OXNARD : Man Pleads Innocent in Death of Wife, 25

A 25-year-old Oxnard man accused of murdering his wife pleaded not guilty Tuesday after being charged under the state’s new “three-strikes-and-you’re-out” law.

Acting Superior Court Judge Herbert Curtis III set a Sept. 19 trial date for Jose Santos Castaneda, the first murder defendant charged under the new law in Ventura County.

Castaneda is charged with murder and unlawful possession of a firearm in the April 2 death of Mina Castaneda, 25. He has two prior robbery convictions from 1990.

If convicted of any felony under the three-strikes law, Castaneda faces a sentence of 25 years to life. The statute would prescribe such a sentence because Castaneda has two prior serious felonies.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Patricia A. Murphy said Castaneda would face a sentence of 25 years to life anyway if convicted of first-degree murder. But since he has been charged under the three-strikes law, he would face that same sentence even if he were convicted of a lesser offense.

“What it means is regardless of what he gets convicted of, it’s 25 to life,” she said.

Castaneda is the second defendant in the county charged under the new law, which is designed to get tough with habitual offenders. The other defendant is Henry Diaz of Simi Valley. Diaz, accused of molesting a 13-year-old girl, has three prior robbery convictions.