Already wanted for assault, man kills wife at Bible study

A St. Paul, Minn., man, Robert Castillo, was charged with murder after stabbing his wife to death during a recent Bible study.

Police responded to a report of a stabbing and, upon arrival, found 41-year-old Corinna Woodhull with severe injuries to her torso, chest and arms. She was treated at the scene but later pronounced dead. The victim had previously been featured as a success story of a ministry that helps others recover from addiction.

Castillo’s sister told police that she hosts Bible study at the home on Tuesday nights with family members. She said Woodhull and Castillo arrived and sat together on a couch. At one point Castillo whispered something into Woodhull’s ear and then pulled out a knife and stabbed her repeatedly, the complaint said.

Castillo was tackled by family members and disarmed. Another witness at the home said they believed Castillo would have stabbed others had he not been disarmed, the complaint said.

The complaint said Castillo had an active warrant out for his arrest at the time of the stabbing and recently failed to appear at a pretrial hearing in connection to fourth-degree assault charges. He allegedly assaulted a prison guard while an inmate in Stillwater, Minn. He also has eight previous felony convictions that include first-degree assault, second-degree assault, possession of a firearm by an ineligible person and second-degree burglary. Castillo’s second-degree assault conviction was for beating the purported mother of his child with a hammer, causing substantial bodily harm.

According to the complaint, Castillo briefly spoke with investigators, telling them he and Woodhull had been legally married for a couple years and lived together until a month ago. Castillo wouldn’t say why they no longer lived together and requested his attorney, so the interview ended. Castillo’s brother, who was also at the Bible study, told police Woodhull and his brother had been having marital problems.

Woodhull is survived by her five children. She also leaves behind a community of recovering drug addicts who describe her as an inspiration, CBS Minnesota reported. Phil Tyler, the founder of Against All Odds Ministries, told the station that Woodhull had shared these words to the group: “God has restored my life from the ground up into freedom, redemption and forgiveness. Made depression into hope, made despair into redemption, turned my pain into purpose.”

–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice