Castorina filed a protection order three weeks ago against what is listed as his mother-in-law. Based on the circumstances, this appears to be the mother of Castorina's ex-girlfriend. There was also a protection order violation misdemeanor charge against Castorina that was dismissed in 2021. The DA's office says that charge was dropped after being denied a continuance on a child abuse case trial Castorina was facing. So they decided to focus on the felony case instead. Tom and Kim.
Oh my goodness, this story is just so many layers of sadness. So hopefully they find him. All right, thank you, Jalisa.
After the case was publicized throughout Aurora and nearby Denver, several tips came into the police department, including one from Joseph's cousin, Joel. Joel told investigators that during the early morning hours of October 30th, he was suddenly woken up by a knock on his bedroom window. Joel said that he opened his eyes and saw his cousin standing there, with a strange look on his face. It was clear that something was terribly wrong.
So Joel went to the front door to see what he wanted. When he opened the door, Joseph kept repeating over and over again: "I fucked up." Now, it's unclear whether or not Joseph told him about what he actually did that night, but Joel said that it looked like he was high on drugs. Joseph even begged his cousin to let him stay there for a while, but Joel refused. Instead, he gave Joseph a pair of green tennis shoes and sent him on his way.
Now, Joel's house was located several miles from the crime scene, so investigators wondered how he had traveled that far in the cold weather without any shoes. At this point, they believed that he had had an accomplice, and they focused their investigation on Joseph's two brothers.
But Joseph's older brother provided an alibi for his whereabouts that morning and it checked out. However, his younger brother, Juan Angel Castorena, was a different story. During the early investigation, investigators were very suspicious of him because Juan refused to speak with them.
but on the afternoon of november 1st he was taken to the police station for an official interview and shockingly juan admitted that he had not only helped joseph escape but also that he had given him a ride to the serrano residence before the murders now like we mentioned joseph's hummer had been abandoned at the scene so i'm not sure exactly how that played out but according to juan after the murders he drove joseph to denver where he passed him off to their cousin carlos florence
both juan and carlos also gave joseph some cash so he could flee but after this confession juan was arrested and ultimately charged with accessory after the fact in four murders tonight police in aurora have arrested the brother of the man accused of shooting and killing four people at a home in aurora police say that juan castorena is facing a charge of accessory to first-degree murder after the fact he's 18 years old police are still looking for his brother joseph castorena
He's wanted in connection with the shooting on October 20th. The reward for information leading to his arrest is $15,000. If you know anything, you're asked to call Crime Stoppers. The next thing investigators did was track down Joseph's cousin, Carlos. And when they did, he admitted that he had picked Joseph up that night. He said that he even attempted to pass him off to other family members in the area, but that no one wanted to help. So instead...
Carlos stated that he drove Joseph to a school and he dropped him off with a blanket and some cash. But as for where Joseph went from there, Carlos had no idea. Now, following this confession, Carlos Flores was arrested and charged with accessory after the fact for assisting in the getaway.
Now to a war where police have made another arrest in a quadruple homicide happened Halloween weekend, but the primary suspect still out there. Today, officers arrested 22-year-old Carlos Casillas Flores. He is the cousin of the prime suspect, Joseph Castorena. Casillas Flores is facing charges of accessory to murder after the fact because officers believe he helped Castorena avoid capture.
Aurora police arrested Castor and his brother on similar charges last week. Police say Castor in a shot and killed three men and a woman at a home on Geneva Street near 10th Ave. A mother and her children were inside that home at the time they were physically unharmed.
Now, by this point, it had been over a month since the massacre, and Joseph Castoreno was still on the loose. And by now, investigators believed that he had escaped to Mexico, where he had family. So the FBI, Mexican Immigration Services, and the Federal Police Force followed a trail that led them to Zacatecas State in Mexico. According to reports, once Joseph entered Mexico, he reached out to his family members for help, but they weren't as welcoming as he had hoped.
In fact, the year prior in 2021, after his grandfather's funeral, Joseph had caused some problems with his family members in Mexico. So clearly they had no desire to harbor a fugitive.
These family members even alerted the local police. By the time they arrived, Joseph was already gone. After leaving Zacatecas state, he traveled to a remote area of Mexico called Aguas Calientes. But by then, Mexican authorities were on the lookout for him. And soon enough, on December 10th, 2022, they spotted a short young man with a lion tattoo on the side of his neck. It was Joseph Castorena.
And finally, after a month and a half of being on the run, Joseph was apprehended by the Mexican police. A man wanted for more than a month now for killing a family and a neighbor in Aurora is in custody. Denver 7's Patrick Perez explains where authorities found him and the relief the victim's families are feeling.
New video released by Mexican authorities shows the arrest of Joseph Castorena after a weeks long manhunt that crossed the border. He was captured Saturday in the state of Aguas Calientes, where investigators there say he was staying with a family member.
The 21 year old is accused Green Luke, his girlfriend two girls, Maria Serrano, The murders happened at t the end of october. Ken with Denver seven from O justice is done right. I to see what kind of justice
Since the shooting, police have arrested several of Castorena's family members. His brother, Juan Castorena, and his cousin, Carlos Casillas Flores.
Both charged with accessory after the fact first-degree murder. In a statement, Aurora Police Chief Art Acevedo says the arrest of Joseph Castorena should serve as an example that the dedicated men and women of the Aurora Police Department never quit on a case until those responsible are in custody. We hope this announcement helps bring family and friends of the victims closer
a little closer to the closure they deserve. The arrest warrants in this case remain sealed, so we still don't know much about the motive for the shooting, but family tell us the suspect was upset about not having custody of his kids. One of the victims was his ex-girlfriend's twin sister.
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I release reference sheets with every single episode that we do so you guys know everything we're talking about is confirmed to have happened and be real. It's a completely different type of show than anything else you've ever seen about conspiracy theories. Instead of a bunch of conjecture and theories, we're presenting you people with facts, telling you the story, walking you through the story just as detailed as we do with Murder in America, and then letting the listener decide what they think.
Anyways, you should definitely give it a listen. It's called The Conspiracy Files. The links are in the description of this show, and you can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And now let's get back to our story. Colorado investigators were informed of his arrest, and they immediately flew down to Aguas Calientes to interview him. Ultimately, he was extradited back to the United States and taken to Phoenix, Arizona.
Here, he was held by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department until he would be extradited once again to Colorado. But interestingly, during an interview in Phoenix, Joseph complained that Mexican authorities had treated him horribly. He feared he would receive the same treatment in the United States, but investigators assured him he would be treated with respect. I guess we were told that you were talking to the Mexican authorities. Not really. Not really, no.
A little more brutal, so... Well, you're shaking like a leaf here. Yeah. You know nobody's gonna beat the shit out of you in Phoenix, Arizona, so I don't know. What? You said nobody's gonna beat you up here. Oh, no, I know. I just shook it up. It was passed out in there. I mean, I haven't slept, so... Honestly, to where I would escape, I haven't slept since... say, Saturday that I woke up in the morning and slept. No, awesome.
Yeah, the Mexican place didn't let me up in our bed, so... Not very nice. That's an understatement. Alright, well, like I said, I'm always going to beat you up here, so if you don't want to talk, that's kind of where we're at.
After offering him some water and attempting to get him to open up about his role in the quadruple murder, Joseph refused to speak without an attorney. I know it's been a long day, probably for you as in just us. Are you cool with talking to us? Um, I am. I mean, I feel more comfortable with attorneys. Okay. Oh, do you have an attorney? No, I would like to get one. Okay. Um...
Yeah, I get that. I'm trying to figure out. So right now you're here, you have a federal hold. The hold would be here to go to Colorado or Colorado? Correct. Yeah. So I don't know if you would, I don't honestly know really how that works. You'd have to get, I don't know if it's a federal attorney and then you'd be a state public defender. Okay. So, correct.
Yeah, and obviously we came from Colorado. I'd really like to hear your side of the story. We talked to quite a few of your family members. Yeah, I know. True. From what I see in the news, it's totally different. Right. Right, okay. And you don't want to... It's my understanding you already have been. Having what? Talking about what's going on. Somewhat. You just don't want to tell us, or what? Honestly, I just...
If you couldn't hear what he said back there, he said, quote, from what I've seen on the news, it's totally different. My side on how things happened.
End quote. But I think it was pretty clear to everyone what really happened here. Now in March of 2023, Joseph was extradited back to Colorado and charged with four counts of first degree murder. One count for each victim, Jesus Serrano, Maria Serrano, Kenneth Luque, and Rodolfo Salgado Perez. He was also charged with one count of attempted murder for the attack against his ex-girlfriend, Jessica Serrano.
Joseph was held without bond at the Arapahoe County Jail in Aurora until a June 2023 Supreme Court ruling stated that anyone convicted of first-degree murder must be eligible for bond before trial. So, the prosecution requested the bond be set at $100 million, a number that clearly no one could afford.
So, on July 7th, 2023, Judge David Carpel didn't set it at $100 million, but he set it at $75 million, and it all had to be in cash.
Still, a number that only billionaires could afford. Now, Joseph's defense attorney argued that the amount was unconstitutional and that no one, not even the extremely wealthy, would be able to afford it. They suggested that the bond be set at a mere $100,000. Which is insane because his brother Juan's bond was $400,000 and Joseph had literally fled the country. So, I think his bond was pretty appropriate.
Ultimately, Judge Carpal believed that Joseph was "the classic definition of a flight risk" and posed a clear and unjustifiable risk to society. He also feared for the safety of the surviving family members. So, clearly, Joseph had to wait in jail until his trial.
Although the victims and their family members were happy to see that Joseph was finally arrested, their lives had been completely turned upside down. Kenneth's family members were desperately trying to bring his body back to his home country of Honduras. According to his mother, Soyapa, Kenneth had moved to the United States when he was just 14 years old. He was looking for a better life. And for a while,
He had found one. His mom told Denver 7, "I never imagined this would happen to my son because he was such a good boy, very educated, very respectful. They cut my son's dreams and hopes short. He was a 20-year-old boy but filled with dreams and hopes." She also heartbreakingly admitted that she hadn't seen Kenneth for six years, but their family had plans to reunite for Christmas.
which was in just a few short months. However, they clearly never got the chance. His mom went on to say, "If they arrest him, if they put him in prison, if they end his life, it's not going to bring my son back. But I do want justice for him. I want justice for my son."
Now, a GoFundMe was created to help with the expenses of bringing Kenneth's body back to Honduras, but there are no updates on whether or not that ever happened. And then there's Kenneth and Maria's two children, the ones who were at the home when the shooting took place. At the time, like I mentioned, they were just one year old and three months old.
But with both of their parents now murdered and their grandfather, the kids sadly had to go into foster care. An entire family that was completely torn apart by this tragedy. In May of 2024, Joseph Castorena finally went on trial for the quadruple homicide of Jesus, Maria, Rodolfo, and Kenneth and the attempted murder of Jessica.
The prosecution presented overwhelming evidence against him, including fingerprint matches that linked him to the murder weapon, a ballistic analysis that reported that the gun was used in the murders, ring camera footage of him lurking outside the residence before the killings, and harrowing testimony from multiple witnesses, including Jessica Serrano.
Senior Chief Deputy D.A. Darcy Cofill stated, "This coward executed an entire family and an innocent tenant. This defendant couldn't accept the fact that his ex-girlfriend wanted to move on with her life. Instead, he decided to viciously murder everyone she loved." In turn, the defense argued that Joseph's actions were caused by extreme emotional distress and attempted to poke holes in the prosecution's timeline. But the jury wasn't convinced.
On May 16th, after only a few hours of deliberation, the jury finally reached a unanimous verdict: guilty on all counts. Due to being found guilty on all four counts of first-degree murder in the state of Colorado, Joseph now faced mandatory life in prison. During the trial, it was reported that Joseph showed no remorse for his actions and continued to blame Jessica until the very end for what he had done that fateful morning.
When the verdict was announced, surviving members of the Serrano family embraced each other in the courtroom. They finally had their justice. But Joseph's family was outraged. They even yelled at the prosecution as they left the room. Keep in mind, these are the same people who bailed Joseph out of jail time and time again.
despite knowing of his horrific abuse. And even with the overwhelming evidence against him and the fact that he murdered an entire family, they continued supporting him. Seems like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Now as for Joseph's brother Juan and his cousin Carlos, both men pleaded guilty to their roles in the crime. However, their sentencing is unknown.
On September 3rd, 2024, Judge David Karpel sentenced Joseph to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
He also received an additional 24 years for the attempted murder of Jessica Serrano to run concurrently with the four counts of first-degree murder. During sentencing, Judge Carpal told Joseph: "Your actions were those of an insignificant little man with a big gun who had to control the people in his life that he supposedly loved, and did so with such abject violence. This insignificance of yours will dissipate in time into ether where you will become forgotten.
i've had many people stand before me as defendants and say i'm not a bad person i just did the wrong thing and i've sometimes agreed with them but mr castorena you are the biggest exception to the rule joseph refused to speak during sentencing judge carpal also commended jessica for her bravery saying she exhibited extraordinary courage in the most difficult circumstances given the evidence of this case
I haven't been able to stop thinking about Jessica since I came across that body cam footage of her on the night of the murders. And my heart just breaks for her. Even before the murders, this monster took so much from her. Her peace, her sense of security, her ability to trust, even her children. But then she made the incredibly brave decision to leave. A decision that she probably went back and forth on for years.
When she finally did take that step, she knew how dangerous it could be. But she also knew how dangerous it would be to stay with this man for the rest of her life. So she did it. She left him, and in return, he showed up at her place of work
pulled a gun on her, shattered her car window, held her against her will, threatened to kill her, and threatened to kill her family. And even after this, Jessica took all the right steps. She and her family members went to the police and reported it. They got a restraining order, but somehow he was able to slip through the cracks. And in the end, Jessica lost her family because of it.
her own father and twin sister. This case is a huge example of the failures within our system. These protection orders sound like a good idea and sometimes they do work.
According to Denver 7, the US Department of Justice issued a report in 2010 regarding the effectiveness of protection orders. The report followed 210 women who filed protection orders and they found that half of them had no violations
and half had been violated. And like I mentioned, they're just pieces of paper. And for monsters like Joseph Castorena, they mean nothing. How many true crime stories have you heard that are just like this one, where women fear for their lives, but despite escalating behaviors and restraining orders, their partner's violence continues? I know I have heard plenty, and every time it breaks my heart.
We can only hope that one day that changes. But for today's episode, we will be making a donation to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, an organization that works to protect women just like Jessica Serrano. Hey everybody, it's Colin here. Thank you so much for listening to another episode of Murder in America. Courtney and I are so thankful to have the amount of listeners that we have and to have everybody out there.
joining us on this journey. And yeah, we just can't thank you all enough for tuning in every week to explore these stories with us. If you don't like the ads in the middle of the show, consider joining us on Patreon. If you become a patron, you can get access to early ad-free episodes of the show,
And for the higher tiers, you can actually get access to an entire library of Bonus Murder in America episodes that will never go live on the main feed. And there's over a hundred of them on our Patreon. So if you love the show and you want to support the work that we do here, joining us on Patreon is a great way to do so.
Also, don't forget to leave us a five-star review, whether it's on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, wherever you're listening to this show. And follow us on Instagram at Murder in America to see photos from every single case that we cover. Anyways, y'all, Courtney and I hope you have the best weekend and a great week whenever you're listening to this episode. Thanks again for tuning in. And we'll catch y'all in the next one.
Great news, Bloody FM fans. Our show, Dead Space Deep Cover, is a finalist for a webby. Hi, I'm Shelby Novak. I'm one of the hosts of the Bloody Disgusting podcast, and I play multiple roles on Dead Space Deep Cover. I am so...
So please go to bit.ly slash podcast.
Dead Space Webby and vote for Dead Space. This is a great way to show your support for Bloody FM and to make sure that cool shows like Dead Space happen way more often in the future. And if you haven't listened to Dead Space Deep Cover yet, well, what are you waiting for? You have 12 hours of sci-fi horror written by Warhammer's Ben Counter waiting in your favorite podcast app. Again, that site is DeadSpaceWebby.
Please go vote for Dead Space Deep Cover today.