Robert Castillo, St Paul, Minnesota man stabs Corinna Woodhull drug addict wife to death during bible study. Husband had history of felony arrests.
A Minnesota man with a long history of felony convictions stabbed his wife to death during a family bible study at a relative’s home earlier this week, officials said.
Robert Castillo, 40, of St. Paul was charged with second-degree murder of his wife, 41-year-old Corinna Woodhull, after allegedly knifing her repeatedly at a St. Paul residence around 9 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office.
Responding police found Woodhull with severe stab wounds to her torso, chest and arms and Castillo pinned down to the floor by several people, CBS News Minnesota reported.
Woodhull, a mother of five, was taken to Regions Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Castillo’s sister told investigators that she hosts a bible study at the home on Tuesday nights for members of the family.
‘Beacon of hope’
According to a criminal complaint, Woodhull and Castillo arrived uneventfully and sat next to each other on a couch. At one point during the meeting, Castillo whispered something in Woodhull’s ear, with the woman shaking her head before Castillow proceeding to stab his wife repeatedly.
Family members were able to disarm Castillo and contain him until police arrived.
Attendees feared had they not gotten the knife away from the husband, the man would have stabbed more people.
Woodhull’s death was officially ruled a homicide by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office, CBS Minnesota reported.
Woodhull according to family members was described as a ‘beacon of hope,’ after overcoming addiction and depression. It remained unclear how the woman came to meet and eventually marry Castillo.
Phil Tyler, the founder of Against The Odds Ministries, a group dedicated to recovering drug addicts, told CBSNews that the group he was made better because of Woodhull’s enthusiastic attendance.
‘It takes courage to get out of our comfort zone sometimes, and I always tell people your story can change someone’s life,’ Tyler said. ‘Corinna treated people with love and encouragement, and was a beacon of hope for people.’
Prior history of felony convictions
Against The Odds Ministries is working on a project to raise money to support Woodhull’s family, including her kids. Anyone interested in supporting that effort can contact the group for more details.
During questioning, Castillo told investigators he and Woodhull had been legally married for a couple years and lived together in Golden Valley up until a month ago. He declined to say why the couple no longer lived together, and then demanded his attorney, according to the complaint.
Castillo’s brother, who was also at the Bible study during the stabbing, told cops Woodhull and his brother had been having marital problems.
At the time of the killing, Castillo had an active warrant out for failing to appear for a pretrial hearing for fourth-degree assault charges in neighboring Washington County, police noted in the complaint.
In that incident, he allegedly assaulted a prison guard while locked up.
Castillo has eight prior felony convictions, including first-degree assault, second-degree assault, possession of a firearm by an ineligible person and second-degree burglary.
The second-degree assault conviction was for beating the apparent mother of his child with a hammer, causing substantial bodily harm, according to the news outlet.
Castillo faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted.
A family friend has started a GoFundMe to ‘raise money to help honor Corrina’s life and legacy.’
‘Corrina was an advocate for those in recovery, she had a passion to help others experiencing substance use disorder and domestic abuse and violence. She loved her children so much. You would find Corrina most days helping at church…’ the GoFundMe, which as of Saturday morning had raised $6,912 of its $20,000 goal.
