KATY, TEXAS (Covering Katy News) — A Katy murder suspect set free because of a big mistake by U.S. immigration officials 26 years ago, has been apprehended and is now back at the Harris County Jail.
Guillermo Alejandro Castillo, 50, was extradited from Colombia in connection with the 1998 murder of Joel Gerhart in the Katy area. Castillo made his first court appearance Thursday night.
"He was stomped and covered in blood," the prosecutor told the court. "He stated, 'I met this (expletive), and he tried to fondle me. I ain't going to let this happen, so I beat the (expletive) out of this (expletive) like I would anybody else,'" she said.
Gerhart, who identified as gay, was discovered beaten to death inside a home on Poppy Trails near FM 529 and Barker Cypress Road in August 1998.
Castillo was caught driving Gerhart’s car. He and his co-defendant, Yordin Bolanos, were charged with capital murder. Bolanos received a life sentence, but Castillo evaded justice for over twenty years.
The former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) acknowledged its mistake in deporting Castillo.
"I feel like we've been victimized again by the system," Gerhart's mother, Lyndia Gerhart, told KTRK Channel 13 in 1999.
According to ABC13, Castillo claimed to be a legal alien but not a U.S. citizen on the paperwork he completed at the Harris County jail. Federal officers at the jail did not question him, allowing him to post bond. He subsequently skipped bail and did not return to court.
Castillo cut off his ankle monitor and attempted to cross the border at Los Fresnos, where he was held for questioning. Six months later, Castillo was mistakenly deported by an immigration judge, and the government failed to intervene. He was sent back to Colombia.
In December 2022, Castillo was arrested in Bogota after seeking a visa at the U.S. Embassy.
To facilitate his return to the U.S., the charge against him was reduced from capital murder to murder, due to concerns over the death penalty.
On Thursday, Castillo was flown back to Houston. His bond has been set at $350,000, though the reasons for not denying bond are unclear.
If convicted, Castillo, who has a 15-year-old child, faces a potential life sentence.