Murder trial for young man consumed by Columbine

hmmm....it makes you wonder why a psychiatric hospital would release him...Maybe his health insurance wouldnt pay any more...So the way I see this, the health insurance company is at fault and they should be sued civilly...too bad he didnt go after the claims adjuster or person that authorizes more hospitilazation....

Ummmm... im pretty sure this is nobody's fault but his so i hope you were being sarcastic... He should rot in prison for this, he knew exactly what he was doing and the consiquences that would follow his actions, especially if he was obsessed with Columbine like they say. What a wack job

He knew what he did was wrong as in his video that was done after he shot his father, he apologized for shooting him because of abuse, which puts him in a lucid state of mind. Find him guilty of murder- period! He was not insane at the time he shot his father- that is just garbage and his defense is this insanity defense which is his only chance of ever becoming a free person again.

He will have to prove that he didn't know right from wrong and yet he made a video in which he apologized for murdering his father. Sounds to me like he knew but had already made up his mind. But he claims he was abused so perhaps he was not in a healthy state of mind. Does that make him guilty? People consciously choose to do the wrong thing every moment of every day.

Either way he shot a man and injured students. No matter who is at fault my opinion is that if he is ever released he is likely to re-visit that moment due to his obsession with Columbine. Though I agree he probably should have never been released from the psychiatric hospital.

"Castillo was committed four months earlier, on April 20, 2006, but for only some days, after having suicidal thoughts. "

Interesting, April 20th is the day the Columbine shootings occurred. Surprised the author of this article didn't catch that.

Klaatu is wrong. There are lots of reasons why the hospital would discharge him and none of them have to do with insurance.

I think this young man should be in prison for a really long time, but he should still have access to the mental health care he so obviously needs.

He's screwed. He made a video saying he was sorry right after killing his father? To any jury that would prove sanity and knowing the difference between right and wrong.

Lock him up! He probably wanted to do a suicide-murder. Thankfully he was caught before any one was murdered.

Actually, Klaatu, it shouldn't make one wonder. He was put in for suicidal thoughts, and was probably let out when he was deemed to not be a threat to himself or others. I don't know where your insurance angle comes in, as it is totally a non-issue in this article. You are spinning a fantasy out of nothing.

I think it unlikely that he will be found not guilty by reason of insanity if it is true that he taped a message after the killing apologizing for it. That, to me, would be enough to establish that he knew right from wrong.

I REALLY DISLIKE WHEN THE SYSTEM TRYS TO PUT PEOPLE IN PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALS INSTEAD OF PRISON I MEAN HE WAS IN HIS RIGHT STATE OF MINE TO BE IN A REGULAR CLASS AND GRADUATE HE WASNT IN A RETARDED CLASS HE IS JUST A REGULAR PERSON LIKE EVERYONE ELSE I DONT CARE HE NEEDS TO GET LIFE IN PRISON HE IS A DANGER TO THIS COMMUNITY AND HE CAN BE BILLY BAD A– IN PRISON WERE THEY LIKE TO TAKE LITTLE BOYS (COOKIES)

"So the way I see this, the health insurance company is at fault and they should be sued civilly"

So at point are we responsible for our own actions? That's a problem with America – personal responsbility is no longer in our vocabulary

Ok – I am confused – the sherrif took a shotgun away but the law did not prevent him from buying more guns?

I would appreciate someone explaining why a person who the authorities took a gun away was able to buy another gun....

Klaatu, that is a ridiculous statement full of wild assumptions. You have no idea how he behaved in the psychiatric clinic. Suicidal thoughts doesn't equate to wanting to go on a murder spree. Everyone loves to point the finger at everyone else except the person who is messed up in the head. Because it couldn't possibly be his OWN fault for wanting to kill people, right?

He had a videotaped apology (according to the article), so I think it is important to note that he DID (and does) know right from wrong.

Or maybe hes' faking it. I think Psychiatric places can get a lot of state/federal help to pay the bills. Although I will admit that my personal health insurance does stink when it comes to mental healthcare.

He did not get the chance to commit suicide like so many of the cowards who destroy lives, then take their own so they don't have to deal with the consequences (here on earth). At least this one this one will face judgment twice.

To Kiaatu: If he was committed by the state it would have nothing to do with his insurance company.

you would think that after a few public shooting sprees of people who had recently paid a visit to a psych ward....the screening process to obtain a gun would be strict enough to keep guns out of the reach of some that are capable of great harm.

Or you could blame the gun stores that sold the mentally unstable citizen 2 shotguns after police took away the shotgun he formerly owned and he was committed. Maybe it's the laws concerning the purchasing of guns that needs to be changed. Someone who was recently committed for suicidal thoughts should not be allowed to purchase a gun much less 2.

Suicidal thoughts, which everyone, sometime, somewhere has had, will get you committed, when reported to police and evidence supports the claim, under watch for about 72 hours with counseling and is usually not paid for by any insurance. When they say committed then they were put into a State/government/tax payer funded hospital otherwise you turn yourself in voluntarily to a privately owned facility.

I dont think you can sit there and blame anyone until the facts are revealed. There is absolutly nothing in this article that supports that comment.

Klaatu,

You shouldn't assume that he was released because of insurance reasons. The article states that he was kept there for a number of days after having suicidal thoughts. The doctors must have decided that he wasn't a risk to himself or others, and let him go. You can't keep someone locked up for years just because they show signs of being suicidal. It's not like he hurt anyone the first time he went to the hospital.

It's a shame that no one realized how truly sick he was and prevented this from happening. But I don't see any sense in blaming the insurance company. It sounds like this kid needed some help, but there's only so much a hospital can do against the patient's will and without evidence. And as for the insanity defense, doesn't the fact that he made the tape apologizing for murdering his father, then promptly going to the school to try to cause a massacre, pretty much answer the question of whether he knew if his actions were wrong?

Good grief. It is this kid's fault and his fault alone.

No one should be reasonably expected to predict that he would do this. What do you then, have any teen with a little angst locked up against their will in a psychatric hospital?

Send this kid to prison.

im sorry but this kid isn't insane; he is just trying not to serve the maxium punishment for something like this. i think he should go to prison for killing his father and opening fire on innocent kids. just because he had problems doesnt mean he needed to take other people down with him.

........I say if he knew enough to shoot his father in the head, obviously knowing that's the spot to kill someone, then I say he knew what he was doing.................

That is so stupied there going to let that man (boy) sit there in that place when he know he belongs in prison if they let every one do that then what would the world be coming too.... then everyone that killed someone so i need help and put them in a pyso place and then the prison would be empy then everyone one think it ok and there not going to put me in prison there going to put me someone where they think there in the right for doing it

I really don't think this is a crime in which anyone can judge by just reading a short article. ANYONE that does something like this usually has reasoning behind it (be it, good or bad).
Domestic violence can be a major contributor to things like this, and maybe he was rejected the same way in school.
He may have been in a lucid state of mind at the time of the attacks, but if he went through abuse his whole life at home and possibly at school, that has to have some sort of psycholigical effect on his actions. yes, no?

sounds like he needs to be locked up for a seriously long time. it is amazing that more people were not killed

People need to think before they comment. How would anyone at a gun store know that somoene spent time in a hospital or that his shotgun was confiscated for a time? Medical records are VERY confidential and it takes a court to allow them to be seen and there is no magical "master database" that has records of everything someone does. Just the opposite. Our privacy laws prevent the kind of data gathering that these arm chair thinkers feel we should have. As long as he has no criminal history and was not declared incompetent we have no way in this country to know someone's medical condition when they buy a gun. It may not be good news to some but that's how it is.

That young man was an active participant in the murdering of his sister's husband. That is something he will live with for the rest
of his natural life. No amount of money received from the
State of Misssissipi will ease or erase that from his soul..

The above states that in a video recording he made after shooting his father, he apologised. Seems that he did know right from wrong at the time and the insanity would not be the case.

The idea that anyone with a functioning brain doesn't know right from wrong is BS. I guarantee you that I could prove anyone who isn't brain dead or suicidal knows right from wrong.

Put an animal in a cage and put 2 buttons in front of this kid. Tell him the left button frees the animal and the right one kills the animal. Put a gun pointing to his head and tell him the gun is fired by one of the 2 buttons, the one that does wrong but don't tell him which is right or wrong. Make him press one of the buttons.

How many people who have been found to not know right from wrong do you think will press the button that kills the animal?

I live in this town, and remember when it happened well. My daughters went to the other high school in the town, thank goodness. A teacher or vice principal actually went after this kid and took him down before he could do any more damage. I learned: this can happen anywhere, and there ARE heroes in this world.

lock him up and throw away the key... he is a hazard to any community!

he obvioisly needs psychiatric help aaand to go to prison. That is sick, I hope he doesn't try to convince any jury that he didn't know right from wrong at the time. Any person with a brain would know that he did know what he was doing...no one is going to fall for that.

If the guy admitted then apologized for the murder on video, it would seem pretty obvious that he knew "right from wrong."

Many of these offenders will do their time in prison first. However when it is time to release them, Corrections (and rightly so) know that they cannot and should not put them back onto the streets. That is generally when they will be admitted to a Psychiatric Center involuntarily and it would then be up to the Mental Health professionals to decide when and if to release him/her. A lot of them do far more time than their criminal sentences require.

It would be nice to know the dates of the facts... It is hard to start following this story, when I read "since that day" without knowing what day is that.
"He’s been incarcerated since that day but it was only last February that Castillo was found competent to stand trial"
Cheers

The problem with this country is the "he should rot in prison" crowd. More public burtal crimes that are witnessed by several credible witnesses are occuring. For crimes of this nature, where it is a "without a doubt" guilty, there should not be a wasted drawn out trial that wastes thousands of tax payer's dollers, but a swift, painful, torturous death that is public. Make others out there who are considering ruining the lives of others, witness the reprocussions, it may deter people from slipping into one of these self-righteous killing sprees. Of course this nation is too concerned with protecting the rights of people show wanton disregard for others, so its an illusion that will never breech reality.
-Charlie-the angry

If he is insane-execute him. If he is sane-execute him. Im sick of criminals getting off scott free because bleeding hearts cant do what is needed. They would rather blame an inanimate object or the fact that daddy didnt give enough hugs or society rather than where the blame belongs. The person who commited the crime. Its time America grew a spine and actually started punishing criminals rather than its citizens

How is it that someone who has been to a mental hospital is able to purchase guns or any other automated weapon? Obviously he would only have been admitted if he was a threat to himself or others and isn't that the one case one should not allow someone to have access to weaponry?

Either way, if he was "obsessed" with a previous killing – namely Columbine – then it sounds like some of these events were planned and therefore an insanity plea would not be accurate. Abuse, depending on the level, can cause enough rage to murder in some cases where the individual is disturbed. But why did he take it further and drive 7 miles (obviously he had time to contemplate what he was going to do) to attempt harming innocent people who had nothing to do with the abuse.

It is amazing how difficult it is to keep an unstable person from accessing guns. The gun laws are in effect,but the criminals and unstable find ways around them, so the only people subject to the laws and follow them are law abiding citizens. We tried fervently to prevent a family member from obtaining guns, to get him mental help, etc. No one listened or could do anything until he had actually comitted a crime. The system is a joke. No one listens when you believe someone is about to snap. The laws are SO flawed, and again, no one listens when youre trying to prevent a nut from hurting someone.

Realistically, he probably didn't get the guns from a legitimate source. He's not just gonna go to a gun store and say "gimme a shotgun". There are other ways to get firearm illegally, whicjh is the route he probably pursued. But I wouldn't blame anyone but him for this. I hate it when people want to sue hospitals, etc for releasing him, when he probably didn't display this type of behavior while committed. Of course he was sane then, because he wasn't facing any jail time. But now that he's murdered his father and injured others, he's "insane". You don't apologize for something if you are unable to distinguish right from wrong. If anything, you would defend your actions. Let him pick 12 and take it to th box. He needs to be locked up.

Inocent based on insanity?
To me, all criminals are insane.

Being suicidal is a far cry from being homicidal. Insurance has nothing to do with anything in that situation.

Clearly, he knew what he was doing was wrong- else he would not have let a tape in which he apologized for his actions. A couple more months in the puzzle factory are not an appropriate punishment. He belongs in prison. Period.

Prison will only fuel his psychi with more if not worse thoughts from true murderers and villains to make him more capable of more heinous murders. He showed that he was driven to pursue more victims after he murdered and recorded his remorse for his first victim but continued the slaughter attempts, making him a vigilante!! Not a candidate for future rehab for society interactions. Blame the parents.

He knew what he was doing.

I have to agree with the posters that say his video-taped apology proves he knew right from wrong. I don't see how the defense will be able to get around that. He can still get the psychiatric help he needs in prison. Whether he "knew" right from wrong, there still should be a consequence for such an act.

i don't care if he IS nuts, he needs to be locked away forever.

I never have understood this. Obviously anyone that goes on a killing spree for no reason has mental issues. I mean, really, what is there to prove. This definition of insanity is ridiculous. assume one day i wake up and decide, hey i'm bored, i think i'll go kill some people today, i'tll be fun. it's pretty clear i have some issues.

The story and the reactions from the US public are equally shocking, and they fit together perfectly.

I have learned a great deal about your society by reading the comments.

Again and again I read "Send this kid to prison!", written in a fearful and vengeful tone.

Everyone goes out of their way to make the case that he was legally "sane", in order to ensure that will not escape punishment. Everyone wants to make a cowboy statement about knowing "right and wrong".

The USA has death sentences for children, and executes people in a ritual of pseudo legalistic brutality. You have a gun culture that "knows right from wrong", but where everyone supposedly needs a gun in order to protect themselves.

This "child" took his fathers life as a reaction to the abuse he had suffered at his hands.

None of you mention that.

American's are all for excusing civilian casualties in wars to establish right and wrong in faraway countries.

Why is it different with this child?

the article said he was seen in April for suicidal thoughts and they took a shotgun away from him. Didn't anyboy stop to think that most people are not going to kill THEMSELVES with a shotgun. They are going to use a handgun. Let's face it that original shotgun was probably to kill his father and/or others at the time they found it. IMHO

I'm studying to be a teacher but at the elementatry school level, not high school. It seems as though high schools are too dangerous. Why is this? Does it have to do with electronic media and video games?

I couldn't agree more that this guy was mentally wacko but in charge of his choices. The guy should rot in prison.

people like this need to be executed. we need to stop overcrowding our prisons with parasites like him.

not only being a mom but being a early childhood educator, I have to think about what this young man may have endured while growing up or even if it was still happenning at the moment of the killing. Im not saying that this should be an excuse to go and kill other innocent ppl, not at all. I do believe he should serve time in prison with, hopefully a really good counselling to try and make him be ok. Should he ever get out of prison? no cause chances are he'll do it again. But maybe at least he will get to die being at peace with himself. I could be wrong though. It has happenned before....lol

If he didn't know right from wrong, then was he not just as likely to show up at school with a bouquet of flowers as pipe bombs and guns?

This insanity plea deal has to stop. From the second they want to buy the gun in the first place tells me they know darn well what they intend to do.

Give him the death penalty.

Joshua (and others)

How exactly would a gun store know that he had been hospitalized and his prior gun taken away? Psychiatric hospitalization is protected health information (i.e. google search HIPPA) and as such is not available to any of them. The form 4473 that gun buyers fill out asks questions like that and it is a felony to lie on the form, but unless you are caught there is no way to verify mental illness.

I agree that nuts should not have access to guns, but really, how is it the gun store's fault?

Maybe just maybe his little trip to the psych ward was planned to aid in an insane plea later. Sounds like maybe he was released because there was nothing to keep him there. There is a huge jump from suicidal thoughts to homicidal thoughts. I think he planned this for awhile. I have had suicidal thoughts for 40 yrs. have been under the care of a psychiatrist for 10 yrs. I have never had myself admitted. Most people don't. They either work through it or go ahead with their plans. Just my thoughts here but I am sure the investigators are not as dumb as he thinks they are.

No excuses send the kid to prison.

We have a weak and broke system when some one, any one can do such a thing and get off on a "Im insane" free ride. but i will bet money that when in front of a jury, they do not feel the same way as he is inane!!!!

Unfortunately we want it both ways on guns. The NRA is pushing for everyone to be able to have weapons (as their second amendment right), but when something like this happens then people want to know how a person who had their gun taken away could go out and buy another one,

Right now the NRA is fighting a loophole in the law about gun shows that says if I don't sell my gun from one of the tables, but just sell it person to person on the floor, their is no background check needed. The net result is anyone, including a guy just released from a mental hospital can buy a gun like this. And if the law is strengthened to prevent this then of course that's proof that plays into the Obama's going to take our guns away hysteria.

Hmm, the fact that he made a video saying he was sorry after shooting his father makes it seem that he knew right from wrong, otherwise he wouldn't be apologizing.

So this article is pretty pointless....so funny how people can just go out and commit crimes and just try to pawn the issue off on a mental problem.....there are people out here going to court because they cannot afford their bills.....and they are worried whether this joker is mentally stable.....this guy is rediculous.....and when you point a gun and fire more than once....you KNOW what you are doing....so everyone take a note....if you think you are going to get locked up....just pretend you are crazy and make it all ok......

we cant blame the psych hospital or insurance company for this kids mistakes and crimes. everyone of you that thinks he should have been locked in the pscyh ward ,.. be careful.. reason being, you do not want to live in a country where you can be locked up indefinately for crimes you haven't yet committed.. thats not a pretty thought. the kid did the crime, and its terrible, i feel for all involved, but lets not forget he did it.. no one made him, he has free will.

Sadly, anyone can buy a shotgun – there's no background check required. Why do you think the NRA has opponents?

So here's what I want to know. Why does everybody now try to claim insanity when they do these things? Most of these people know EXACTLY what they are doing. It seriously bothers me knowing you can literally get away with murder. Why are we not pushing for the death penalty?? Why would we rather have jails overcrowded? Or sit on death row for a million years. I see no problem with someone who for sure convicted a crime getting the death penalty.

It amazes me to see how people these days put damn near anything on the internet. This guy was clearly capable to put his image and thoughts on the net for all to see. In my humble opinion he knew he was going to do these crimes (and probably hoping to murder more people) and knew in advance he was going to plead insanity. Lock this guy up in prison and throw the key away. And one more thing (if i may) I think if people in general would take responsibility for their own actions the world would be a much nicer place to live. If you are going to commit murder or a crime of any sort MAN up and say yeah i did it now lock me up. I know I know just a dream of mine but think about it. It would certainly free up the courts and I guess then alot of lawyer would go broke. Ha ha. Sorry just “typing” off the top of my head there (forgive me) Anyway, it would be nice if ppl would take responsibility for their actions. Thanks for letting me vent. Have a nice day:)

Margaret J. Watson, this dude killed his father, not his sister's husband.

He is not insane he is just a sick, depraved person and needs to be locked up for the rest of his life.

The NRA must be very proud of the number of shootings so far this year. It must also be proud of its position that everyone be allowed to have a gun, because that's a way of preventing gun violence itself. I think they should hold a convention and give awards to those who helped prevent the shootings. (in Math that's known as a void Universe).

well just so the rest of you know mental health in the US is very poor, of course the released him because of insurance. But its his own damn fault. He is a freak

So many posts use his video taped "apology" as proof that he was sane and knew right from wrong. I have not seen or heard the content of the video but can't help but wonder...

What if young Mr. Castillo stated "I'm sorry I had to kill him but the voices made me do it"... in his apology. Does that make a difference – legally – to his state of mind at the time of his fathers shooting? Armchair legal experts with virtually no information get very tiresome, very quickly.

If the man could make videos, plan the killings and gather together pipe bombs, he is not insane. He is very angry and the best place for is prison. He made a conscious decision to kill. Now lock him up for life in a place where living is not going to be pleasant.

actually Randy, alot of states have laws where if you are admitted to a mental health facility unwillingly by states authority, even if there are no guns involved in the situation, you are prohibited from purchasing fire arms legally. but i do agree some of the comments are a little rash and emotionally charged ha ha

I am tired of paying for all the freaks capital punishment... he killed he should be killed abuse or not eye for an eye. It would be different if he was defending himself but he is just a murder make an example out of these people that are killing,raping,robbing maybe that will slow down the crime rate and they don't contribute to society anyway get rid of them..

I think all the people who do not have degrees dealing with mental illness, more so without the facts should keep their trap shut. One can do lots of things while not knowing right from wrong, including killing. If one thinks logically without emotions, without empathy, it is very easy to become a trouble maker of some type. Either way he deserves to be monitored for a long long time.

A lot of people are abused some worse than others and some suffer the most horrible abuse imaginable. But not all abuse victims kill or are even violent. I wonder what makes the difference between those who kill and those who don't?

I guess this question is one for psychiatrists to answer.

It's too late for this guy, but maybe if they can figure this out, someday they can prevent killing, abuse and all the other bad stuff that happens to people.

What kind of wack job murders his own father? He's not insane. He's just wack.

The fact that he left the video does show remorse which usually shows a lucid state of mind. However, the way the article states that he " sacrificed his father" does show some mental distortion. The sad part is, the defense only has to show reasonable doubt. I may think he is guilty but, I can see where he could get off of the charges on that. I also agree that he should not have been aloud to purchase a weapon.

It is extremely difficult to prove that an adult does not know right from wrong. In addition to the tape, this man covered up his father. He knew right from wrong.

Latoya said: "...HE WAS IN HIS RIGHT STATE OF MINE TO BE IN A REGULAR CLASS AND GRADUATE HE WASNT IN A RETARDED CLASS HE IS JUST A REGULAR PERSON LIKE EVERYONE ELSE..."

As a professional who works only with those who are certified emotionally disturbed and who range in intelligence from the low 40s to the high 180s, I can tell you, Latoya, that intelligence is not always the best way to determine whether a person can distinguish between fantasy and reality.

WOW bottom line is no matter how you look at it. This young man
claims to have been abused for years by his father. Now his father is dead. So he must of felt like there were people in the school that also abused him or allowed him to be abused. So he wanted to kill them. This is not sane this is not rational thinking. Does not matter if you know right from wrong when you get to this point it all becomes out of control. This young man intended on hurting a lot of people to try to make up for the hurt he felt. That kind of hurt does not just go away. It may be dormant for a while and then something will happen and it will manifest again. Sad to say the safest place for this young man is in a controlled environment. Be it a prison or Psychiatric institute. This young man is not and can not be a productive part of free society.

He get long time china time for doin that!

I was in the cafeteria when this wack job shot at the school. He knew xactly what he was doing. He sent a letter to te principle of Columbine telling him what he was going to do. This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was completely aware of his action and the consequences.

I wish Woodall would have gone with the death penalty. but rotting in prison is good enough.

How can u not think that it isnt wrong to take someone's life...Why would anybody try to hurt anyone...It could me a metal concern however he still needs to be punished for his actions.....

I think that whatever the circumstances were, we do not know ALL the facts.

Let your justice system, as you hope it will, try him, find him guilty (or not), and appropriately sentence him.
I admit, as far as everything I have read about the case, I want to convict him. But, I also submit I probably do no know a 10th of the true facts.

I cannot fathom, the burden of belief, the jury has to be convinced of reasonable doubt, considering the overwhelming evidence as we, so far, have learned.

A country as great as yours will find the just punishment for such a devilish crime.

Let those you have, perhaps indirectly and unwittingly, appointed to judge on behalf of your people, do the job you ask them to do diligently.

Regards and warm wishes to all those he affected.

Tnis is another of the thousand crimes which would probably not be committed without the support and coplicity of the NRA.

How could he buys several guns given his record. By the way, was he
18 years by then ?

he didnt know right from wrong?! thats bs...he obviously knew if he killed his father because he was being abused. and for him to drive an hour to his school to kill innocent people; you have to know wtf your doing.

Seriously, I do not condone the crimes this man has committed, but if anyone has an ounce of decency, they will at least ask why. Why do any of these travesties have to happen? I was abused by my father for years, my whole family suffered, and yet I never thought about killing him or others. You can't just go around condemning people when you're not in THEIR position, THEIR mindset, otherwise it just makes you look like an ignorant fool, and no better than those who do wrong. Thou shalt not judge, anyone? It just saddens me that people are written off as 'evil' or 'crazy'. Truly, truly saddens me..

The insanity plea is a cop-out for anyone who commites a crime. The judicial system needs to grow a back bone and stop allowing such scum to waste tax dollars by sitting in a prison or mental health facility. If you can plan such an event, build pipe bombs, and try to excuse the murder of your own father by saying he was abusive... you're lucid enough to die at the hands of the state.

The guy was gonna go run free and massacre those kids at the school and they're sending him to a hospital? what in the world?

get him in prison.

There is no excuse for premeditated murder in my book. Whether he is insane or not is up to the doctors and jury thats not our call, what we know is that he thought about this before going on 7 mile drive (notice i left out the fathers murder to not incite a debate) and shooting at other human beings when they least expected it. He should be placed with other crazies like Charles Manson in prison for the rest of his days.

nope I wasnt being sarcastic at all....if he is mentally ill, is being hospitalized and treated.....they are the last persons to have contact with him and therefore are responsible for him doing this...and the insurance company, if they required that he be discharged for financial reasons...they are responsible...and Yes,....too bad he didnt go after either of these two categories of people...for they are the ones that unleashed this person on society./.....

Klaatu, Sorry. This isn't an insurance issue or even a mental-health-care issue. For the past three decades the law has required mental hospitals to permit patients to leave whenever they want. Several civil lawsuits, including some sponsored by the ACLU, resulted in Supreme Court decisions that involuntary hospitalization is a violation of mentally ill people's civil rights. Once released, the patient doesn't even have to continue to take medication to control delusions. Hence the Haq massacre and problems such as this one.

Is this trial being shown "on line'? Thanks

I really don't some posters here have knowledge on how numerous mental illnesses work. Sometimes it's a biological problem. Sometimes, the brain just doesn't work the way it does in a 'normal' person. So, no, sometimes people can't tell what is 'right' or what is 'wrong.' And, they don't have to be in 'special' classes to be in that category. Many mental illnesses cannot be diagnosed until later in life.

This isn't a blanket excuse for behavior, but there are times when mental illnesses make it very difficult to function in a normal society. And, no, not all of these people are committed. There are various reasons (too many to list here).

In this case, the guy was obsessed and went on a rampage. Maybe his father beat him, maybe not. For his father, there might be an exception in the case of extreme abuse, but going to his old high school and acting out his own columbine fantasy is a bit much. He showed remorse for his father's murder... he knew right from wrong before the school shootings.

I worked with the mother of this young man so will be following the case daily. I just wanted to say that I think the Prosecutions opening statement will help the Defense more than the Prosecution.

Everyone seems to agree on some level that he is "nuts", crazy, or deranged, but "sane". That is, responsible for his own actions. I know there is a legal definition of insanity, but somehow I think that many "crazy" people are punished (imprisoned) and not being treated.

Crimes motivated by understandable motives (greed, jealousy, anger, murder for hire) surely should receive punishment commensurate with the crime, but unless the nutcase is not really a nutcase, it seems that something other than the usual treatment for the crime would be appropriate – while still protecting society with industrial strength safeguards.

What a sad, screwed up young man with a tortured soul. At the beginning of this trial, I would say he was not insane when he committed this crime and should be held accountable.

I was going to school in the same county when that happened. I honestly couldn't believe what was going on. School had started just days before, and I had many friends who went to Orange. The whole experience was jarring. The school that I attended had a problem just the year before with someone bringing a gun and another weapon into the school in a large coat. It was too similar.

Yes, you can know right from wrong, and yes, you can be in a psychotic fury at the same time. Their perception of the circumstances they're in, in the moment perceptions are not the same when these moments are perceived by you, or myself. Alvaro Castillo should be sentenced, if not guilty by reason of insanity, to a high security mental facility for a substantial time so he has the right cocktail of meds. Then he has to take his meds as prescribed, and witnessed by an approved individual. There's to many men and women in the prison system with mental illnesses, they're there because it costs to much to do it right. It'll be nice when our society isn't focused on profits, and spending. There are a lot of people with Bi-Polar watch; "A Summer in a Cage" for a perspective.

Klaatu said on 11/03/09 10:59 am ET "...if he is mentally ill, is being hospitalized and treated…..they are the last persons to have contact with him and therefore are responsible for him doing this…and the insurance company, if they required that he be discharged for financial reasons…they are responsible…and Yes,….too bad he didnt go after either of these two categories of people…"

= = = = = = = = = = = =

I strongly disagree. Hospitals can hold patients involuntarily for only 72 hours. Further, he was being held for suicidal thoughts, not thoughts of harming others. Once that was resolved, he was free to go. The hospital and insurance company were not responsible; he was. We need to start taking responsibility for our actions and stop looking for others to blame.

They should of not taking him out of psychic ward nomater what. His father would of been alive today. But we have to hear all the evidence also. The trial just started. I didn't hear his recording to police. I guess I missed it.
And the students at the HS I believe he knew what he was doing. It was all thought out.
Paula from Brooklyn

So, your telling me that through this kids whole life, not one person, teacher or otherwise felt that this kid with problems growing up and mental illness should be taken care of??? I blame the teachers, the government, hell even people as a society. I know their going to say "oh but we see 180 + kids a day, but as a soldier in Iraq it's our main priority to maintain the safety of our battles next to us. We do this by looking for that one kid in the sea of crowds of people that look "off". Should he be let off for his crimes, yes but not because what he did was right, but because we as people failed to keep our fellow man next to us safe. He should have gotten picked up and helped well before any of this transpired. Blame it on healthcare, society, who ever it is that makes you sleep good at night, but the signs, all the signs were there. That's sad if you ask me.

Now it is in style for people that have mental illnesses to kill their family members and friends or just go to places and kill people like everyone is responsible for their frustrations. Then the laws send them to a rehabilitation center for a little while and " Its ok, you didnt know what you were doing" . The american system should start sending these people to jail like every other criminal because for some other actions they dont seem to be so crazy.

You don't have to look crazy to be insane or have serious mental issues.

I knew Al went to high school with Al. First, Al is a person- he has issues yes- but he is a person. Al is not a parasite, a creature, or a beast. I remember him as a polite and pleasant fellow student. Since we graduated in 05 things have changed obviously and Al fell victim to his deamons.

I understand the anger voiced in this blog, but society does not have the right to be vengeful.

People like Al need help, not anger. Anger forged his crimes. How can we as a nation claim moral superiority when our reactionary legal system and doctrines create more issues than then they resolve?
There are heroes here too- Deputy Ivey the man who cofronted Al and the retired state patrolman who cuffed him. There are many lessons from this story. Let one of these lessons be we are all human we are all capable of terrible things as well as heroic acts.

Why can't we save taxpayer money and just kill him? We are going to waste a lot of money incarcerating him and they will just let him go some day. There is no such thing as life in prison. When is the last time you heard of anyone dying of old age in prison? It never happens. They let them go when they become unhealthy because the prisons are responsible for medical bills and have very tight healthcare budgets. If you are a women with a high risk pregnancy you can do anything you want other than murder someone and they will not put you in jail. A high risk pregnancy could cost the jail 200,000.oo if they are unlucky enough for her to have the kid in jail

So many of you know so much without having heard any of the testimony... amazing. He was nuts, but how do you know the first damn thing. Stupidity should be painful.

it is very obvious that many of you don't know a thing about psych hospitals, psyh illness etc. Not your fault, you just don't know and actually its probably a good thing for you. Being sent to a psych hospital in no way at all excuses one for his or her actions. He would actually be in an environment where he can be observed. Wouldn't it be nice for our society to be able to see the signs better. So know it is not a waste of money. sticking him in prison is. And this is a bit more than just some teenage angst as one commenter mentioned above. He had been diagnosed with some serious psychiatric illness, Unfortunately, becuase of stigma and the attitudes so obviously displayed in some of these comments, people in great need of help slip through the cracks. When i talk about help, i dont mean help for the good of the criminal but good for all of society. Mental illnesses are REAL ILLNESSES as your diabetes, cancer etc. Unfortunately, they are very misunderstood and rarely result in extreme violence as in this case. I do think this case is different than a killer who kills for the sake of killing or someone who does it for pleasure. This individual was in extreme pain which drove him to these acts. It's awful I know. It is very possible, despite the fact that he made the video, that he really was not aware of what he was doing. Again, people may not understand this situation and how someone could possible do such a thing becuase of an illness. But I guess be grateful you don't. What an awful way to live. You cannot compare the way his brain operates to your own. He doesn't function the same way.

He knew what he was doing...planned it.....bought all the stuff....and did it. He keeps saying he's sorry, so he knows right from wrong. (remember, crazy people don't know they're crazy)...so, If they let him go...you're just going to see more people do this.....and on top of that, i bet he'll get a movie deal. Scary huh?

no i'm not a doctor...or lawyer...

but...if it was YOUR CHILD who was killed, do you want him to get "help" in a hospital, (on your dime -tax payer), or send him to prison? He gets off...hmmm, a year in a mental hospital (maybe more) gets out, book deals, movie deals, and so on....meanwhile...your kid never had a chance.

just my thought. hate me if you want.

I have worked with severe mental ill clients in the past. This is a case of a young man with mental illness looking for attention with a reason for his life. This was a long plan for him and I beleive that he should not be even considered for being insane at the time of his crime.

Castillo was obviously in a sane state of mind when he shot his father. In the testimony, the prosecuting attorney should look at the tape after he shot his father when he apologizes. That apology puts him in a sympathetic mind state that only a sane person would do.Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Period!

This young man was driven crazy by years of torment by his father.

This kid is clearly competent. Just look at how vividly he describes his emotions in his video testimony. How can he not understand right from wrong? He clearly states that he killed his father because he hit his mother. Therefore, he witnessed his father commit an act in which he saw as wrong and unjust and took it upon himself to punish his own father. Done, case closed, off to prison, see ya later, thanks for playing.

This guy is clearly mentally ill. So, do we put him in prison? Yes, he did some very horrible things...thank God he was caught before he was able to go any further. I think prison may not be the best option. Yes, lock him up forever but in a mental hospital or somewhere he can be helped. We cannot continue to throw people away and forget about them in situations like his. GET HIM THE HELP THAT HE SO DESPERATELY NEEDS, PLEASE! Don't get me wrong, I do not think he should be released back into society. I just believe he should receive mental help for the clear emotional hell that he is obviously been in for a long long time. Kelly, Kentucky

People do get locked up in hospitals and do not get released. Just because he would be in a hospital does not mean he gets released or gets off free. And a psych hospital is not some nice posh place either. They can be scary and dangerous as well. I think you are not clear on the different types of hospitalizations. my point is that society would probably benefit more by him being treated and professionals learning more about his illness than him wasting space and money in a prison. The key to all of this is PREVENTION. How can we prevent it in the future? That is what we need to learn. I am in no way at all excusing his behavior in any way. illness is not an excuse. people are always still responsible for their actions. Suggesting a hospital is not my way of trying to excuse him or let him off easy.

Well, so far, his own video tells the tale in my view. He planned and executed the plan. I think he knew it was wrong and he's just looking for attention. He is definitely disturbed for even going through with it...but he has to pay for the lives he took and damaged

IF he goes to prison, he's not going to get help...he's going to get hurt (really bad). we all know it. So either he goes to a hospital and gets real help...which didn't do anything in the pass....or he goes to prison and gets his face pounded in everyday (maybe).

My question...and no one seems to be talking about it...but what about the kids or families he's effected. How you we help them. We are so focused on this guys past........what about the other kids future?? hmmmmm.

what if he took a shot at your kid? I don't think many of you would want him to "get help" while your kid is traumatized.

I saw another article that stated on a video tape he said that people like him have to be sacrificed or they will kill someone eventually. And the judge is not seeking the death penalty?

I understand he was abused but there are plenty of other people out there that are abused and DON'T turn to attempted murder on innocent students. When do we have to be held accountable? Abuse is no excuse for him to 'plot' murdering innocent students.

What if he actually killed an innocent student? What if gets out of prison and he does kill an innocent person...

I don't sympathize at all with people who go to a school to commit murder on innocent people who are there to learn. That should be a safe place for teachers and students.

Please let me know if this can be done, I am not sure if the Law works like this. can Mr. Alvaro Castille., Be put into a State Hospital and when then think he is in his right mine, then put him into in the Jail for the rest of his Life.

i am sick of these murderers whining'pour pitiful me, like many peopole we were abused as children, they love to use the excuse, i am mentally ill, bull! i was an abused child, alohol induced, i was hit with everything from what was handy to a heavy phone. the thought never crossed my mind to harm my mother. these killers want pity, well they dont have mine, and i pray the jury is smarter than that, first of all thelowlife shrink is being paid by the defense.

i've been watching this case closely , and i really think that he did know that what he was doing was wrong. he was probably just angry at that moment and he couldn't contain his emotions. i also think this trial is a waste of time and he should just be sentenced. if he is releasaed he will be a big threat to the community.

It just sickens me that ,if he is acquitted, or has any other sentence other than the rest of his life, he would occupy the streets I walk on, the places I go, or the things I do..he cannot be let go under any circumstances..He should never have been released to begin with.Are we so overloaded and so short of staffs that they cant see this man was horribly sick?He is criminally responsible and we know it..

For some reason I got facinated listening to this trial. As I understand the question is, if he is legally insane or not at the time the crime was committed. Legal arguements are like economic one where the experts can not agree. If somenoe tells you that the FBI is watching him or the if he killed some one he would free them from pain and that they would be going to heaven, what would be your impresion? If he did anything at that point in time would think he was acting sane?

I couldn't help jumping back on my computer when the defense attorney cross examining asked " if Alvaro believed the that God had instructed him do do what he is doing and that by doing it he was sending them to heaven, would that not constitute delusion?" The persecution attorney(Wolfe) response was not in the affirmative but that it "could". In psychiatry literature what would Alvaro's believe be defined as? Is this not a case of cat and mouse chase by the experts? The point is, as hard as we try we can only but guess what is in the mind of the insane, Mr Alvaro can only but wonder in his lucid period if he actually did what he did. Look at the two scenario, in his insane set of mind he thinks killing his father will free him of pain and he will go to heaven; in his sane mind he is sorry for his act. How do we explain this other than to accept our inadequacy in understanding the worlds of the insane. We are not just talking about Alvaro but all those insane people who live in condition that we agree are inhuman and we express our sympathy ; they live in a different world were decision are not based on ration thinking but on criteria we barely understand. In Alvaro's case his decision was coming according to him from a higher power.

I can't help but believe the mother was part of this tragedy. Their relationship was beyond a bazaar one. I think she took full advantage of this unstable man to kill her husband. I consider her guilt trips ie: "why don't you stand up for me and your sister Alvaro" In my opinion she knew he was planning this. What mother doesn't look in their child's room when they suspect there is something not right. They look even when they suspect their children are smoking pot! She seen him sleeping with guns and knew Alvaro wanted to kill his father and that he was admitted to hospital. I think she more then likely encouraged him. The plan was likely, kill the father, then we ( mother and son) will say it was insanity and soon Alvarado will be home. There is definitely something else to this story. I do not think he is insane. He made choices. We all do...but most people do not act on them, and when they do...there is surely someone beside them encouraging them to put up or shut up....and to me that someone is the mother. Now SHE might the one on trial for insanity.

Roy, while I agree he occasionally shows enough lucidity to feel some guilt over the effects of what he is planing to do, I don't think he ever went so far as to think it was wrong. Note that he apologized only for the pain that would come about from what he had done and was about to do; he didn't apologize for the acts themselves. He often expressed sympathy for the victims, just as he expressed sympathy for the victims at columbine; that didn't prevent him from thinking that all those killings were good and necessary.

Don, I don't believe attempted suicide is a crime in North Carolina; so he had no criminal record which would prevent him from buying a gun. We don't have a system in the country to track everyone's mental health.

Edna, no, if the jury finds him legally sane (and therefore guilty of 1st degree murder) he will spend his life in prison. The only mental care he will get is what is can be provided by the prison. If they find him insane, he will be committed to a mental hospital until he can PROVE to a judge that he is no longer a threat to others. Considering the existing evidence, that should mean he will be in a mental hospital for life. However, if he WERE ever to be released, he would be free.

Jury is back: Guilty.

I'm not sure they made the right decision.

im so mad they found him guilty. hes obviously crazy, i mean DUH! come on yall,and now that hesgoing 2 jail, hes not going 2 b able 2 recieve the psyciatric care he could have if he had been found insaine. so now everyone looses. especially alvaro and his family. i feel so badfor his mother. that poor poor woman, im so thankful i dont have 2 live her life. wow, and hissister, that poor girl. sonow, everyone looses.