EP. 197: COLORADO - The Mass Shooter Who Fled To Mexico

In today's episode, we examine a disturbing crime that rocked the community of Aurora, Colorado in 2022. On the fateful day of the killings, three members of a local family, and another man were executed in cold blood inside of their home. But what happened both before, and after the shooting itself, was what made this story that much more disturbing. - Listen to our new show, "THE CONSPIRACY FILES"!: -Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5IY9nWD2MYDzlSYP48nRPl -Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/id1752719844 -Amazon/Audible - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ab1ade99-740c-46ae-8028-b2cf41eabf58/the-conspiracy-files -Pandora - https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/PC:1001089101 -iHeart - https://iheart.com/podcast/186907423/ -PocketCast - https://pca.st/dpdyrcca -CastBox - https://castbox.fm/channel/id6193084?country=us - Stay Connected: Join the Murder in America fam in our free Facebook Community for a behind-the-scenes look, more insights and current events in the true crime world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4365229996855701 If you want even more Murder in America bonus content, including ad-free episodes, come join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica Instagram: http://instagram.com/murderinamerica/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Murder-in-America-Podcast/100086268848682/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderInAmerica TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theparanormalfiles and https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneybrowen Feeling spooky? Follow Colin as he travels state to state (and even country to country!) investigating claims of extreme paranormal activity and visiting famous haunted locations on The Paranormal Files Official Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheParanormalFilesOfficialChannel - (c) BLOOD IN THE SINK PRODUCTIONS 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Speaker 00

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• 1:17Colin Brown?

  Warning: The following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects.

• 1:29Courtney Brown?

  Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children.

• 1:36Colin Brown?

  This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned.

• 1:40Courtney Brown?

  Finding a life partner can be really hard. And at times, it can be scary. Because in the beginning, when you first meet someone, they are always on their best behavior. They're showing you the best parts of themselves. They're treating you well, making you feel special, and proving that they are worthy of your time. And typically, that version of them is who you fall for. But deep down within every human are flaws. Personality traits that we aren't proud of. And usually, after being with someone for a while, you begin to see those traits creeping in. At the end of the day, you can't hide them forever. But even after witnessing these red flags,

• 2:22Courtney Brown?

  you keep going back to those good qualities you saw in the beginning. You think to yourself that surely... That good person is still somewhere within them. However, sometimes that's not the case. There are people out there where, once they find a partner, something changes within them. They become possessive, manipulative, controlling, abusive. And after a while, that good person you once knew in the beginning is no longer there. The dangerous part about dating someone like this is that sometimes, even when you try to leave, they don't always take no for an answer. And they are willing to do just about anything to keep that control over you. Today's story is about just that.

• 3:06Courtney Brown?

  A man named Joseph Castorina, who abused and terrorized his girlfriend Jessica for years. After realizing that he was dangerous, Jessica took all the right steps to protect herself from him. But in the end, he would hurt her in the most horrific way you can imagine. So this is the story of the Serrano Family Massacre. I'm Courtney Brown.

• 3:29Colin Brown?

  And I'm Colin Brown.

• 3:31Courtney Brown?

  And you're listening to Murder in America.

• 4:38Colin Brown?

  Our story starts in the town of Aurora, Colorado. Located outside of Denver, Colorado, nestled in the Rocky Mountains, Aurora is breathtaking. Courtney and I actually just visited there last month on our anniversary trip. And we can see why people choose to live there. When you drive through Aurora, there are parts that have a very small-town feel, even though there's a population of over 380,000 people. It's a very family-friendly community with a lot of outdoor activities. And being the third-largest city in Colorado, Aurora is known for its diversity. Its population has a mix of Native Americans, Asians, African-Americans, Hispanics. So, there's a lot of culture here. According to Visit Aurora, there are over 90 languages spoken in the Aurora school

• 5:23Colin Brown?

  system. Dubbed "the City of Sunshine," the area is lucky to have over 300 days of sunshine each year, making it one of Colorado's most sought-out locations for outdoor enthusiasts and tourists. But as you may know, the town has had its fair share of tragedies, including the Aurora theater shooting that took place on July 20, 2012. 24-year-old James Egan Holmes opened fire inside a 1960 movie theater and brutally murdered 13 people, including an unborn infant, while wounding 70 more.

• 5:56Courtney Brown?

  We actually stopped by and drove around back to see where the gunman entered into the theater, and as you can imagine, it was incredibly eerie. Pictures of the scene showed blood covering the concrete outside and where the gunman had parked his vehicle. But now, over a decade later, it just looks like your average theater. Now, we will definitely be covering that story on the podcast one day, but this tragedy really rocked the community of Aurora, as with any community that's been affected by gun violence. But a few years back in 2022, another violent tragedy would take place in Aurora, Colorado. The city that has always prided itself on sunshine and warmth was once again reminded

• 6:40Courtney Brown?

  that darkness always has a way of creeping back in.

• 6:45Colin Brown?

  Now, I know we usually give a lot of background information on the people in our stories, but sadly, there isn't a lot out there on the people in this case. What we do know is that Joseph Castorena and Jessica Serrano had a long, twisted history together, one filled with love, pain, and betrayal, and they were young. In 2022, Joseph was just 22 years old, so he and Jessica were just kids when they started dating. And of course, like any new relationship, especially as a teenager, the two quickly fell in love. And in the beginning, things seemed to be going well for the couple. They were happy. Eventually, he and Jessica found out that they were pregnant with a little girl, and soon after that, they had another daughter. From the outside looking in, they appeared to be a beautiful, loving family.

• 7:31Colin Brown?

  But looks can be deceiving, because beneath the surface, their relationship was volatile. Joseph had a bad temper. He would physically and emotionally abuse Jessica whenever he got upset. And sadly, he was even beating her while she was pregnant. For women in abusive relationships, pregnancy can be a very dangerous experience. In fact, the leading cause of death for pregnant women is homicide, which is horrifying. One would think that because they're growing a baby, the abuse would stop, but that's not always the case. In some situations, physical abuse can actually get worse for a number of reasons, like how the mother's attention has shifted to their baby instead of their husband.

• 8:13Colin Brown?

  And sadly for Jessica, she experienced this firsthand.

• 8:18Courtney Brown?

  Now Jessica would put her foot down when things got really bad. She had actually left him on a number of times over the course of their relationship. But sadly, every time, Joseph would come running back to her, begging for another chance. He would give her all of these empty promises, telling her all of the ways he was going to change going forward. And being the good person she is, Jessica would give him the chance to prove himself. After all, he was the father of her children. She wanted her daughters to grow up with their dad, so she would take him back. But without fail, after a brief period of him being on his best behavior, Joseph Castorina always reverted back to his old ways.

• 9:01Courtney Brown?

  Joseph and Jessica had been on this vicious and never-ending cycle for years. Their relationship was plagued with domestic violence, frequent breakups, and an unhealthy obsession. Every time Jessica got back together with him, it was only a matter of time until he started being controlling, jealous, and violent. But one of the worst times of their relationship occurred in August of 2020, when Jessica and Joseph's daughter was rushed to the children's hospital in Colorado. She was only three months old at the time, and she was severely injured. When the doctors looked at her little body, they saw that she had a broken arm and multiple skull fractures. As it turns out,

• 9:45Courtney Brown?

  Joseph's abuse wasn't just towards Jessica, but his children as well. Now, following this, he was arrested and charged with felony child abuse. And this is also the year that Jessica decided to leave Joseph, once and for all. It had taken her years to finally come to this realization, but she knew she couldn't live the rest of her life being afraid. She had already lost so much because of this man, so she made the brave decision to leave. And Jessica was moving on with her life. That year, she got on Facebook and saw that she had a message from someone. She didn't know the guy, but from what she could tell by his profile picture, he was attractive. And based on his message, he wanted to get to know her better.

• 10:30Courtney Brown?

  So from there, the two began messaging back and forth. I'm sure it was refreshing to talk to someone new, to get to know this guy. Eventually, he even asked her out on a date, to which Jessica said yes. But as soon as she did, she learned that this guy she was messaging wasn't even real. It was Joseph. He had made an entire fake Facebook account, using someone else's name and pictures. He then started messaging Jessica, pretending to be this guy. And when Jessica agreed to go on the date, Joseph revealed that he was the person she had been talking to the entire time. Following that, he flew into a rage.

• 11:12Courtney Brown?

  It was very clear to Jessica and her entire family that Joseph was extremely unstable. It seemed that after their breakup, his obsession with her got even stronger. And soon enough, his behavior would escalate.

• 11:25Colin Brown?

  On the afternoon of October 23rd, 2022, Jessica was leaving her work when she suddenly saw Joseph in the parking lot, and the look on his face was terrifying. He quickly approached her, demanding they talk over lunch, but Jessica refused. She tried to walk away to get into her car, but before she knew it, he grabbed her by the arm and forced her into his Hummer. And that's when she saw the gun. Once in his car, Joseph pulled out his small black handgun and pressed it up against her. He then told her that he was going to kill her if she didn't do what he said. But at that moment, Jessica knew that she needed to get out of there. She knew what he was capable of, so she attempted to flee the vehicle. She would later say that when she opened the car door, he grabbed her by the shirt,

• 12:09Colin Brown?

  trying to keep her inside, but she fought back. Jessica ended up falling backwards out of his car, and from there, she took off running.

• 12:18Courtney Brown?

  Luckily, her car was in the parking lot, so she quickly ran towards it. But as she did, Joseph was right on her tail. Fortunately, Jessica was able to get into the driver's seat and lock the door. But as she put her car in reverse, Joseph was standing there at her driver's side door, and horrifically, he was holding a tire iron. Jessica tried her best to get away, but before she knew it, Joseph smashed in her window with that tire iron. There was glass everywhere, and she even got a few minor cuts. But from there, Joseph was able to get a hold of her. Later that day, Jessica's father, Jesus Serrano, was at his house when he started to get a horrible feeling.

• 13:02Courtney Brown?

  Jessica usually came home from work by now, and she still wasn't back. It wouldn't be until the following afternoon on October 24th, when Jessica finally came back home shaken up and covered in cuts. Apparently, Joseph had held Jessica against her will for an entire day before she was able to escape. And while he was holding her hostage at his house, Joseph's family was apparently witnessing the entire thing without stepping in to help.

• 13:33Courtney Brown?

  Now, as you can imagine, when Jessica's family heard this story, they were horrified. They knew that Joseph was a dangerous man. In fact, they had even heard him threaten Jessica in the past. So that afternoon, when she finally came back home, they decided it was time to file a police report.

• 13:52Colin Brown?

  Together, Jessica, her father, Jesus, and her twin sister Maria drove to the Arapahoe County Police Department and filled out a criminal complaint and protective order. And sadly, this wasn't the first time they had done this. Her family had filed separate protective orders against Joseph in the past, specifically for his violent behavior and threats. But on this one, Jessica wrote on the report, "I was planning on going home and he didn't let me. While being pregnant with my first child, he would hit me. Really controlling, harassing all the time. I had to listen to him or he'll hit. Wouldn't let me see my family." Her father, Jesus, was also a part of this report. And in regards to this recent incident, he wrote, "The next day, she showed up around 3:00 PM. She was covered in glass and had cuts all over her arms.

• 14:37Colin Brown?

  Joseph had broken her driver's side window while she was on the driver's side. He was upset because he didn't want her to leave. Joseph also had a gun on him. He used it to scare her."

• 14:48Courtney Brown?

  Jessica's twin sister Maria said, quote, "She told me that Joseph was waiting for her outside of work, and he told her that she was going to spend the night at his house. Once she refused, he took out his gun and put it against her, and he broke her car window. He took out a gun on my sister and put it against her waist on the right side. He told her to stay at his house with him. His whole parents and sisters watched and didn't do anything. Joseph and my sister have had many incidents that have happened within the past 10 years. My family and I have been going through all of this for three years straight, and we're getting tired of it. He ends up getting arrested, and he's out on bail the very next day. I just don't want him nowhere near my daughters."

• 15:34Colin Brown?

  But Jessica wasn't the only person who was afraid of Joseph. Her father, Jesus, filed his own order of protection against him. As it turns out, Joseph had threatened him as well, especially when it came to Jessica and Joseph's daughters. In Jesus's report, he wrote, "He harassed me at my own home. He told me that he was going to kill me if we weren't going to give him his kids." Now, following this, both Jessica and Jesus were granted temporary orders of protection, and a permanent order of protection was scheduled for a hearing on November 4th, 2022. Her twin sister Maria also requested a protective order against him, but there were no records that indicated it had been granted. According to KDVR, the judge denied it citing "no imminent danger",

• 16:18Colin Brown?

  but as we've seen time and time again, these protective orders are simply a piece of paper. And when it comes to monsters like Joseph Castorena, it isn't going to stop them. In the past, these orders meant nothing to him. He had a long criminal record for violating court orders and failure to appear in court, so clearly, he didn't care about this protective order. And despite these charges against him, Joseph was able to evade punishment and continued to harass and threaten his ex-girlfriend and her family. It was also reported that even when Joseph would get arrested for these crimes, his family was always there to support him and immediately bail him out of jail. But for the meantime, Jessica and her family were relieved that the courts were on their side.

• 16:59Colin Brown?

  Their protective orders also made it to where Joseph wasn't allowed to possess a firearm, which was also a relief considering he would use it to threaten her. But as you can imagine, things were extremely complicated, especially because they had two children together. And Jessica's family said that Joseph always used the kids as a way to control and manipulate Jessica. Now, on October 29th, 2022, after all the protective orders had been issued, CPS actually removed both of their daughters from their custody, citing concerns about the volatile environment and the unstable dynamic between their parents. And Joseph was still awaiting trial for that felony child abuse case from two years back. So, from here, the girls actually went to live with family members in Texas.

• 17:42Colin Brown?

  Now, considering how abusive their father was, this was definitely for the best, but it also seemed to be the breaking point for Joseph. First, he lost Jessica. Then he was issued these protective orders, and now he's lost his daughters. He had lost control over everything in his life, and he certainly wasn't happy about it.

• 18:03Courtney Brown?

  The day after his daughters were sent to Texas was October 30th, 2022, the day before Halloween. And as the sun set on the quiet suburban town of Aurora, Colorado, no one had any idea that they were on the brink of an unimaginable tragedy. While most of the town was out celebrating, having fun in their Halloween costumes, Joseph Castorina was writhing with anger. For months, the feelings he had about their breakup had festered into something dark and sinister. After the protective order and these new charges against him, he knew he had lost full control over Jessica and their children. He couldn't bear the thought of losing them.

• 18:46Courtney Brown?

  And instead, he hatched a plan to get back at Jessica, once and for all. He was prepared to do whatever it took to regain possession of what he believed was rightfully his. So in the early morning hours of October 30th, he grabbed his gun, the one that he wasn't supposed to have due to his protective order. And from there, he left his house and headed to 942 Geneva Street, the location where Jessica and her family lived. When Joseph finally arrived, videos showed him creeping around the outside of the house, observing his surroundings. And somehow, he was able to get inside.

• 19:28Courtney Brown?

  But as he entered the residence, he quickly saw that no one was home. So instead, he found a hiding spot, and he waited. Eventually, at around 2:00 a.m., Jessica, her father Jesus, her twin sister Maria, and Maria's husband Kenneth finally pulled in the driveway. The family had just come home from a party where they spent the night laughing and enjoying each other's company after a stressful week. As they walked into the home, no one suspected a thing. The Serrano family was settling in for the night, completely unaware that someone was watching and lurking in the shadows of their home. As they tucked themselves in, they thought they were safe and sound.

• 20:11Courtney Brown?

  Jessica even went to her bedroom, ready to jump into bed and go to sleep. But that's when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. In her closet, there was a jacket, some jeans, and car keys that were just laying there. And she knew exactly who they belonged to: her ex-boyfriend, Joseph Castorena. Now Jessica knew that those items had not been there before she left that night, which led her to a terrifying conclusion: that Joseph had been in their home. And even worse, that he might still be there hiding. So immediately Jessica grabbed her phone and dialed 911.

• 20:51Speaker 05

  What is your first and last name? Jessica Castorena.

• 20:57Speaker 05

  Tell me exactly what happened, Jessica. Um, my ex-boyfriend had some shoe water. And he's not supposed to be here around me at this house. And I just found his, um, jacket here, his jeans, and his keys here. Okay. In my closet, hiding.

• 21:20Speaker 05

  Okay. And I believe he's in the house hiding somewhere. Okay. So I believe his helmet keys been laying in my house. Okay. Give me one second. Mm-hmm. Okay. Is there anybody that saw him in the house at all? That what? Sorry. Jessica, did anybody see him inside the house? No, but his stuff is here. Okay, got it. Did you like look around? Did you see him at all or anything? No. Okay.

• 21:56Speaker 05

  Okay.

• 21:58Speaker 05

  Give me one second, okay? Um, I believe he's hiding somewhere.

• 22:04Speaker 05

  Okay.

• 22:09Speaker 05

  How many people are in the house with you right now that you know of?

• 22:14Speaker 05

  Four. Okay. Do you have cameras around your house? Yes, we do. Okay, did you see anything on the cameras? I don't, not at the moment, I'm driving, because my sister-in-law has a camera, but I sent her a check, and she wouldn't do that now. Alright, has anyone there experienced any food symptoms with an asbestos of quarantine? No, ma'am.

• 22:37Courtney Brown?

  Immediately, police officers are dispatched to the scene. And while she waits for them, Jessica stays on the phone with 911. But horrifically, as her father, sister, and brother-in-law are downstairs, Joseph Castorina comes out of his hiding spot, holding a gun. It's believed that the first person he shot was 20-year-old Kenneth Eugene Green Luque. Joseph encountered him at the foot of the basement stairs, and quickly fired off several shots. Directly behind him, Jessica's twin sister Maria watched as her husband dropped to the ground. Seeing this, she let out a terrified scream, and then Joseph turned the gun on her, shooting Maria two times.

• 23:22Courtney Brown?

  Upstairs, 51-year-old Jesus Serrano heard the gunfire down in the basement. But before he could even react, Joseph Castorina was standing in front of him. Sadly, Jesus would be shot twice in the hallway of his home. But Joseph's reign of terror wasn't over just yet. Lastly, there was the Serrano's family friend, 49-year-old Rodolfo Salgado Perez. He had actually been renting out an RV on their property, and when he heard the gunshots, he ran over to see what was going on. And like the others, when Joseph saw him, he was quickly shot and killed. Within seconds, four people had been gunned down within this home.

• 24:05Courtney Brown?

  And upstairs, Jessica Serrano heard everything. She heard the gunshots, followed by her family screaming, and she knew that she would be next. So instinctively, she ran into a nearby bathroom, locking herself inside. Now she had been on the phone with 911 during this whole thing, so you're about to hear her reaction to hearing her entire family get murdered. Trigger warning: It is very difficult to hear.

• 24:34Speaker 05

  Already, I do have that in here, okay? We're gonna go out and get them out there. If you do end up seeing him on camera, anything else, just give us a call back, but I have it in, okay?

• 24:48Speaker 05

  What's going on, Jessica?

• 24:49Speaker 06

  Oh my god! They shot the fire in my house!

• 24:54Speaker 05

  Okay, what's going on?

• 24:56Speaker 06

  I don't know, I can't look myself in the eyes, I'm shooting! Help now!

• 25:01Speaker 05

  Stay on the phone with me.

• 25:02Speaker 06

  Help now!

• 25:03Speaker 05

  Stay on the phone with me.

• 25:08Speaker 05

  Stay on the phone, okay? Don't hang up.

• 25:12Speaker 05

  Do you know who shot at the house?

• 25:14Speaker 06

  No, we don't have the downstairs!

• 25:17Speaker 05

  Okay.

• 25:21Speaker 05

  Okay.

• 25:24Speaker 05

  How many shots did you hear?

• 25:28Speaker 06

  Four.

• 25:30Speaker 05

  Was that another one?

• 25:31Speaker 06

  Oh my god!

• 25:35Speaker 05

  Okay, stay on the phone.

• 25:40Speaker 05

  Stay away from the doors and the windows, okay?

• 25:45Speaker 05

  Okay, where is everybody else?

• 25:48Speaker 06

  I don't know, I don't know!

• 25:51Speaker 05

  Jessica, take a deep breath, I have this in, okay? We're getting them out there, just stay on the phone with me.

• 26:05Speaker 05

  Who's that in the background? Is there anybody with you?

• 26:08Speaker 06

  I don't know! No one's with me right now!

• 26:12Speaker 05

  Do you know who's that yelling in the background?

• 26:14Speaker 06

  My dad's coming!

• 26:16Speaker 05

  Okay.

• 26:22Speaker 05

  Stay on the phone, okay?

• 26:28Speaker 05

  Which room are you in? Are you in the bedroom or the basement? The first room, okay. I need you to get down on the ground, okay? Clear your stomach for me.

• 26:40Courtney Brown?

  Officers were rushing to the scene, but the wait felt like an eternity. And after that initial bout of gunfire, the house went quiet. Joseph was looking for her. After all, she had been his intended target that night. So he went room to room, hunting her down. Eventually, he reached the bedroom upstairs. And that's when he noticed that the bathroom door was locked. He tried his best to get inside, even shooting at the door, but he was struggling.

• 27:10Speaker 05

  I need you, I need you to say it a little bit louder if you can.

• 27:18Speaker 05

  Ma'am, can you say your address a little bit louder?

• 27:41Speaker 05

  Hello?

• 27:50Speaker 05

  Ma'am?

• 27:56Speaker 05

  Ma'am, hello?

• 28:12Speaker 05

  Hello?

• 28:25Speaker 05

  Hello?

• 28:27Courtney Brown?

  Joseph continued kicking in the door. And while he was doing this, you can hear him tell Jessica, "You're next. Why did you do this to me? What do you want me to do? Come out and talk to me?" And the entire time, Jessica is screaming. She's pleading with him, "Please calm down. Stop this, please. No, Joseph, please, no." But he won't listen.

• 29:05Speaker 06

  Oh my God!

• 29:17Speaker 05

  I'm in a net.

• 29:20Speaker 06

  Joseph! Oh, Joseph! Oh, please! Joseph!

• 29:27Speaker 05

  Why did you do this to him?

• 29:28Speaker 06

  No! Joseph!

• 29:30Speaker 05

  I don't have no bullets.

• 29:32Speaker 06

  No! No! No, Joseph, please! No! No!

• 29:41Speaker 05

  What do you want me to do? What do you want me to do?

• 29:44Speaker 06

  No!

• 29:47Speaker 05

  My hands.

• 29:49Speaker 05

  What do you want me to do then?

• 29:50Speaker 06

  No!

• 29:51Speaker 05

  Then come out of the bucket. Come out of the bucket. Now!

• 29:56Speaker 06

  Oh, no! No, Joseph, no! No! No! Joseph, please! No! No! Joseph! Joseph!

• 30:09Speaker 05

  No, I don't want to do this to him.

• 30:10Speaker 06

  No! No, no! No! Ah! No! No! No, everybody! No!

• 30:23Courtney Brown?

  Eventually, Joseph is able to kick the door in. Once he did, Jessica saw him standing there, holding a gun, with a crazed look in his eye. Now fortunately, he had run out of bullets, but that didn't stop him from going after her. So it's here, where Jessica had to fight for her life. Somehow, during the struggle, she was able to push him into the bathtub. And once she did, she ran as fast as she possibly could. On her way out of the house, she saw the body of her father, Jesus. But Joseph was right on her tail. And over the next few minutes, he chased her around like a madman. First, Jessica ran into the backyard, where she saw the body of their family friend, Rodolfo.

• 31:09Courtney Brown?

  Then she ran back into the house. But Joseph was behind her the entire time. Finally, she made it out into the street where she saw headlights in the distance. Jessica began frantically waving her arms, trying to get the car to stop. But they ended up driving past. However, seeing this, Joseph was spooked. And instead of trying to kill Jessica, he decided to flee the scene. But clearly, Jessica was still in fight or flight. With adrenaline running through her body, she continued to run down Geneva Street. And that's when she encountered Sergeant Paul Davis at 2:16 a.m.

• 31:57Speaker 06

  He just shot my family!

• 31:58Speaker 07

  Okay, come back here.

• 32:01Speaker 07

  Alright, I'm in contact with the police. What's wrong?

• 32:06Speaker 06

  He shot my family!

• 32:08Speaker 07

  What do you mean, he shot your family? Stay right here.

• 32:13Speaker 07

  Alright, she's telling me he's just shot her family.

• 32:18Speaker 07

  Stay right there!

• 32:22Speaker 07

  Thank you. Where's he at?

• 32:24Speaker 06

  He's over there!

• 32:25Speaker 07

  Over where?

• 32:26Speaker 06

  Over there!

• 32:27Speaker 07

  Where?

• 32:28Speaker 06

  He's running! He's running!

• 32:31Speaker 07

  She's saying he's running northbound. I'm trying to get more information.

• 32:40Speaker 07

  Yeah, that car just comes southbound, right there.

• 32:44Speaker 07

  Check the street.

• 32:52Colin Brown?

  As you just heard, Jessica was screaming "Papa." She was coming to the realization that her family was dead. From here, Sergeant Paul Davis went through the home where he saw a horrific scene. The bodies of Jessica's family members were strewn all throughout the home. There was blood and bullet casings covering the ground. Sergeant Paul Davis discovered the deceased body of Rodolfo outside in the backyard. Apparently, Rodolfo had entered the residence during the chaos, but was met by Joseph and his gun. He was shot once, stumbled backwards into the yard, and collapsed on the ground. The deceased body of Jesus Serrano was located in the hallway near the kitchen. Both Maria and Kenneth would be found in the basement. Now, at this point, Sergeant Paul Davis is the only officer on scene,

• 33:37Colin Brown?

  and his first priority is clearing the home to make sure the gunman isn't still around. And as he's outside, Jessica makes her way down into the basement. And that's where she sees the bodies of her twin sister Maria and her husband Kenneth. Horrifically, Sergeant Paul Davis's body cam captures the moment she makes that discovery.

• 33:58Speaker 07

  I've got one down, gunshot wound in the kitchen.

• 34:21Speaker 07

  Get the female out of here. Get out of here. Ma'am, come on. You need to get out of here. Come on. Go out there. Go outside. Go outside. You stay outside. Come on.

• 34:36Speaker 06

  Papi!

• 34:40Speaker 06

  Papi!

• 34:44Speaker 07

  I'm trying to get her. What's he look like?

• 34:47Speaker 06

  Joseph Costas.

• 34:49Speaker 07

  What's he wearing?

• 34:50Speaker 06

  He's wearing a gray sweater. I don't know. I don't know. He wanted to kill me too, but he didn't have no more bullets.

• 35:00Speaker 07

  Okay, you gotta come back over here. I want you to sit right here.

• 35:03Speaker 06

  I don't know. My child, Maria, the girl, the girl!

• 35:10Speaker 07

  What girl?

• 35:14Speaker 06

  They're in the room, the room, I don't know, I don't know!

• 35:18Speaker 07

  Okay, stay here, I need you to stay here.

• 35:21Speaker 06

  The girls, the girls, the girls!

• 35:25Speaker 07

  I might have some girls inside.

• 35:28Speaker 06

  The girls!

• 35:31Speaker 07

  Why don't you stay here?

• 35:33Speaker 06

  I'm sorry, I just can't believe it, I can't believe it!

• 35:42Courtney Brown?

  As you just heard, Jessica came to the realization that her nieces were in the house. Maria and Kenneth's two young daughters, who were just one year old and three months old. Immediately, officers ran inside the house where luckily, they found the children unharmed. It was reported that the girls were traumatized, but everyone was happy to see that they were alive. With four people gunned down inside of the home, first responders had the difficult task figuring out how to remove the children without them having to see the carnage that had been left behind.

• 36:19Speaker 06

  There are two...

• 36:21Speaker 07

  How many do we have in there?

• 36:22Speaker 06

  Children inside that bed that are gonna come in. Yeah, where are they, good, fun time, fun time.

• 36:27Speaker 07

  Okay, so... Kids don't need anything.

• 36:30Speaker 06

  Kids don't need anything.

• 36:33Speaker 07

  I don't, I'm here, sorry.

• 36:37Speaker 07

  Mom of these two little ones? I think those are her sister's kids. Oh, there you go. Yeah, I think those are her sister's kids. Well, there's the sister, she's dead, so... Can we get those kids out? Yes. We need to work on getting those kids out, that lady. We're gonna get them out a different way than this. Danielle and Charlie will take care of those two kids. Okay, we need to do it. Okay.

• 37:04Speaker 08

  Where are we at for our search? Have we done a backyard?

• 37:07Speaker 07

  We have not done a backyard. No, because she came in after I came in here and I had to get her out of here. So I did not do a backyard search.

• 37:17Speaker 07

  How many do, how many fire could be?

• 37:25Speaker 07

  Is there any way to get them out of here without having them see? Let's wrap them up in blankets?

• 37:31Speaker 09

  Yeah, yeah, we'll, we'll probably just go out this way, cover eyes and head. We'll take the children's. Well, right now, head to toe, they're okay. We're green.

• 37:43Speaker 07

  Grabbing a blanket on the horse.

• 37:44Speaker 06

  Okay.

• 37:48Speaker 07

  Yeah, I'm just gonna hold the blanket near their head. You're taking them to the hospital, right?

• 37:52Speaker 09

  Yes.

• 37:52Speaker 07

  Okay.

• 37:54Colin Brown?

  Hey, everybody. Courtney and I have a favor to ask of you. If you love Murder in America, you love our show, please leave us a five-star review wherever you listen to your podcasts, whether that's Apple Podcasts, Spotify. If you love our show and you want to help us grow, definitely consider leaving us a five-star review. Also, it helps the show so much when people share out links to our program. So if you're listening and you're loving what we're doing here, share us on your Instagram story, shout us out on X, post one of our shows on your Facebook, and let the world, your friends, your family know that you're listening to Murder in America. It seriously helps us so much, helps us grow the show. We couldn't do this without all of you listening at home. Seriously, thank y'all. But let's get back to the story.

• 38:39Colin Brown?

  Soon enough, Geneva Street was lit up with blue and red flashing lights. Yellow crime scene tapes surrounded the Serrano home. Officers in town were actively on the hunt for Joseph Castorena while other investigators worked the crime scene. EMTs had arrived at the house, but as they checked the four victims for any signs of life, they found none. What had started out as a fun night for the family tragically ended with four people losing their lives. Outside of the home, Sergeant Davis escorted Jessica to a quiet portion of Geneva Street, where he did his best to console her.

• 39:12Courtney Brown?

  But in the thick of her grief came anger. Because despite all of the problems she had had with Joseph, all of the threats, abuse, 911 calls and protective orders, he was still allowed to walk around free. And the worst part was that Jessica and her family saw this coming, which is exactly why they reached out to law enforcement for protection. But look where they were now.

• 39:38Speaker 06

  My father, my father.

• 39:42Speaker 06

  I know, I know, I know. I want you to take him. I'm still free. Listen, control this right here, baby. This is the only place. My father. I know.

• 39:56Speaker 06

  I know, I know.

• 39:59Speaker 06

  I know. I don't know what to do.

• 40:05Speaker 06

  I don't know what to do, doctor. I need a car, my mom. I need a car. I need you to just relax for me, okay? I know, I need you to relax for me, okay?

• 40:24Speaker 06

  I was, I was telling them to hurry up. I was telling her, hurry up. I know, I know, sweetheart, I know. I know, I know, I know. I'm my dad. I know. I'm my dad, my sister.

• 40:41Speaker 06

  I know. We always called you guys, always called you guys about him, always coming here, doing this and that, you guys don't arrest them. I don't, I'm, I'm just. The dad and the mom always bails him out, it's always the same. The same shit. I just couldn't hear.

• 41:02Speaker 06

  I know. I don't know. I know.

• 41:07Speaker 06

  I don't know. I know, I know. Why? I know, I know, I know. Why? Why me? I know, I know. Why? I know, I know. Why? Why?

• 41:27Speaker 06

  Why?

• 41:33Speaker 06

  I'm so depressed, hurry up, hurry up. I know, I know. You're not gonna listen to me.

• 41:40Speaker 06

  You're not gonna listen.

• 41:45Speaker 06

  Why? Why?

• 41:48Colin Brown?

  From here, Jessica and the two children were taken to a local hospital. Fortunately, all three showed no signs of physical injury. However, there were emotional scars. The three were also placed under protective custody, since Joseph Castoreno was still on the run. But that night, Jessica had to let her family members know that he had finally done what they'd all been afraid of all along. Jessica's uncle, Ubaldo Codina, spoke with Fox 31 Denver and admitted they were all afraid of Joseph. He had threatened to kill Jessica and her family on numerous occasions, and he finally made good on that threat. They also knew that he was not one to follow protective orders. In fact, Jessica, Jesus, and Maria had even called the police on Joseph many times

• 42:31Colin Brown?

  for violating protection orders, and still, nothing happened.

• 42:36Speaker 10

  She was afraid of him because he would always tell him that he was gonna kill our family.

• 42:42Speaker 11

  Ubaldo Codina waking up to a phone call from his mom, learning multiple people in his family had been killed.

• 42:48Speaker 10

  They didn't know who was killed. We didn't know. After a couple of hours, they probably let us know that.

• 42:53Speaker 11

  Codina sharing these photos with Fox 31 of three of the victims. One of them, his niece, Mariana, along with her husband, Ken, and her dad, Jesus.

• 43:02Speaker 10

  He killed Jesus and then killed Mariana, and then killed the, uh, killed Mariana's husband, which his name is Ken. And then he also killed a neighbor. The, uh, Jesus has a...

• 43:17Speaker 10

  A small trailer, like in a small RV. He was renting it to some, to some old guy and I guess the old guy came out to see what was going on and he killed him too.

• 43:28Speaker 11

  Aurora Police searching the area of 10th and Geneva Street Sunday morning for the suspect, 21-year-old Joseph Castorina.

• 43:35Speaker 10

  He has a criminal background.

• 43:37Speaker 11

  The Problem Solvers confirmed Castorina does have a criminal rap sheet. Kadina told us his other niece survived the shooting.

• 43:44Speaker 10

  Jessica ran into the, into the restroom and knocked herself in and that's when she called the cops.

• 43:49Speaker 11

  She shared kids with the suspect.

• 43:51Speaker 10

  But she was scared because if she would do something, um, or call the cops.

• 43:58Colin Brown?

  Back at the crime scene, investigators searched for clues inside of the home. They found a stolen 9mm Kim handgun and nine spent shell casings. The gun was eventually traced back to a man in Iowa who had originally purchased the gun in 2016. It is unknown how Joseph came to be in possession of the stolen firearm. But fingerprints on the gun would later be found to match those belonging to Joseph. However, there was still no sign of him. Ring camera footage caught him escaping through the back of the house barefoot. It was extremely cold that morning, so investigators believe that he had most likely gone back to his parents' house, located only a few blocks from the Serrano residence. Even further, investigators were able to determine that Joseph's cellphone had pinged nearby. He couldn't have gone far.

• 44:44Colin Brown?

  So from here, police descended upon his neighborhood with K9s. They quickly taped off the entire street and searched on foot, in between houses, backyards. And they also went door to door to find out if the neighbors had seen anything. While searching, they located his red Hummer H2 parked in the street, abandoned. But it was a little after 3 a.m. when police came knocking on his family's door with the news that their son had just massacred an entire family. According to them, they had no idea where he was. Here's his sister talking with the police.

• 45:17Speaker 07

  Here's the deal. We want to be straight up and honest with you. We want to get in contact with your brother before somebody else from some other agency does, okay? I would rather your brother be alive and under arrest than to be dead or shot because he does something stupid. Okay? Is there any way that you can help us out to find out where he's at?

• 45:39Speaker 12

  I already tried calling him. My sister tried calling him. He won't answer.

• 45:43Speaker 07

  Okay. Does he have any social media that he might be on right now?

• 45:46Speaker 12

  Why?

• 45:47Speaker 07

  Why would his phone be hidden? Why would we be seeing stuff around here?

• 45:52Speaker 12

  What do you mean?

• 45:53Speaker 07

  As far as where he was last located.

• 45:55Speaker 12

  For his phone?

• 45:56Speaker 07

  Yeah.

• 45:57Speaker 12

  Like his phone here?

• 45:58Speaker 07

  Yeah.

• 45:59Speaker 12

  I don't know.

• 46:01Speaker 07

  Is there anything, is there anybody that he would be living or going to someone's house around here or anything like that?

• 46:07Speaker 12

  I don't know. I just got home. Um, I noticed my dad and mom were gone. They were over here. I called them. That had happened with Joseph.

• 46:15Speaker 07

  Okay, so are you cold right now?

• 46:18Speaker 12

  Yes.

• 46:18Speaker 07

  Okay.

• 46:19Speaker 12

  Oh, I'm scared. I'm nervous.

• 46:20Speaker 07

  Okay, don't be nervous around us. We're here to make sure that things are good. So there's nobody that's in danger inside your house.

• 46:26Speaker 12

  Mm-mm.

• 46:27Speaker 07

  Okay.

• 46:27Speaker 12

  Just my mom and my sister.

• 46:30Speaker 12

  I s- no, I seen him earlier before I left work.

• 46:33Speaker 07

  Okay. What do you mean? And what hap- how was that contact? How was that?

• 46:37Speaker 12

  Hmm, I just seen him walk out the door. That's it.

• 46:40Speaker 07

  Okay, was he mad? Was he angry?

• 46:41Speaker 12

  No. I think he said something about a haircut.

• 46:46Speaker 07

  So here's the deal. Um, if you're cold, I- I- I- here's the deal. I don't want you going back in the house. Because I don't know if he's in there somewhere. Alright? And obviously, I'm- well, I'm not going to arrest you or anything like that. That's- I just don't want you going back in the house and I would like you to be compliant with us, okay?

• 47:04Speaker 12

  Sure.

• 47:04Speaker 07

  Because the situation is-

• 47:05Speaker 12

  Well, see, I've never been in a situation like this. I'm like, I don't have my dad. My dad's the one that used to be, you know?

• 47:10Speaker 07

  I mean, my deal is- is preservation of life, right? So if you're- if you come out, maybe we can have you call the other females that are in there, have them come out of the house if you would.

• 47:25Speaker 07

  Everybody that's in the house, everyone that's in the house.

• 47:29Colin Brown?

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• 49:56Colin Brown?

  With the help of a bilingual officer, they were also able to talk to Joseph's mother. And that's when they learned about the tumultuous relationship between the couple. But they still needed to search the Castorrena home. Officers had a feeling that Joseph might be hiding inside. So at 4:30 a.m., a team of officers led by Sergeant Paul Davis entered the Castorrena residence. Once inside the house, the team of police officers went room to room searching for Joseph. Their K9s also searched for him, but there was no indication that he was at home. And although his cell phone still pinged in the area and he was clearly on foot, authorities couldn't find him. During the early investigation, one police officer noted that he heard a loud truck

• 50:38Colin Brown?

  roaring out of the neighborhood, followed by a sequence of gunshots. Investigators wondered if the truck had been used as a distraction to allow more time for Joseph to escape. They also wondered if Joseph had an accomplice.

• 50:51Courtney Brown?

  Now, after hours of searching around the neighborhood, there was still no sign of Joseph. But during the sweep of the Serrano's backyard, investigators found his discarded iPhone. Apparently, Joseph had either dropped it during his escape, or he had left it behind on purpose. But from here, the Aurora Police Department alerted the public that murderer Joseph Castorrena was on the loose. And they warned that he could be armed and that he was dangerous. Residents were urged to shelter in place. And by now, there was a massive manhunt to locate him. Police K-9 units were called in, drones were used, and eventually, several witnesses came forward with some information.

• 51:36Courtney Brown?

  Neighbors in the area stated that they had seen Joseph leaving the area on foot. But other people told investigators to take a closer look at his family. In fact, investigators would later say that Joseph's parents actually came to the crime scene hours later. and attempted to interfere with the investigation. Apparently, his father even tried to punch one of the police sergeants. But as the town of Aurora woke up that morning, everyone learned of the unspeakable tragedy that had taken place. Here is the Aurora Police Chief, Daniel John Oates, updating the media on the status of the investigation.

• 52:15Speaker 15

  There are deceased adults in the home, two very young children, and one adult female who were unharmed. The adult female is the domestic partner of our suspect. Earlier this week, a restraining order had been issued directing the suspect not to go to the residence or approach or come near the domestic partner. We began investigating. We identified the suspect and began searching the neighborhood in the dark.

• 52:53Speaker 15

  At one point, we went to a nearby other residence, which we believe to be the residence of the suspect. We spent several hours there. With consent, we eventually searched that home and did not find him at that location.

• 53:10Speaker 15

  Shortly after this incident began, we issued a reverse 911 call to residents within a one-mile radius, asking them to shelter in place. We located what we believe is the suspect's car nearby. That has since been towed and will be subject of a search warrant.

• 53:33Speaker 15

  Victim advocates are supporting the survivors, and they are in a safe place.

• 53:40Speaker 15

  We did a search at night, and we have just begun a daylight search of the neighborhood. We even had drones up in the air at first light, and we're now doing a thorough search of the immediate neighborhood because we are concerned and want to find the subject. His name is Joseph Mario Castarena. Date of birth, 5/24/01. He's 21 years old. We have to assume he is armed and we are very concerned and want to do everything we can to find him and take him into custody as soon as possible. His photo has been released on APD's social media. If you look at it closely, you will see that he has a very distinctive lion tattoo on

• 54:24Speaker 15

  the left side of his neck. We're obviously requesting the public's assistance and the media's assistance to find him. If anyone sees him or has any information about his whereabouts, we ask that 911 be called immediately. And with that, I'm happy to take any questions.

• 54:43Speaker 16

  So what should people who live in this area, what should they be doing right now?

• 54:48Speaker 15

  We're going to search the immediate neighborhood. When that is completed, we will send out an all-clear to the same parties who received the reverse 911. I think this search will take another half hour to an hour to complete, but we're going to search the immediate area. You know, I can't speculate on where he might be, but the sensible thing for anyone who knows the police is looking for him would be to leave the area. But we're going to be as thorough as we can with the search and do the best we can to reassure the community, have a presence here. We're going to be here for the crime scene for quite some time. All of the deceased are still at the crime scene, so we'll be here for quite some time.

• 55:30Speaker 15

  And I think that should have some reassurance to the community along with the search that we're doing.

• 55:35Speaker 17

  Chief, question. The picture that you released on Twitter was from a previous arrest. It seems like less than 30 days ago. Can you shed light on some of those other charges?

• 55:45Speaker 15

  He has a history involving domestic violence, and I don't have all the details. I'd rather not go into that, but this was an accumulation of events here that led to this. So, yes.

• 56:00Speaker 16

  Did this have anything to do with the custody dispute? Because that's what some relatives have told us.

• 56:07Speaker 15

  Well, the children of the suspect and his domestic partner are not even in state. They are elsewhere with family and safe.

• 56:18Speaker 17

  Chief, question. With obviously the history of domestic violence, this person was obviously not in jail, not in police custody. Is there a reason for that? Can you speak to that at all?

• 56:29Speaker 15

  I can't. I don't have an explanation for that at this time.

• 56:33Courtney Brown?

  And that's what we were wondering as well. Before the massacre, Joseph forced Jessica into his vehicle as she was leaving work. He busted her car window out with a tire iron as she was trying to leave. And then he kept her at his house against her will, holding a gun against her. And Jessica took all the right steps. After that incident, she went to the police and got a protective order. Her whole family did. And somehow, this monster was able to walk around free.

• 57:05Colin Brown?

  On the afternoon of October 30th, Jessica's mother was interviewed by Fox 31 Denver, and she provided more insight into the relationship between her daughter and Joseph.

• 57:15Speaker 18

  This has been going on for two years already. And even the cops know that how many times I've called and my daughter has called. I, I'm trying to get answers. I haven't received any phone calls from anybody. I haven't heard from my daughters. I don't know anything about my granddaughters. I don't know why nobody has contacted me. The only thing I know is that I want justice and I want everybody to please find Joseph Castreina.

• 57:48Courtney Brown?

  Now, because Jessica and Joseph's daughters had just been sent to Texas the day prior, investigators feared that Joseph may have gone there. What if he had a plan to get his daughters back? They also had to consider the fact that Texas borders Mexico. And considering he is a fugitive wanted for a quadruple homicide, it wouldn't be far-fetched to assume he would try and flee the country. According to his family members, he had just visited Mexico only a year prior to attend his grandpa's funeral. So he had family there. But at the end of the day, investigators were still thinking that he was in Colorado. After all, he didn't even have shoes on when he fled the scene. He also didn't have a car.

• 58:34Courtney Brown?

  So the only way he could have fled is if he had accomplices.

• 58:39Colin Brown?

  At 7:50 a.m. on the morning of October 30th, Joseph's Hummer was towed and searched at the Aurora Police Department Evidence Bay. DNA was swabbed and lifted from the interior, and they also located his driver's license, his social security card, two credit cards, one debit card, and a Costco card inside his wallet. After finding these items, the thought of him fleeing seemed even less likely. Leaving the country without any money or an ID wouldn't be easy.

• 59:06Speaker 19

  Back with Aurora Police, say they're still looking for the man who they believe killed four people early yesterday morning near Del Mar Parkway.

• 59:12Speaker 20

  And now court records show two of the four killed filed a protection order against the suspect just last week. Police are looking for 21-year-old Joseph Castorina. They believe the shooting is related to an ongoing domestic situation between Castorina and a woman who was present, but was not hurt during that shooting.

• 59:30Speaker 19

  Relatives have identified three of the shooting victims as family members of that woman. And Nine News reporter Jalisa Erezari is with us now. It sounds like the family had been dealing with this for a while now.

• 59:41Speaker 21

  Yeah, Tom, at least one of the protection orders filed last Monday states there have been issues between Castorina and this family for at least three years. Court records indicate the woman Castorina was in a previous relationship with, as well as her sister and her father, all took steps to try and distance themselves from him.

• 1:00:01Speaker 21

  Darkness can cloud details. And what happened in the shadows one early morning in Aurora is still coming to light.

• 1:00:09Speaker 15

  This was an accumulation of events here that led to this, so, um, so, yes, so, yeah.

• 1:00:15Speaker 21

  Interim Chief Dan Oats didn't have all the information on Sunday morning, but court documents obtained Monday fill in some of the gaps. Records show three people filed protection orders against the suspect, 21-year-old Joseph Castorina, last Monday. According to family members, two of those individuals are now dead.

• 1:00:34Speaker 09

  If a survivor has a strong relationship with a friend or a family member, especially somebody living within their own home, perpetrators are going to exploit that.

• 1:00:42Speaker 21

  Abby Henson is a chief program officer at Safe House Denver. While she can't speak on specific cases, she says family members... Numbers of domestic violence survivors are often at risk. Last week, Castorina's ex-girlfriend, her father, and sister all filed protection orders against him. They claimed Castorina pulled a gun on his ex-girlfriend and threatened to kill her father if her father didn't give Castorina his kids. A hearing to make the protection order filed by Castorina's ex-girlfriend permanent was scheduled for later this week.

• 1:01:12Speaker 09

  I mean, these kind of situations are so tragic for so many reasons. And I think it's really also important to highlight that for so many survivors, protection orders are working, and they are keeping themselves and their kids safe. And so it really needs to be a case-by-case basis if a protection order is right for any particular survivor. And those conversations can be had with especially trained confidential domestic violence advocates such as Safe House Denver.

• 1:01:40Speaker 21

  Now, we should add, Castorina filed a protection order three weeks ago against what is listed as his mother-in-law. Based on the circumstances, this appears to be the mother of Castorina's ex-girlfriend. There was also a protection order violation misdemeanor charge against Castorina that was dismissed in 2021. The DA's office says that charge was dropped after being denied a continuance on a child abuse case trial Castorina was facing. So they decided to focus on the felony case instead. Tom and Kim.

• 1:02:08Speaker 20

  Oh, my goodness, this story, just so many layers of sadness. So hopefully, they find him. All right. Thank you, Delisa.

• 1:02:17Colin Brown?

  After the case was publicized throughout Aurora and nearby Denver, several tips came into the police department, including one from Joseph's cousin, Joel. Joel told investigators that during the early morning hours of October 30th, he was suddenly woken up by a knock on his bedroom window. Joel said that he opened his eyes and saw his cousin standing there with a strange look on his face. It was clear that something was terribly wrong. So Joel went to the front door to see what he wanted. When he opened the door, Joseph kept repeating over and over again. I fucked up. Now, it's unclear whether or not Joseph told him about what he actually did that night, but Joel said that it looked like he was high on drugs. Joseph even begged his cousin to let him stay there for a while, but Joel refused.

• 1:03:00Colin Brown?

  Instead, he gave Joseph a pair of green tennis shoes and sent him on his way. Now Joel's house was located several miles from the crime scene, so investigators wondered how he had traveled that far in the cold weather without any shoes. At this point, they believed that he had had an accomplice, and they focused their investigation on Joseph's two brothers. But Joseph's older brother provided an alibi for his whereabouts that morning, and it checked out. However, his younger brother, Juan Inhal Castorrena, was a different story. During the early investigation, investigators were very suspicious of him, because Juan refused to speak with them. But on the afternoon of November 1st, he was taken to the police station for an official interview.

• 1:03:41Colin Brown?

  And shockingly, Juan admitted that he had not only helped Joseph escape, but also that he had given him a ride to the Serrano residence before the murders. Now, like we mentioned, Joseph's Hummer had been abandoned at the scene, so I'm not sure exactly how that played out. But according to Juan, after the murders, he drove Joseph to Denver, where he passed him off to their cousin, Carlos Flores. Both Juan and Carlos also gave Joseph some cash, so he could flee. But after this confession, Juan was arrested, and ultimately charged with accessory after the fact in four murders.

• 1:04:16Speaker 16

  Tonight, police in Aurora have arrested the brother of the man accused of shooting and killing four people at a home in Aurora. Police say that Juan Castorrena is facing a charge of accessory to first degree murder after the fact. He's 18 years old. Police are still looking for his brother, Joseph Castorrena. He's wanted in connection with the shooting on October 20th. The reward for information leading to his arrest is $15,000. If you know anything, you're asked to call Crime Stoppers.

• 1:04:41Courtney Brown?

  The next thing investigators did was track down Joseph's cousin Carlos. And when they did, he admitted that he had picked Joseph up that night. He said that he even attempted to pass him off to other family members in the area, but that no one wanted to help. So instead, Carlos stated that he drove Joseph to a school, and he dropped him off with a blanket and some cash. But as for where Joseph went from there... Carlos had no idea. Now, following this confession, Carlos Flores was arrested and charged with accessory after the fact for assisting in the getaway.

• 1:05:18Speaker 22

  Now, to Aurora, police have made another arrest in a quadruple homicide happened Halloween weekend, but the primary suspect's still out there. Today, officers arrested 22-year-old Carlos Casillas Flores. He is the cousin of the prime suspect, Joseph Castorrena. Casillas Flores is facing charges of accessory to murder after the fact because officers believe he helped Castorrena avoid capture. Aurora police arrested Castorrena's brother on similar charges last week. Police say Castorrena shot and killed three men and a woman at a home on Geneva Street near 10th Avenue. A mother and her children were inside that home at the time. They were physically unharmed.

• 1:05:55Colin Brown?

  Now, by this point, it had been over a month since the massacre, and Joseph Castorrena was still on the loose. And by now, investigators believed that he had escaped to Mexico, where he had family. So the FBI, Mexican Immigration Services, and the federal police force followed a trail that led them to Zacateca State in Mexico. According to reports, once Joseph entered Mexico, he reached out to his family members for help, but they weren't as welcoming as he had hoped. In fact, the year prior, in 2021, after his grandfather's funeral, Joseph had caused some problems with his family members in Mexico. So clearly, they had no desire to harbor a fugitive. These family members even alerted the local police. By the time they arrived, Joseph was already gone.

• 1:06:38Colin Brown?

  After leaving Zacateca State, he traveled to a remote area of Mexico called Aguascalientes, but by then, Mexican authorities were on the lookout for him. And soon enough, on December 10th, 2022, they spotted a short young man with a lion tattoo on the side of his neck. It was Joseph Castorrena. And finally, after a month and a half of being on the run, Joseph was apprehended by the Mexican police.

• 1:07:04Speaker 23

  A man wanted for more than a month now for killing a family and a neighbor in Aurora is in custody.

• 1:07:09Speaker 22

  Denver 7's Patrick Perez explains where authorities found him and the relief the victims' families are feeling.

• 1:07:15Speaker 08

  New video released by Mexican authorities shows the arrest of Joseph Castorrena after a weeks-long manhunt that crossed the border. He was captured Saturday in the state of Aguascalientes, where investigators there say he was staying with a family member. The 21-year-old is accused of killing Kenneth Green Luque, his girlfriend and mother of their two girls, Maria Serrano, her father, and a neighbor. The murders happened at this Aurora home at the end of October. Kenneth's family, speaking with Denver 7 from Honduras, is relieved Castorrena is now in custody.

• 1:07:52Speaker 24

  I hope justice is done right. I want the public to see what kind of animal he was that could commit a crime like he did and not have the conscience to stand up and repent for his mistake.

• 1:08:14Speaker 08

  Since the shooting, police have arrested several of Castorrena's family members: his brother Juan Castorrena and his cousin Carlos Casillas Flores. Both charged with accessory after the fact first-degree murder. In a statement, Aurora Police Chief Art Acevedo says, "The arrest of Joseph Castorrena should serve as an example that the dedicated men and women of the Aurora Police Department never quit on a case until those responsible are in custody. We hope this announcement helps bring family and friends of the victims a little closer to the closure they deserve." The arrest warrants in this case remain sealed, so we still don't know much about the motive for the shooting, but family tell us the suspect was upset about not having custody of his kids. One of the victims was his ex-girlfriend's twin sister.

• 1:08:57Colin Brown?

  If you love murder in America, you love mysteries, you love true crime, you love murder stories and the unknown, then I have a new show for you. It's called The Conspiracy Files, and it's hosted by me, Colin Browne, from Murder in America and The Paranormal Files. On The Conspiracy Files, we explore everything from bizarre deaths to freak paranormal events, pedophile rings, government corruption, ritual sacrifice. No topic is untouched on this show. Everything that we talk about on The Conspiracy Files is backed up with fact. I release reference sheets with every single episode that we do, so you guys know everything we're talking about is confirmed to have happened and be real. It's a completely

• 1:09:41Colin Brown?

  different type of show than anything else you've ever seen about conspiracy theories. Instead of a bunch of conjecture and theories, we're presenting you people with facts, telling you the story, walking you through the story, just as detailed as we do with Murder in America, and then letting the listener decide what they think. Anyways, you should definitely give it a listen. It's called The Conspiracy Files. The links are in the description of this show, and you can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And now, let's get back to our story. Colorado investigators were informed of his arrest, and they immediately flew down to Aguascalientes to interview him. Ultimately, he was extradited back to the United States

• 1:10:24Colin Brown?

  and taken to Phoenix, Arizona. Here, he was held by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department until he would be extradited once again to Colorado. But interestingly, during an interview in Phoenix, Joseph complained that Mexican authorities had treated him horribly. He feared he would receive the same treatment in the United States, but investigators assured him he would be treated with respect.

• 1:10:46Speaker 25

  Well, I guess we were told that you were talking about the Mexican authorities. Um, not really. Not really, no. Um, they're a little more brutal, so.

• 1:11:04Speaker 26

  Well, you're shaking like a leaf here. You know nobody's gonna beat the shit out of you in Phoenix, Arizona, so I don't know. So nobody's gonna beat you up here.

• 1:11:14Speaker 25

  Oh, no, I know. I just thought I was shook and I was just, it was passed out of there. I mean, I haven't slept, so. Honestly, two hours sleep, I haven't slept since, um, say, Saturday that I woke up in the morning and slept. Yeah, the Mexican place didn't wake me up in my bed, so.

• 1:11:39Speaker 26

  Not very nice. It's an understatement. Alright, well, like I said, I know we're gonna beat you up here, so if you don't wanna talk, that's kinda where we're at.

• 1:11:51Courtney Brown?

  After offering him some water and attempting to get him to open up about his role in the quadruple murder, Joseph refused to speak without an attorney.

• 1:12:01Speaker 25

  I know it's been a long day, probably for you, and for us. Are you cool with talking to us? Um, I, I am. Well, yeah, I mean, I'd like to, but I feel more comfortable with an attorney somewhere. Okay.

• 1:12:15Speaker 25

  Oh, do you have an attorney? No, I'd like to get one. Okay. Um, yeah, I get, that's, I'm trying to figure out, just right now, you're here. You have a federal hold. The hold would be here to go to Colorado or Colorado?

• 1:12:36Speaker 26

  Yeah, I know that's fair.

• 1:12:38Speaker 25

  Yeah. So I don't know if you would, I don't honestly know really how that works.

• 1:12:45Speaker 25

  You'd have to get, I don't know if it's a federal attorney and then it'd be a state public attorney. Okay. So, okay. Um, yeah, and obviously, we came from Colorado. I'd really like to hear, you know, your side of the story. We've talked to quite a few of your family members. Yeah, I know. So, uh, from writing in the news, it's totally different. It's massive. Right. I don't know if it's that.

• 1:13:08Speaker 25

  Right, okay. And you have one? Hmm.

• 1:13:11Speaker 26

  It's my understanding you already have been.

• 1:13:14Speaker 25

  I've been a lot.

• 1:13:15Speaker 26

  Talking about what's going on?

• 1:13:17Speaker 25

  Um.

• 1:13:20Speaker 25

  Somewhat.

• 1:13:23Speaker 26

  You just don't wanna tell us, or what?

• 1:13:25Speaker 25

  Um, well, I, I'm just, I just feel more comfortable with an attorney than a guy.

• 1:13:36Courtney Brown?

  If you couldn't hear what he said back there, he said, quote, "From what I've seen on the news, it's totally different, my side, on how things happened," end quote. But I think it was pretty clear to everyone what really happened here. Now, in March of 2023, Joseph was extradited back to Colorado and charged with four counts of first-degree murder, one count for each victim: Jesus Serrano, Maria Serrano, Kenneth Luque, and Roldolfo Salgado Perez. He was also charged with one count of attempted murder for the attack against his ex-girlfriend, Jessica Serrano.

• 1:14:15Colin Brown?

  Joseph was held without bond at the Arapahoe County Jail in Aurora until a June 2023 Supreme Court ruling stated that anyone convicted of first-degree murder must be eligible for bond before trial. So the prosecution requested the bond be set at $100 million, a number that clearly no one could afford. So on July 7, 2023, Judge David Carpel didn't set it at $100 million, but he set it at $75 million, and it all had to be in cash, still a number that only billionaires could afford. Now, Joseph's defense attorney argued that the amount was unconstitutional and that no one, not even the extremely wealthy, would be able to afford it.

• 1:14:57Colin Brown?

  They suggested that the bond be set at a mere $100,000, which is insane because his brother Juan's bond was $400,000 and Joseph had literally fled the country. So I think his bond was pretty appropriate. Ultimately, Judge Carpel believed that Joseph was "the classic definition of a flight risk and posed a clear and unjustifiable risk to society." He also feared for the safety of the surviving family members. So clearly, Joseph had to wait in jail until his trial.

• 1:15:28Courtney Brown?

  Although the victims and their family members were happy to see that Joseph was finally arrested, their lives had been completely turned upside down. Kenneth's family members were desperately trying to bring his body back to his home country of Honduras. According to his mother, Soyapa, Kenneth had moved to the United States when he was just 14 years old. He was looking for a better life, and for a while, he had found one. His mom told Denver 7, "I never imagined this would happen to my son because he was such a good boy, very educated, very respectful. They cut my son's dreams and hopes short. He was a 20-year-old boy but filled with dreams and hopes."

• 1:16:12Courtney Brown?

  She also heartbreakingly admitted that she hadn't seen Kenneth for six years, but their family had plans to reunite for Christmas, which was in just a few short months. However, they clearly never got the chance. His mom went on to say, "If they arrest him, if they put him in prison, if they end his life, it's not going to bring my son back, but I do want justice for him. I want justice for my son." Now, a GoFundMe was created to help with the expenses of bringing Kenneth's body back to Honduras, but there are no updates on whether or not that ever happened. And then there's Kenneth and Maria's two children, the ones who were at the home when the shooting took place.

• 1:16:58Courtney Brown?

  At the time, like I mentioned, they were just one year old and three months old. But with both of their parents now murdered and their grandfather, the kids sadly had to go into foster care, an entire family that was completely torn apart by this tragedy.

• 1:17:15Colin Brown?

  In May of 2024, Joseph Castorena finally went on trial for the quadruple homicide of Jesus, Maria, Rodolfo, and Kenneth, and the attempted murder of Jessica. Prosecution presented overwhelming evidence against him, including fingerprint matches that linked him to the murder weapon, a ballistic analysis that reported that the gun was used in the murders, ring camera footage of him lurking outside the residence before the killings, and harrowing testimony from multiple witnesses, including Jessica Serrano. Senior Chief Deputy DA Darcy Kofel stated, “This coward executed an entire family and an innocent tenant. This defendant couldn’t accept the fact that his ex-girlfriend wanted to move on with her life. Instead, he decided to viciously murder everyone she loved.”

• 1:18:00Colin Brown?

  In turn, the defense argued that Joseph’s actions were caused by extreme emotional distress and attempted to poke holes in the prosecution’s timeline. But the jury wasn’t convinced. On May 16th, after only a few hours of deliberation, the jury finally reached a unanimous verdict: guilty on all counts. Due to being found guilty on all four counts of first-degree murder in the state of Colorado, Joseph now faced mandatory life in prison. During the trial, it was reported that Joseph showed no remorse for his actions, and continued to blame Jessica until the very end for what he had done that fateful morning.

• 1:18:35Courtney Brown?

  When the verdict was announced, surviving members of the Serrano family embraced each other in the courtroom. They finally had their justice. But Joseph’s family was outraged. They even yelled at the prosecution as they left the room. Keep in mind, these are the same people who bailed Joseph out of jail time and time again, despite knowing of his horrific abuse. And even with the overwhelming evidence against him, and the fact that he murdered an entire family, they continued supporting him. Seems like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Now as for Joseph’s brother Juan and his cousin Carlos, both men pleaded guilty to their roles in the crime. However, their sentencing is unknown.

• 1:19:21Colin Brown?

  On September 3rd, 2024, Judge David Karpel sentenced Joseph to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He also received an additional 24 years for the attempted murder of Jessica Serrano to run concurrently with the four counts of first-degree murder. During sentencing, Judge Karpel told Joseph, "Your actions were those of an insignificant little man with a big gun who had to control the people in his life that he supposedly loved and did so with such abject violence. This insignificance of yours will dissipate in time into ether where you will become forgotten." "I've had many people stand before me as defendants and say, 'I'm not a bad person, I just did the wrong thing,'" and I've sometimes agreed with them. But Mr.

• 1:20:04Colin Brown?

  Castorena, you are the biggest exception to the rule." Joseph refused to speak during sentencing. Judge Karpel also commended Jessica for her bravery, saying she "exhibited extraordinary courage in the most difficult circumstances given the evidence of this case."

• 1:20:19Courtney Brown?

  "I haven't been able to stop thinking about Jessica since I came across that body cam footage of her on the night of the murders. And my heart just breaks for her. Even before the murders, this monster took so much from her. Her peace, her sense of security, her ability to trust, even her children. But then she made the incredibly brave decision to leave, a decision that she probably went back and forth on for years. When she finally did take that step, she knew how dangerous it could be, but she also knew how dangerous it would be to stay with this man for the rest of her life. So she did it.

• 1:21:00Courtney Brown?

  She left him, and in return, he showed up at her place of work, pulled a gun on her, shattered her car window, held her against her will, threatened to kill her, and threatened to kill her family. And even after this, Jessica took all the right steps. She and her family members went to the police and reported it. They got a restraining order, but somehow, he was able to slip through the cracks. And in the end, Jessica lost her family because of it, her own father and twin sister."

• 1:21:34Courtney Brown?

  This case is a huge example of the failures within our system. These protection orders sound like a good idea and sometimes they do work. According to Denver Seven, the US Department of Justice issued a report in 2010 regarding the effectiveness of protection orders. The report followed 210 women who filed protection orders and they found that half of them had no violations and half had been violated. And like I mentioned, they're just pieces of paper. And for monsters like Joseph Castorena, they mean nothing. How many true crime stories have you heard that are just like this one?

• 1:22:15Courtney Brown?

  Where women fear for their lives, but despite escalating behaviors and restraining orders, their partner's violence continues? I know I have heard plenty and every time it breaks my heart. We can only hope that one day that changes. But for today's episode, we will be making a donation to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, an organization that works to protect women just like Jessica Serrano.

• 1:22:47Colin Brown?

  Hey everybody, it's Colin here. Thank you so much for listening to another episode of Murder in America. Courtney and I are so thankful to have the amount of listeners that we have and to have everybody out there joining us on this journey. And yeah, we just can't thank you all enough for tuning in every week to explore these stories with us. If you don't like the ads in the middle of the show, consider joining us on Patreon. If you become a patron, you can get access to early ad-free episodes of the show. And for the higher tiers, you can actually get access to an entire library of bonus Murder in America episodes that will never go live on the main feed. And there's over 100 of them on our Patreon. So if you love the show and you want to support the work that we do here, joining us on Patreon is a great way to do so.

• 1:23:31Colin Brown?

  Also, don't forget to leave us a five-star review, whether it's on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, wherever you're listening to this show. And follow us on Instagram @murderinamerica to see photos from every single case that we cover. Anyways, y'all, Courtney and I hope you have the best weekend and a great week whenever you're listening to this episode. Thanks again for tuning in and I'll catch y'all in the next one.

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