OXNARD : Husband Sentenced in Slaying of Wife

An Oxnard man who fatally shot his wife at a birthday party has been sentenced to 75 years to life in state prison, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Jose Castaneda, 26, was given 45 years to life in prison for murder under the state’s “three strikes” law.

He also received 25 years to life for felony possession of a firearm and an additional five years for using the firearm, Deputy Dist. Atty. Patricia Murphy said. He had two robbery convictions before being sentenced Monday by Acting Superior Court Judge Bruce A. Clark.

Castaneda shot his wife, Mina, through the head April 2 when he returned to a Santa Paula birthday party after helping Anthony Castillo rob an Oxnard motel clerk, according to trial testimony. The victim, 25, was angry with the defendant because he had left the party without explanation, and she was wielding a baseball bat when he returned, prosecutors said.

During the trial, Murphy argued that the defendant killed his wife because she had humiliated him in front of Castillo, who is serving a two-year prison sentence for the motel holdup. At the sentencing, Castaneda declared his innocence, claiming Castillo murdered the victim. A jury deliberated just three hours before finding Castaneda guilty of murder.

“If there was ever a person that the ‘three strikes’ law was designed for it was him,” Murphy said. “He is dangerous and has no conscience.”