Repeat Offender Gets 134 Years for Holdups
A “third strike” robber was sentenced to 134 years in prison for a series of restaurant holdups that netted him nearly $10,000.
Christian Castillo, 30, of Anaheim, was sentenced Friday in Orange County Superior Court. The prosecutor sought a sentence of 1,087 years.
“He terrorized 30 separate victims who were employees and customers,” prosecutor Frank Carroll said.
Castillo held up Black Angus steakhouses in Santa Ana and Buena Park, a Lone Star steakhouse in Laguna Hills and a Chili’s in Newport Beach in 1999 and last year. He struck near closing time, forcing victims into storage rooms and freezers before looting safes and cash registers. Nobody was injured.
Castillo, who had eight previous convictions for robbery and attempted robbery, was sentenced as a repeat felon under California’s three-strikes law.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
