Gang Member Denies Killing Football Player

During a brief appearance in Juvenile Court on Friday, a 21-year-old Santa Paula gang member denied killing Ventura teenager Jesse Strobel during an attempted robbery six years ago.

Jose “Pepe” Castillo, who remains a suspect in another homicide case, is facing charges in Juvenile Court because he was 15 at the time of the Strobel slaying.

Castillo was arrested April 6 on suspicion of fatally stabbing the 17-year-old Ventura High School athlete.

Strobel was walking home from his father’s Pierpont pizzeria about 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 29, 1993, when he was confronted by a group of men intent on robbing him, according to police.

The men allegedly jumped the football player, who police say was stabbed with a knife as he tried to fight back.

Castillo was arrested years later at his Santa Paula home after police investigated a tip from a source who said Castillo was responsible for the slaying.

On Friday, Castillo denied a juvenile petition accusing him of murder and deadly use of a knife. A trial is set for Aug. 27, and is expected to last about two days. He remains in the County Jail without bail.

Because juvenile offenders can only be incarcerated until the age of 25, the 21-year-old Castillo would be eligible for release from the California Youth Authority after four years if he is found responsible for the crime.