Man Might Change Plea in ’93 Slaying of Teenager

A 21-year-old Santa Paula man charged with murder in the 1993 stabbing death of Ventura teen Jesse Strobel is considering a plea change, his lawyers said Friday.

Jose “Pepe” Castillo has denied killing the 17-year-old Ventura High School student and a trial date is set for Aug. 27.

But Castillo may admit to the killing at an Aug. 16 pretrial hearing in Juvenile Court, which his attorneys say would allow them to focus on a more serious set of murder charges in adult court.

“One of the things we want to do is get on to the other case where there are significant issues,” Deputy Public Defender Robert Willey said Friday. “[The Strobel] case has been around a long time. Let’s bring it to an end.”

Strobel was stabbed to death on Jan. 29, 1993, while walking home from his father’s Ventura pizzeria. Police say he was confronted by a group of men who tried to rob him. He fought back and was stabbed with a knife.

Castillo, described by authorities as a Santa Paula gang member, was arrested six years later after police investigated a tip from a source who said Castillo wielded the murder weapon. He is being tried as a juvenile because he was 15 at the time.

On June 4, Castillo denied a juvenile petition accusing him of murder and deadly use of a knife. A petition in Juvenile Court is equivalent to a criminal charge in adult court, and a denial is the same as a not-guilty plea.

Castillo appeared briefly in a juvenile courtroom Friday morning. His family sat in the front row behind him.

After meeting with the attorneys at the bench, Superior Court Judge Steven Z. Perren announced the pretrial hearing would be postponed a month.

“Jose needs more time to make whatever decision he needs to make,” the judge explained. Perren also allowed Castillo a special meeting with his mother, in which lawyers say he plans to discuss a possible change of plea.

“If you were making a major decision in your life, wouldn’t you want to talk to your mom?” Willey said.

If he admits to the crime, Castillo would probably be incarcerated for four years because juvenile offenders can only be held at the California Youth Authority until age 25. He is now 21.

Castillo faces far more severe penalties if found guilty of murder charges in adult court.

There, he has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, robbery and burglary in the June 2, 1998, shooting death of Santa Paula store clerk Mirna Regollar.

The 25-year-old mother of two was shot in the head and back during a botched robbery attempt at her family’s market. Authorities arrested two men in connection with the slaying, but have only charged Castillo.

Prosecutors have also filed two special allegations in that case, which make Castillo eligible for the death penalty, though the district attorney’s office has not decided whether to pursue it.

A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Aug. 16, the same day as Castillo’s pretrial conference in Juvenile Court. He remains in Ventura County Jail without bail.