Alvaro Castillo
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| “ | I'm sorry for the pain I'm going to cause. But I'm not right in the head. I just want to die. | „ |
| ~ Castillo in a video shortly after killing his father. |
Alvaro Castillo is an American man who attempted to perpetrate a school shooting at Orange High School in Hillsborough, North Carolina on August 30, 2006.
Castillo was obsessed with the Columbine High School massacre to the point to where he killed his father and injured 2 at Orange High School. He is currently serving life in prison with no chance of parole.
Early Life
Alvaro Castillo was obsessed with the 1999 Columbine School Massacre that he wanted to recreate the shooting at his former school. Alvaro made video tapes discussing the abuse his father did to him as a child and his obsession with Columbine. Alvaro bought the same guns that Eric Harris And Dylan Klebold used in their shootings prior to his shooting, dressed in similar fashion to them, convinced a family member to drive him to Littleton, Colorado and named his gun (Reb) similar to what Eric Harris named his gun.
Shooting
Alvaro killed his father, Rafael Castillo, in his room and drove off in their family minivan to Orange High School. When he arrived at the school, he set off cherry bombs and fired at students before his gun jammed and was apprehended by a school deputy sheriff and a retired highway patrol officer.
Sentencing
Castillo entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Psychologist James Hilkey testified that Castillo suffered from schizotypal and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, as well as major depressive disorder and was not in touch with reality at the time of the shooting. On August 21, 2009, Alvaro Castillo was found guilty in Orange County Superior Court following a trial that lasted three weeks. He was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.