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FARMINGTON — A Layton man accused of stabbing his estranged wife to death in front of their son pleaded guilty Tuesday to murder.
Joe Castillo, 47, went to the home he once shared with his estranged wife, 36-year-old KayLynn Spackman, in June 2014, confronted her in the garage and attacked her with a knife, police say.
The couple's 17-year-old son attempted to stop his father, court documents state, until a neighbor came to see what was happening and Castillo fled. He was arrested after a two-day search.
In plea documents, Castillo claimed he went to Spackman's home intending to kill himself with a knife in a trailer home parked at the house.
"I was discovered in the trailer and went into the garage with my son and his friend, and KayLynn appeared," Castillo said in the plea. "We argued heatedly, and I lost control and repeatedly stabbed my wife, causing her death."
Spackman had been granted a protective order against Castillo months before the attack, according to court records.
As part of the plea deal, prosecutors and defense attorneys together said that in light of Castillo's "exemplary conduct in the Davis County Jail during a lengthy incarceration awaiting resolution in this case," they are recommending credit for time served since his June 2014 arrest, as well as credit for good behavior.
Prosecutors also agreed to send no negative recommendations to the Board of Pardons about Castillo or any possible parole dates for him, court records state.
In exchange for admitting to the first-degree felony murder charge, additional charges were dismissed, including domestic violence in the presence of a child and child abuse, third-degree felonies, and violation of a protection order, a class A misdemeanor.
An additional charge filed in October for violation of a pretrial order, a third-degree felony, was also dismissed in the agreement.
According to the charges in that case, Castillo mailed a letter on May 6 from the Davis County Jail to one of the victims in the case. Court documents do not specify who the letter was sent to.
Following his arrest, a protective order was put in place prohibiting Castillo from contacting his and Spackman's three children, prosecutors confirmed.
Castillo was found competent to face the murder charge in February 2016 and was scheduled to face a jury trial later this month.
Sentencing for Castillo is set for March 21.
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).
