AURORA, Colo. — A man convicted of killing four people in Aurora nearly two years ago was sentenced Tuesday afternoon in Arapahoe County.
In May, jurors convicted Joseph Castorena on four counts of first-degree murder – one for each of the four victims and one count of attempted murder. For each count, the jury also found him guilty of sentence enhancers. He was acquitted of one count of attempted murder.
According to police, a family member of one of the victims said Castorena broke into their home in the 900 block of Geneva Street in Aurora on Oct. 30, 2002. He then waited inside with a gun until they returned home from a party, the family member said.
The victims were identified as:
- Jesus Serrano, 51
- Maria Anita Serrano, 22
- Kenneth Eugene Green Luque, 20
- Rudolfo Salgado Perez, 49
Three of them are relatives of Castorena's ex. The other victim rented a recreational vehicle on the property and was killed when he came out in the midst of the shooting.
After spending weeks on the run, Castorena was arrested on Dec. 10, 2022, in the Mexican state of Aguascalientes, with assistance from the FBI, local police, Mexican immigration and the Mexican government.
The judge sentenced Castorena to four life sentences to be served consecutively, plus an additional 24 years on the attempted murder charge.
He also faces charges related to a crime that occurred in the weeks before the killings that involved two of the victims.
In addition to facing charges in that case and the murder case, Castorena also faces charges for threatening his ex about a week prior to the shooting.