Jurors heard emotional testimony from Dellia Castile’s daughter in court on Tuesday. Castile is the South Bend grandmother who faces 3 counts of neglect. She’s accused of not reporting abuse which led to her 10-year-old grandson’s death inside their home on West Washington St. last November.
Her son, Terry Sturgis, is serving life in prison for murdering his son Tramelle Sturgis. Castile broke down crying during day 4 of testimony in her child neglect trial.
In court on Tuesday, Castile was taken back to the day her grandson died. It was the first time she has broken down in court. She broke down a number of times, crying and shaking as the defense showed the jury Castile’s videotaped interview with investigators the day Tramelle was found beaten to death.
Castile lived in the South Bend home with her son and grandkids. She lived upstairs, while her son Terry Sturgis lived in the basement with his kids.
At the time of his arrest, Sturgis’ two sons told police that had they suffered repeated beatings and torture at the hands of their father for years. The unnamed boys said their father hit them with a wooden club wrapped in duct tape and a broken table leg the night Tramelle died. Sturgis’ 15-year-old son told police his father had burned all of the boys on their legs and stomachs with an iron and used a lighter to heat a screwdriver with which he burned the two older boys’ torsos and genitals.
Then, investigators asked, “Did you see marks on the kids, particularly Tramelle? And she was asked, “Do you want to tell us (police/investigators) what happened inside the home?”
Castile answered, “I don’t have a clue what happened in the basement.” In that interview, Castile said, “I’m not covering for my son,” and she told police if her son was abusing one of the kids, she would tell them.
Castile’s daughter lived at the home on and off while the children were being abused. When she took the stand, investigators asked her, “Did you and your mom (Castile) ever talk about how Terry (Sturgis) disciplined the kids?”
She answered, “The kids never came up (in conversation). Mommy only tended to the kids she had custody of.” Castile’s daughter broke down crying and left the courtroom crying with her head down.
Closing arguments are expected on Wednesday.
via BMS
