GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Court TV) — A former recruiter for the U.S. Marine Corps will spend decades behind bars after breaking into a home with the intent to kill everyone inside.
Ricardo Castillo stands in court during his sentencing hearing on Nov. 26, 2025. (Court TV)
Ricardo Castillo, 25, pleaded no contest to several charges, including assault with intent to murder and home invasion, for an incident on June 15, 2024, in Plainfield Township, Michigan.
At his sentencing on Nov. 26, Judge Christina Mims described the case as a “real-life horror movie” as she ordered him to spend a minimum of 225 months behind bars. Castillo was sentenced to 225 months to 40 years for assault with intent to murder, to be served concurrently with a sentence of 7-20 years for home invasion and 1.5-5 years for criminal sexual contact.
Castillo was arrested after police received a 911 call from a caller reporting he was holding an armed intruder in his daughter’s bedroom. When police arrived at the scene, they found Castillo with a bloody knife next to him.
In documents reviewed by Court TV, deputies said video shows Castillo entering the victims’ home and taking his shoes, socks and pants off. Wearing only underwear and a T-shirt, Castillo is then seen taking a knife from a kitchen drawer and walking upstairs.
Castillo later told police that he broke into the house because he wanted to “kill the entire family.” When Castillo went upstairs, the first unlocked door he found led him to the master bedroom. He spared the couple asleep in the room, telling officers in an interview that he wanted to “look for an easier target.”
Castillo then entered the room where the homeowner’s daughter was sleeping, along with her 11-year-old friend. He told detectives he planned to kill the 11-year-old “and then have sex with her dead body.” He allegedly took off his underwear and then began stabbing the victim while he was on top of her. The victim survived the attack, which left her with injuries to her left arm and shoulder that required surgery.
Prosecutors read a statement from the young victim at Castillo’s sentencing. “I never would have guessed an innocent sleepover would have left me in the hospital,” she said. The victim recounted the attack itself, saying, “I remember being in a lot of pain on the floor. I remember seeing all of my blood everywhere. I remember feeling warm running down my body from the blood. I remember the smell of it. I can still feel the sting of the pain.”
Castillo offered a brief statement to the court, expressing his remorse. “I’m not trying to justify myself, I just want to ask for forgiveness,” he said. “From the bottom of my heart, I ask for forgiveness. I know I don’t deserve it.”
Castillo’s attorney told the Court that his client was intoxicated the night of the incident, and that Castillo has pledged to forgo alcohol for the rest of his life.
