“I
The family members of Mary Ann Castleman said nothing during the hearing. Prosecutor Larry Basford said he’d talked with them and the Springfield Police Department about the deal, and Judge James Fensom sentenced
Mary Ann Castleman and
Fensom told Castleman he would go to jail for the rest of his life if his plea was accepted, and he asked Castleman if he’d seen the evidence prosecutors would present at trial and what he thought of it. Castleman said life in prison was better than the alternative prosecutors had in mind.
“I’ve seen what they say they’ve got … it pretty much seems to leave me two options, and I choose the better of the two,” Castleman said.
Castleman was scheduled to go to trial later this
The robbery charges were dropped as part of the deal, and Castleman agreed to pay up to $1,000 in restitution for
An earlier version of this story is posted below:
SPRINGFIELD — Bryan Keith Castleman pleaded no contest to two counts of second-degree murder Monday and was sentenced to life in prison, according to a news release from the State Attorney's Office.
Castleman, 51, of 700 Transmitter Road, Lot 7, killed his wife Mary Ann Castleman, 48, and her father, Leroy Minnich, 64, in their home on Nov. 23, 2012.
Prosecutors said the defendant acted with a depraved mind when he beat both victims repeatedly with a hammer and stabbed them multiple times. He then took money from his wife and father and used it to buy crack and video games, according to police reports. Castleman was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences.