RivCo man accused of killing girlfriend in 2001 then fleeing to Mexico arraigned on murder charges
A convicted domestic abuser who allegedly killed his live-in girlfriend more than 20 years ago and then fled to Mexico, where he was apprehended earlier this year and returned to the United States, pleaded not guilty today to murder and other charges.
Lorenzo Castellanos, 72, is accused of fatally stabbing Maria Robles in 2001.
Along with murder, Castellanos is charged with child endangerment and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.
He was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Sam Shouka, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for July 31 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
The defendant is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.
Castellanos, who is a Mexican national, was apprehended in January by U.S. Marshals and the Mexican Fugitive Task Force.
According to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, the defendant attacked and killed Robles, with whom he had a child, on Jan. 1, 2001, in Jurupa Valley. Prosecutors allege that he inflicted numerous stab wounds during the domestic assault, the reasons for which were unknown.
He fled south of the border immediately after Robles' death, according to the DA's Office. The agency's Bureau of Investigation coordinated with the U.S. Marshals and other agencies to track him down over a years-long period.
Castellanos has a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction from 1999, according to court records.
