Man pleads guilty to second-degree murder in teacher’s death

By Dave Toplikar

Friday, March 9, 2012 | 1:30 p.m.

In a court hearing that was sometimes tearful for him, Marcos Coronel Castrejon today agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder in the Oct. 20, 2010, death of Timothy VanDerbosch, a Las Vegas high school teacher.

Castrejon, 21, is one of six young people who were indicted for the death of the 50-year-old physics and chemistry teacher, who was allegedly confronted and robbed by the group while walking to El Dorado High School.

Authorities said as Castrejon and the others — two young women and three young men — were robbing the teacher, they beat him into unconsciousness and he fell into the street, where he was run over by a truck and killed.

At this morning’s hearing before District Court Judge Jennifer Togliatti, Castrejon also pleaded guilty to five felony counts of robbery and five felony counts of conspiracy to commit robbery that included VanDerbosch’s robbery and four other robberies the group allegedly committed that same day.

Sentencing has been set for 9 a.m. April 27. Castrejon remains in the Clark County Detention Center without bail.

The deal would mean Castrejon would probably serve at least 10 years in prison on the second-degree murder charge before being eligible for parole. The judge would decide whether to run the sentences for the other charges consecutively or concurrently.

Castrejon told the judge he had been through the ninth grade but suffered from ADHD and could not read or write very well. The judge took about 40 minutes to go over each of the charges with Castrejon, making sure he understood the seven-page guilty plea agreement he was making with prosecutors to avoid going to trial for first-degree murder.

The judge also allowed Castrejon to meet privately in the courtroom’s jury box with his father and with his attorney, Bret O. Whipple, to discuss the plea deal. Castrejon was allowed to ask some questions of Chief Deputy District Attorney Robert Daskas about the agreement.

Togliatti told Castrejon that, under the plea agreement, the district attorney’s office would recommend a sentence of from 10 to 25 years for the second-degree murder charge.

She also told Castrejon that each of the five conspiracy to commit robbery charges could carry sentences ranging from one to six years. And she said that each of the five robbery charges could carry sentences of from two to 15 years. Any or all of the sentences could run consecutively or concurrently, depending on what the sentencing judge decides, she said.

Togliatti told Castrejon, and Daskas confirmed, that another co-defendant, Daniel Carrillo, was seen by prosecutors as more culpable in the teacher’s death but had taken a similar plea agreement. They told Castrejon his total sentence would probably be no greater than Carrillo’s.

Carrillo was sentenced on Oct. 7 , 2011, to a minimum of 19 years in prison after pleading guilty in July 2011 to several felonies, including second-degree murder.

Castrejon is the fourth of the six defendants to make deals or tentative deals with prosecutors.

Another defendant, Bridget Lugo, pleaded guilty to five felony counts of conspiracy to commit robbery in exchange for the 19 other felony charges, including murder with a deadly weapon, being dismissed. Her sentencing has been set for May 5.

Marisol Diaz, 16, received house arrest in a tentative deal her attorneys worked out in September that requires her to testify against her remaining co-defendants. A hearing has been set for 9 a.m. May 9 to check on the status of those negotiations or to reset a date for her trial.

Death penalty trials are scheduled for two of the group.

Saul Farvela, 20, had been scheduled to go to trial this week, but attorneys asked the judge to delay the trial while Farvela considers a plea agreement. A hearing has been set for 9 a.m. March 29 to check on the status of those negotiations or to set another date for Farvela’s trial.

David Rosas, 21, who also faces the death penalty, has a hearing scheduled at 9 a.m. May 17 for a status case on his case. Rosas’ trial has tentatively been set for 10:30 a.m. Sept. 10.