Edward Castro

Edward Castro (January 26, 1950 – December 7, 2000) was an American serial killer. An unemployed drifter from California, Castro fatally stabbed three men in central Florida between 1986 and 1987. Tried for two of the murders, he was given a life sentence for one of them and sentenced to death for the other. He waived all of his appeals and dropped his defense team to advocate for his own execution, which was carried out by lethal injection in 2000 at Florida State Prison.

Early life Edward Castro was born in El Cajon, California, on January 26, 1950. Upon becoming an adult, Castro moved to Florida. As an adult he struggled with alcohol abuse.

Murders Claude Henderson On October 25, 1986, 46-year-old Claude J. Henderson moved into a mobile home in Auburndale, Florida. That same day he was visited by his brother Charles, who said Claude was in good spirits. That was the last time Charles ever spoke to his brother. A few days later, Castro, who recently moved to Polk County, entered Henderson's trailer. He tied Henderson's hands behind his back, tied his feet together, and beat him to death.

Austin Scott Only eight days later, Castro paid a motorist $10 to drive him to Tampa, and once there offered him an extra $60 to drive him to Ocala. There, on January 14, 1987, Castro wound up in a gay bar. There, he chatted up with 57-year-old Austin Carter Scott and convinced him to drive him to his apartment. Scott drove Castro back to his one-room apartment, where Castro decided to kill him so he could take his vehicle.

Arrest and trial Castro stole Scott's car and drove to Lake City. When Castro stopped in Columbia County, a sheriff's deputy noticed that his speech was slurred and his breath smelled of alcohol. When confronted, Castro became hostile toward the officers and was arrested. While in a holding cell, Castro confessed to killing all three of his victims. In 1991, he went on trial for the murder of Hill. Prosecutors sought the death sentence in that case, but Castro was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment. In September 2000, with his execution fast approaching, a clemency team was set up to hear Castro's case, though, Castro wrote over 40 letters to them wishing to be executed.