A 34-year-old man accused of fatally shooting his grandparents in their Palm Desert home appeared in Riverside Superior Court on Wednesday. He has pleaded guilty to two murder charges, according to City News Service.
CNS reported that Frank Scott Castro III of Palm Desert was arrested in September 2019 on suspicion of killing Frank Castro, 83, and Carolina Castro, 81. The bodies of both were found inside their home at the 43000 block of West Calle Las Brisas, in a gated community.
The defendant pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity in a post-preliminary hearing. However, on Aug. 6, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Anthony Villalobos ruled evidence was sufficient to warrant a trial on two counts of murder.
Riverside County Sheriff's Sgt. Christopher Gelinas testified that the department responded to the Castro home at about 2 p.m. on Sept. 11, 2019, following up on a report of gunfire on the premises.
Deputies found both victims dead inside the home. A sheriff's department Investigator testified that the elder Frank Castro was found shot dead in a chair in his bedroom, while Carolina Castro was found dead face-down in the kitchen.
A sheriff's department dispatcher later reported that a man eventually identified as the younger Castro called and said, "I just killed my grandparents."
The caller reportedly added, "I shot my grandparents. I shot them both." He allegedly described the clothes he was wearing and provided his name and date of birth to the dispatcher.
According to testimony given by deputies who were on the scene when the Castros' bodies were discovered, the defendant was waiting outside the home and told them: "My grandparents are in there, and the gun is inside."
Castro has expressed no motive for the killings during court hearings.
He remains in custody without bail at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio. He is due back in court on Oct. 8 for a trial readiness conference.
