BELIZE CITY, Fri. May 6, 2016–    Patrick Castillo, 43, was committed to stand trial today at the conclusion of a preliminary inquiry that was held before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser.

Castillo has been charged with the murder of his stepson, Jose Maderos, 20, which occurred on April 1, 2015.

Castillo did not raise any objection to the bundle of statements that the court prosecutor, Inspector, Hector Rodriguez, submitted. Rodriguez submitted a total of 21 statements that were made to police from witnesses, which include relatives of the dead man.

Rodriguez also submitted documented evidence in the form of a machete, the alleged murder weapon, along with 6 paper bags which contained a pair of socks, a pair of tennis shoes, and a T-shirt, along with other items that were picked up from the scene of the murder, which occurred at the family’s house on Amara Avenue.

Castillo was committed to stand trial in the June session of the Supreme Court.

On April 1, 2015, Castillo got into an altercation with his Guatemalan stepson, Jose Maderos.  When it was over, Maderos lay dead from chop wounds in the family home; his other siblings suffered various cut wounds.

At the time of the incident, Castillo had alleged that Maderos came home intoxicated and tried to force open the front door and they got into an altercation.

Castillo told the Senior Magistrate that he intends to call three men as witnesses on his behalf. Two of the men are from his former workplace at Priority Security, and a third man is a friend, he told the court.