Jury finds Castellanoz guilty of first-degree murder
RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- A jury found Ruben Castellanoz guilty of first-degree murder this morning for the shooting death last year of a Montclair teen.
Because the jury also found true allegations that Castellanoz used a gun in the commission of the crime, the 23-year-old Montclair man will face a prison term of 50 years to life when he is sentenced on Nov. 20 in West Valley Superior Court.
Family members of 19-year-old Lotu Palei said after the verdict was read that they forgive Castellanoz for Palei's shooting, and they feel sorry for him.
On the evening of Feb. 3, 2008 after the Super Bowl, Castellanoz and a group of friends were drinking and socializing in an alley near his apartment.
Palei, of Montclair, approached the group after midnight and reportedly shouted the name of an Ontario street gang.
He kept a hand in his pocket as if he was possibly holding a gun, but there was no testimony during Castellanoz's trial that Palei made any threatening comments to anyone in the group prior to his death.
Palei socialized with the group for about 30 minutes before Castellanoz shot him three times, killing him.
Prosecutors insisted Castellanoz was motivated to kill Palei in order to bolster his reputation among gang members. Castellanoz's defense attorney told jurors that Castellanoz feared Palei, and acted in self-defense when he shot him.
The jury of nine women and three men took less than two hours Tuesday to reach a verdict. It wasn't read until this morning because Castellanoz's attorney was unable to return to court Tuesday afternoon.
Castellanoz didn't appear to visibly react to the verdict. He looked ahead and looked down, and turned to the audience briefly as he was led out of the courtroom after the hearing.
Castellanoz's family sat in the back room of the courtroom during this morning's hearing. His sister began crying after the verdict was read. She declined to comment to a reporter prior to the hearing, and also said she would have no comment afterward.
A member of the jury said this morning that after only 45 minutes of deliberating it was clear the jury was unanimously in favor of a first-degree-murder verdict.
"The information we thought was pretty cut and dry," said Ron Hendricks, 60, of Rancho Cucamonga. "The defense didn't have very much to offer."
Defense attorney Andrew Haynal said the verdict "was pretty much as we expected. Unfortunately a lot of the people who were there didn't come forward. One took the Fifth (Amendment)."
Haynal said he didn't know whether the witnesses would have supported Castellanoz's self-defense claims, but he said he wished the witnesses would have talked openly about what they saw.
Castellanoz's defense was also hurt by his refusal to testify, Haynal said. Castellanoz feared retribution from Palei's family members if he testified, Haynal said.
Deputy District Attorney Mary Izadi said she felt first-degree murder was the "proper verdict," and she attacked Castellanoz's self-defense claims.
"Self-defense is a valid legal concept, and it's there to protect the innocent," Izadi said. "Guilty people can't hide behind it to get away with murder."
"I feel justice was served today," said Montclair police detective Matt Borra, the lead detective on the Castellanoz case. "I felt murder-one was the conviction he deserved."
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