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Monday, January 5, 2009

City "I Always Try to Warn Him About Trouble"

Posted by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee on Mon, Jan 5, 2009 at 5:05 PM

I just spoke with Marina Castillo, the mother of Carlos Bernardez—one of the men who police say was involved in the shooting at Chop Suey early Sunday morning.

Castillo did not attend Bernardez's bail hearing earlier today but she does not believe her son was involved in the shooting.

Police say Bernardez and another man, 25-year-old Roger LaBranche, opened fire inside of the club early Sunday morning, but Castillo says she's familiar with most of her son's friends and doesn't believe her 18-year-old son knows LaBranche. "He’s older, you know. I know my son’s friends. This person, I don’t know him," Castillo says.

Castillo says she had not seen her son—who lives with her—over the last few weeks, but spoke with him briefly yesterday evening before SPD SWAT officers stormed her home in Yesler Terrace and arrested Bernardez. Yesterday afternoon, hours after the shooting, Castillo finally saw her son. "I said hello. He was normal," she says.

Castillo says her son has been in trouble before—I wrote about his weapons charges here and Castillo also alluded to a domestic violence case, which does not appear in King County court records—and dropped out of Rainier Beach High School last year. "I always try to warn him about trouble," Castillo says. "I do what a mother’s supposed to do. He doesn’t listen."

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Amnesty for all!

Posted by Rod W on January 5, 2009 at 5:18 PM

...and here come the Slog assholes in 3..2....

Posted by but they are too scared to use their usual handles on January 5, 2009 at 5:25 PM

So he couldn't have made a new friend in the past few weeks?

Posted by keshmeshi on January 5, 2009 at 5:54 PM

She's as much a victim as anyone else. Assuming he gets convicted, her life is destroyed too.

Posted by Fnarf on January 5, 2009 at 6:02 PM

So where's he been the last few weeks?

Posted by Greg on January 5, 2009 at 6:15 PM

Sounds like he was raised in a nice machismo/marianismo household where the thuglets get to do whatever they want, boys will be boys after all

Posted by It's always someone else's darling child. on January 5, 2009 at 6:19 PM

She sounds like a great mom. Involved and well informed!

Posted by Rotten666 on January 5, 2009 at 6:25 PM

@2

and whats your usual handle?

Posted by Rotten666 on January 5, 2009 at 6:27 PM

"I do what a mother’s supposed to do..."

She should have sent him to live with his aunty and uncle in Bellevue!

Now, this is a story all about how
My life got flipped-turned upside down
And I liked to take a minute
To tell all of you
Just how I became the prince of a town called Bellevue

In west White Center born and raised
On the playground was where I spent most of my days
Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool
And all shootin some b-ball outside of the school
When a couple of guys
Who were up to no good
Startin making trouble in my neighborhood
I got in one little fight and what’s my mom do?
She said 'You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bellevue!”

I whistled for a cab and when it came near
The license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror
If anything I can say this cab is ew!
But I thought 'Now forget it' - 'Yo homes to Bellevue!'

I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8
And I yelled to the cabbie 'Yo homes smell ya later'
I looked at my kingdom
I was finally cool
To sit on my throne as the Prince of Bellevue.

Posted by Banna on January 5, 2009 at 7:02 PM

The mother seems like a clueless moron. He's 17 years old. Still a minor technically. Why doesn't she know what her kid was doing and where he was for "a few weeks"? My mother would go nuts if I went missing for a few hours at that age (or at any age), let alone if I went missing for a "few weeks".

Posted by yucca flower on January 5, 2009 at 7:58 PM

Well, that's all I need to hear. He must be innocent! His mom says so!

Posted by very bad homo on January 5, 2009 at 8:18 PM

i can't wait to hear from his dad. dad?

Posted by Max Solomon @ home on January 5, 2009 at 8:59 PM

one sure thing here - mom is convinced that her boy is a good person

and others, the evil ones, led him astray

all moms are universal, THANK GOD

and the mocking is mainly racist, my mom so lily white, sounds just like this lady

Posted by Ned on January 6, 2009 at 5:19 AM