Defendant Sentenced for Shooting Murder, Attempted Murder on Truxel Road

DATE: March 14, 2022

CASE: Adrian Castillo (Case #19FE020524)

PROSECUTOR: Deputy District Attorney Matt Chisholm, Homicide Unit

The Honorable Delbert Oros sentenced Adrian Castillo to life in prison without the possibility of parole.  On November 19, 2021, a jury convicted Castillo of the first-degree murder of Kenyatta Dawson and attempted murder.  The jury also found true the special circumstance that the murder was committed during a drive-by-shooting and a personal use of a firearm allegation on both counts.

On November 8, 2019, Castillo and his juvenile friend arranged to sell a ghost Glock to a gun buyer.  The parties met in the Natomas Marketplace parking lot and exchanged the gun for an envelope.  When Castillo realized the buyer had shorted him, he directed his juvenile driver to follow the buyer’s car.  There were two other males and two females who were also in the buyer’s car, with Mr. Dawson driving.  No one else in the car had any interest in the gun purchase.  When Castillo’s car caught up to the buyer’s car on Truxel Road, Castillo opened fire with a .45 caliber Glock.  This gun had been illegally altered to be fully automatic and Castillo fired 10 rounds in a matter of seconds. Mr. Dawson was killed instantly and the victims’ car sped out of control until it hit another vehicle.  With the victims’ car disabled and all five occupants still inside, Castillo’s car approached again and he fired six more rounds into the victims’ car using a second gun.  The gun buyer was shot through the jaw, breaking both jaw bones, and shot through both legs.  The victims’ car contained the gun bought from Castillo, but no ammunition.  There was no evidence that anyone from the victims’ car returned fire. Castillo fled the scene, but was captured by Sacramento police detectives less than four days later.  Investigators recovered both guns used in the shooting and both guns were legally purchased and registered to Castillo.

© Copyright Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office | All Rights Reserved