Accused Murderer, DV Assailant Captured in Mexico, Returned to Riverside

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – Two alleged domestic violence perpetrators — one of whom is accused of murdering his girlfriend — were apprehended in Mexico and returned to the United States on the same day, with court hearings set for later this month.

Lorenzo Castellanos, 72, was apprehended in recent weeks by U.S. Marshals and the Mexican Fugitive Task Force, as was 56-year-old Jose Luis Barron, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

Both Mexican nationals were extradited and turned over to county sheriff’s deputies on Feb. 8.

Castellanos is charged with murder and child endangerment. He’s being held on $1 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning and is slated to be arraigned at the Riverside Hall of Justice on Feb. 24.

Barron is charged with attempted murder, aggravated mayhem, assault, domestic violence and sentence-enhancing weapon and great bodily injury allegations. He’s being held on $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta and is set to appear for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 27 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

According to the D.A.’s office, Castellanos allegedly attacked and killed his live-in girlfriend and mother of his child, Maria Robles, on Jan. 1, 2001, in Jurupa Valley.

Prosecutors allege that he inflicted numerous stab wounds during the domestic assault, the reasons for which were unknown.

On Sept. 9, 2014, Barron allegedly attacked a woman with whom he was involved in Riverside. According to a D.A.’s office statement, the defendant allegedly used a machete on the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, inflicting "substantial injuries."

Like Castellanos, Barron fled south of the border immediately after the near-deadly assault, according to prosecutors.

He’s slated to appear for a preliminary hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice on Feb. 27.

The D.A.’s Bureau of Investigation coordinated with the U.S. Marshals and other agencies to track down the men over the years.

Castellanos has a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction from 1999, according to court records. Barron has prior misdemeanor convictions for assault and battery during an act of domestic abuse, records show.

Copyright 2023, City News Service, Inc.