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WEST JORDAN — A Sandy man accused of beating his girlfriend and detaining her for hours in a disturbing domestic violence case has pleaded guilty to aggravated kidnapping.
In an agreement with prosecutors, Joseph Anthony Castellanos, 32, pleaded guilty Thursday to a first-degree felony charge of aggravated kidnapping while a dozen other charges were dismissed.
Castellanos had also been facing charges of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault and forcible sodomy, first-degree felonies; aggravated assault, a second-degree felony; six counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony; propelling bodily substances, a class A misdemeanor; and criminal mischief, a class A misdemeanor.
Sandy police were called June 26 to a home near 8900 S. State where a woman using a cellphone she had hidden in her bathroom for "emergencies" called 911 and whispered, "He tried to kill me," according to charging documents.
When officers arrived, they discovered that Castellanos had beaten the woman, stabbed her with a fork, urinated on her, hit her with a belt and then attempted to put her inside an oven, according the charges. Castellanos also began heating water and filling a bin in the bathtub, threatening to boil the woman alive, and later attempted to pour toilet bowl cleaner down her throat, charges state.
Castellanos had apparently become enraged with the woman because she was taking too long responding to the Facebook messages he was sending her from work, police said. The woman was reportedly having computer trouble, and when it was resolved, the flurry of messages that came through included violent threats to beat and kill her.
Throughout the investigation, the woman reported to police that Castellanos had severely beaten her about a month earlier. The violence lasted for hours, the woman reported, during which Castellanos stabbed her in the thigh with a knife, bound her hands with a belt and her legs with a computer cord, and threw her in a bathtub of hot water, charging documents state.
As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend the minimum of three possible prison sentences, at least six years and up to life in prison. Castellanos faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years to life in prison.
Sentencing has been scheduled for Jan. 26.
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting the YWCA's Women in Jeopardy program at 801-537-8600, or the Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-897-LINK (5465).
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1−800−787−3224, www.thehotline.org
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition hotline: 1-800-897-LINK (5465), udvc.org
