LEESBURG, Va. (AP) — A northern Virginia businessman convicted of murder in his estranged wife’s 2014 death has been sentenced to life in prison plus 16 years.
Media outlets report a Loudoun County Circuit Court judge handed down the sentence Friday to former IT executive Braulio Castillo of Ashburn. A jury found Castillo guilty in June of first-degree murder and other charges in the death of 43-year-old Michelle Castillo. Prosecutors alleged he suffocated her then staged her death to make it appear to be a suicide.
The couple had five children and were in the middle of a divorce and custody battle at the time.
The Washington Post reports Castillo maintains his innocence and did not speak or show emotion during the Friday sentencing. According to WRC-TV, he plans to appeal the sentence.
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