9-Year-Old's Secret Recording Leads To Father's Imprisonment For Domestic Abuse In US

A California man received the maximum sentence of 4 years in prison for brutally beating his wife. The evidence? A harrowing 6-minute video of his own 9-year-old child was bravely recorded. Miguel Lazaro-Castillo pleaded no contest to domestic violence, false imprisonment, and child abuse in October, leading to his sentencing last Friday by Yuba County Judge Julia Scrogin.

According to a Facebook post by the Yuba County District Attorney's Office, officials received a 911 call from one of Lazaro-Castillo's minor children shortly before 2 am on October 9, 2023. When deputies arrived six minutes later, they located Lazaro-Castillo's wife lying face-down on the floor, surrounded by bloody napkins. Lazaro-Castillo was sitting on top of her, and their three minor children, ages 15, 14, and 9, were also present. Lazaro-Castillo initially denied striking his wife and claimed he had no idea where all the blood had come from.

Later, the deputies discovered that the youngest of the children had videotaped the beating. The video lasted over six minutes and showed Lazaro-Castillo repeatedly hitting his wife in the head and face. One of the children tried to protect her mother, shielding her with her hands. Lazaro-Castillo slapped the child on the leg and continued assaulting his wife. Lazaro-Castillo turned his wife onto her stomach and forced her face down into the carpet for an extended period of time.

Lazaro-Castillo, his wife, and one of the minor children were intoxicated. Yuba County Sheriff's Deputy Bonifacio Paredes placed the children into protective custody and arrested Lazaro-Castillo. Despite Lazaro-Castillo not having a prior criminal record, he received the maximum sentence for felony domestic violence based on the brutality of his actions and his utter disregard for his children.