A St. Paul man who pleaded guilty to stabbing his wife to death during a Bible study last year will now serve a 33-year-long sentence.

Robert Castillo, 41, was sentenced on Friday in Ramsey County District Court. He had pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder earlier this year for the death of 41-year-old Corrina Woodhull.

Charging documents state Castillo and Woodhull were attending a weekly Bible study the evening of March 21, 2023, at Castillo’s sister’s home on the 1000 block of Maryland Avenue East in St. Paul. Castillo’s sister told police her brother kissed Woodhull and whispered something in her ear; Woodhull shook her head no, and Castillo proceeded to pull out a hunting knife and stabbed her more than 20 times.

Castillo’s sister said other people at the Bible study had to pull Castillo off of Woodhull and subdue him.

As officers placed Castillo in custody, he asked, “Is she going to be OK?” Woodhull was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

At Friday’s hearing, the court heard victim impact statements from both of Woodhull’s parents.

“She’s an angel among angels now. She was my angel when she was here on Earth,” Woodhull’s father, Randy Kirscheman said, adding that her daughter leaves behind five children.

Linda Castle, Woodhull’s mother, explained that her daughter had faced struggles with drug abuse but managed to turn her life around by putting herself through treatment and embraced her faith. She also said Woodhull “thought she could save” Castillo and had believed his past of violent attacks was tied to his history of drug use.

Castle said when she went to retrieve Woodhull’s belongings from her car, she found divorce papers inside.

“She knew it was time to walk away, and that’s why she’s dead,” Castle said.

Castillo’s defense attorney, Mark Austin, argued for a downward sentencing departure of 25 years, citing his client’s history of addiction and childhood sexual abuse. Austin said the morning of Woodhull’s murder, Castillo got high with a friend “and unfortunately ingested so much he doesn’t recall what happened afterwards.”

Austin said Castillo suffers from “methamphetamine-induced psychosis” and that his client was first exposed to drugs at 8 years old, putting him in “a much worse position” than others who may have started drug use later in life.

Judge Richard H. Kyle disputed Austin’s arguments, saying voluntary substance use is not a factor that would warrant a truncated sentence.

“It is true that the defendant has been diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder most of his life. There is no dispute that he was using in the hours and days leading up to the murder of Corrina Woodhull. He may have even been suffering from a methamphetamine-induced psychosis when he murdered Miss Woodhull. The guidelines, however, make clear that voluntary substance usage is not a factor for lacking substantial capacity for judgment.”

The court finds that the defendant has not established that he lacked the substantial capacity warranting a durational departure.

Before hearing his sentence, Castillo apologized to Woodhull’s family, including his stepchildren, “taking full responsibility” while reiterating that he had no recollection of his wife’s murder.

“I’m truly sorry and I hope you guys can find it in your hearts to forgive me one day,” Castillo said. “It’s been a real struggle for me to even forgive myself for taking the life of my wife, my best friend.”

Judge Kyle handed down a sentence of 400 months, with at least two-thirds to be served in prison and the rest as supervised probation. Castillo received credit for 541 days served in jail.