A jury of two women and seven men found a Benque Veijo Del Carmen man, Jorge Castellanos, 29, guilty of burglary with intent to commit rape this afternoon in the Supreme Court of Justice Adolph Lucas.
The jury deliberated from 12:40 p.m. until 2:32 p.m. before returning to the courtroom with its guilty verdict. The verdict was not unanimous, however. Seven members found the accused man guilty as charged, while two members of the jury did not agree with the guilty verdict.
Castellanos did not have an attorney. When the Court Marshall told him that the jury had found him guilty, and asked if he had anything to say about why sentence should not be passed on him now, Castellanos did not answer. He appeared confused by the question.
So, Justice Lucas told him that if he had an attorney, his attorney would have asked the court for an adjournment in order to bring character witnesses who would make mitigation pleas on his behalf.
Castellanos told the court that he could bring members of his family. Justice Lucas urged him to bring witnesses other than his family. Sentencing was set for March 18, 2009.
A total of four witnesses testified in the trial. The Crown’s case was presented by Crown Counsel Trienia Young.
Castellanos first came to the public’s attention on the TV evening news when it was reported that police was seeking him after he had entered the home of a Benque Veijo Del Carmen family and inappropriately touched a teenage girl who was asleep.
Fortunately for the young girl, her father was at home and heard her screams. When the father went to his daughter’s room, he saw a man who had taken off his trousers and was stripped down to his boxer shorts. The man fled through the same window through which he had entered the teenager’s room.
Nothing was stolen, but in his hasty flight, he left behind his pants, which contained his wallet with all his identification cards. So police began an intense search for Jorge Castellanos.