๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฌ๐
On November 14, 2025, Bernardo Castillo was sentenced to 28 years to life in state prison and agreed to waive an additional three years of custody credit. The sentence follows the 2017 murder of his mother, Silvia Castillo, and the attempted murder of his four-year-old niece, identified as O.E.
On June 13, 2017, O.E.โs parents dropped her off at her grandmother Silviaโs home before leaving for work. Bernardo Castillo, who was temporarily living there, was also at the residence. When O.E.โs father returned that evening, he discovered Silvia deceased in the living room with multiple stab wounds and found O.E. on the floor, critically injured from more than a dozen knife wounds.
O.E. was rushed to the hospital, where she underwent treatment for life-threatening injuries, including a collapsed lung and a lacerated liver. She ultimately survived. An autopsy later confirmed that Silvia Castillo died from approximately 41 stab wounds to her head, chest, and back.
Investigators also noted that Silviaโs vehicle was missing from her home. Later that day, law enforcement located Bernardo Castillo in El Centro, California, driving his motherโs stolen vehicle. His clothing was soaked in blood, which Department of Justice testing confirmed belonged to both Silvia and O.E.
As the case concludes, the District Attorneyโs Office acknowledged the long-standing impact of the crime. District Attorney Vern Pierson stated, โThis was an act of unimaginable violence. While no sentence can undo the harm done to this family, we are grateful that O.E. survived and that justice has now been served. Our hearts are with the survivors as they continue to heal from this tragedy.โ