After a 17-year-old boy was killed in a stabbing this month in Annandale, Virginia, a 14-year-old neighbor was arrested. This week, the victim’s brother learned the accused killer was released on bond and could be headed back to their neighborhood until trial.
A birthday party ended in a deadly knife fight on Jan. 13. Paulo Castañeda was the victim. The suspect was arrested, charged with murder and taken to jail until his first court appearance this week. He was released on bond and ordered to wear an ankle monitor.
The victim’s brother, Isidro, spoke only with Telemundo 44, News4’s partner. He said he’s terrified and furious.
“This person killed my brother days ago and he is already on the street like nothing happened. This is wrong,” he said in Spanish.
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The Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said prosecutors asked the judge to keep the suspect in jail until trial, but the judge released him with the ankle monitor on Tuesday.
Until trial, the suspect is back in the same neighborhood as the victim's brother. He said he was told “it was possible that I would encounter the suspect in my community that same afternoon. I got pretty upset, because nobody wants to see the suspect of the murder of their brother.”
Prosecutors said releasing the suspect with the ankle monitor is their best shot at getting a conviction in this case because of Virginia law. They explained that in order to keep any juvenile suspect in jail, they have to go to trial within 21 days. Prosecutors said that’s not enough time to get an autopsy report back, and Fairfax County Police say they’re still investigating for other evidence.
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In a statement to News4, a spokeswoman for the commonwealth's attorney’s office said: “By Virginia law, juveniles who are detained must have a trial within 21 days. In this case, the autopsy and other evidence necessary to go to trial will not be available within that time frame; therefore, prosecutors concurred that monitored release was the appropriate course of action. Due to the fact that the defendant in this case is a juvenile, we cannot comment further at this time."
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The brother said, “If something happens, it is not going to be my fault. It is going to be their fault.”
