Trial set for man accused of beating his mother to death

Alternate jurors were seated Monday, with opening statements set for Tuesday morning in the trial of an Indio man accused of beating his mother to death in 2011 for kicking him out of her house.

The full jury panel was sworn in to hear evidence against Daniel Castro, who is accused of killing 51-year-old Ofelia Guzman on Jan. 31, 2011, after she woke him up that morning to go to work. Castro, 33, was previously found mentally incompetent to stand trial and was committed to Patton State Hospital, but was deemed sufficiently competent in May 2015.

A trial brief prepared by the District Attorney’s Office alleges that Castro became angry over his mother’s repeated attempts to wake him and punched a hole in the wall of his bedroom, which prompted her to tell him that he had to move out.

They argued, and Castro allegedly kicked and beat his mother, leaving her unconscious and bleeding in her son’s bedroom closet. Castro then left for work, but left the job site and never returned, according to the prosecution.

The victim was discovered by Castro’s sister and 5-year-old niece, who found the front doors of the home unlocked and “what sounded like snoring” coming from inside his bedroom.

Guzman was taken to a hospital, where she died later that day from blunt-force injuries to her head and neck. Castro is being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside
in lieu of $1 million bail.