A 36-year-old man has been indicted for allegedly murdering the mother of his children in her Manhattan apartment -- while the kids were home -- in a harrowing gun case last month, prosecutors say.
Carmelo Castillo lived with the victim, 32-year-old Marisol Duran, their two children and Duran's third child by another individual in an East Harlem apartment, court documents say. She recently told Castillo she didn't want him there anymore, according to prosecutors, and that she wanted him to leave.
It wasn't clear when that alleged conversation happened, but at some point between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. on April 15, while all three children were in the apartment, prosecutors claim Castillo shot Duran with a small-caliber pistol -- and tried to muffle the sound with a pillow. He allegedly refused to open up when cops responded to 911 calls.
Castillo also allegedly barricaded the door so the children couldn't open it for police officers either. After some time, prosecutors say he let his oldest child open the door for cops, who brought him into custody.
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He is accused of second-degree murder, a felony, and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, misdemeanors. Information on a possible attorney for Castillo wasn't immediately available.
