GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A man has entered a plea after he was accused of entering a Rockford-area home and stabbing a child multiple times.
Ricardo Perez Castillo on Wednesday pleaded no contest to assault with intent to murder, first-degree home invasion and assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker confirmed.
Stabbing suspect to first homeowner: ‘Make sure you’re armed’
It happened in June of 2024. The Kent County Sheriff’s Office said Castillo — who was a U.S. Marine Corps recruiter at the time — entered a home on Ella Terrace Court near Jericho Avenue south of Rockford around 3 a.m. According to a probable cause affidavit, video shows Castillo taking his shoes, socks and pants off once inside the home, then grabbing a knife from a kitchen drawer and walking upstairs.
The document says Castillo admitted to breaking into the home with the intent to kill the family. He entered a bedroom where two young girls were sleeping and stabbed an 11-year-old girl — a friend of the homeowner’s daughter who was staying the night — multiple times, according to court records. Castillo later told detectives he intended to kill her and have sex with her body, the records say.
Docs: Marine wanted to violate 11-year-old, kill family
The homeowner confronted Castillo and held him at gunpoint until deputies showed up and took him into custody, according to the sheriff’s office…