Family, friends of woman killed at Bible study ‘disappointed in the justice system’

The family and friends of a woman killed at a Bible study session in St. Paul say the justice system failed to protect her.

Robert Castillo faces charges for allegedly fatally stabbing his wife, Corrina Woodhull, last month.

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He’d been released from Stillwater prison last summer for one of his eight prior felony convictions. However, 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has learned that when he was released, he was facing another felony charge.

While serving 10 years for assaulting a former girlfriend with a hammer, Castillo got into legal trouble again.

Multiple sources tell 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS video from inside the Stillwater prison shows Castillo attacking a corrections officer. He was charged with another felony related to the alleged assault.

After posting $500 bail, Castillo was released from prison on supervised parole in August 2022.

Seven months later, he now faces charges in connection to Woodhull’s death.

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“Surprising, stunning actually, to hear that he’s done all this, especially to that corrections officer,” said Randy Kirscheman, Woodhull’s father.

Kirscheman wonders why Castillo was released while still facing a felony charge.

“He’s charged with something, but not convicted, and they couldn’t hold him, and he could get out anyways?” Kirscheman questioned.

Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) Commissioner Paul Schnell told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that state law requires a prisoner be released on parole after two-thirds of their sentence has been served.

“We do not have the authority to hold somebody beyond that date when our law says two-thirds of your sentence is served inside and one-third of your sentence is on supervised release,” Schnell said in an interview.

Schnell says once Castillo posted bail for the corrections officer assault charge, it was out of the state’s control.

“So what happens is, when bail is set, because we have a presumption of innocence and people have a right to trial, he gets released in December, which is what the law requires,” Schnell noted.

Schnell told KSTP that Castillo then violated his parole and skipped a court date.

Two arrest warrants were issued, and Castillo was on the run when he was charged with killing his wife.

“When you look at some of these cases, hindsight is 20/20, and when you look at the tragedy here, you look at some of the conduct he engaged in, it’s certainly one of the arguments saying we should be looking at these cases differently,” Schnell said.

Woodhull’s roommate says she should have been better protected.

“I feel like the system is failing us. There’s no reason this mother trucker should have been let out, you know,” Erin Honken, Woodhull’s roommate, said.

Kirscheman, meanwhile, told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS he was “disappointed in the justice system.”

At Castillo’s latest court hearing on the murder charge, the court ordered a 60-day psychological evaluation before a decision is made on how to proceed with the case.