Police capture fugitive James Castro

Suspect was wanted in connection to April altercation resulting in man's death.

Moses Lake Police officers captured James R. Castro Wednesday afternoon, according to a MLPD press release.

Castro, 25, was wanted in connection to an April 4 altercation at a Moses Lake restaurant, which resulted in the death of 26-year-old Leroy Guillen from Moses Lake.

After more than a month on the run, Castro was apprehended thanks to a citizen's tip, the release said, that alerted the police of his whereabouts. First, officers attempted to take Castro into custody at a girlfriend's house, and after a brief pursuit on foot, Castro was arrested at his parents' house, about a block away.

Castro faces charges of second-degree manslaughter, obstructing, false information, and two unrelated warrants from the Department of Corrections and Grant County, the latter for failing to appear in court on past assault charges. He was taken to Grant County Jail.

Charges are pending against his girlfriend for harboring a fugitive. According to MLPD officials, the girlfriend phoned in the Multiagency Communications Center, the entity that handles emergency calls through the area, with a fake call regarding a stabbing, in order to distract the police and allow Castro to escape.

The pursuit of Castro stemmed from an altercation in early April with Guillen, during which Guillen suffered a head injury and temporarily lost consciousness. Castro was questioned at the scene and released, while Guillen was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Guillen's condition worsened and he was transported to Spokane, where he died about a week later. Ever since then and until Wednesday, attempts to locate Castro had been unsuccessful.

MLPD Detective Annalisa Dobson said that Guillen's family had been immediately notified of Castro's capture. "They were very happy," Dobson said.