Devout Christian Luther Casteel
Chive Mynde
Tuesday November 20 07:43 AM EST
Casteel tells jury 'I have no fear'
By Sara Burnett Daily Herald Staff Writer
In an apparent attempt to guarantee his own death sentence, Luther
Casteel took the witness stand Monday and refused to express remorse
for the killings at JB's Pub, saying any statements he would make on
the subject would be addressed to the Lord.
Casteel also called himself "a victim of circumstances" and repeatedly
insisted he "has no fear," presumably of being put to death.
"Any feelings I would have (regarding remorse for the victims), I'll
keep to myself and express only to the Lord Jesus Christ," Casteel
twice told jurors during a hearing on whether he should receive the
death penalty.
"The only feeling I will express is I have no fear."
Casteel's defense attorneys have argued Casteel was severely depressed
and on a suicide mission when he opened fire inside JB's earlier this
year.
Asked outside the courtroom what they thought Casteel was hoping to
accomplish on the witness stand Monday, a visibly upset First
Assistant Public Defender Regina Harris replied, "What he didn't
accomplish in the bar on April 13."
Kane County Public Defender David Kliment then added it "should be
apparent" that Casteel is suicidal.
Prosecutors, meanwhile, said they were not surprised by Casteel's
testimony.
"He has not shown any (remorse) at any court date, and we didn't
expect it today," Kane County State's Attorney Meg Gorecki said.
Casteel, 43, of Elgin, was convicted last week of two counts of
first-degree murder and 15 counts of attempted murder for the
shootings at JB's.
Prosecutors and police said Casteel, angry about being thrown out of
the Elgin bar earlier in the night, returned to JB's early on the
morning of April 14 armed with four guns and hundreds of rounds of
ammunition.
He killed two men - bar manager Jeffrey Weides and customer Richard
Bartlett - and shot at least 15 others before being tackled to the
ground by a group of patrons.
Casteel's testimony Monday came as defense attorneys tried to persuade
jurors to sentence Casteel to life in prison rather than death.
Kliment and Harris said they had been aware of what Casteel might say
on the stand, but said Casteel wanted to testify and that they legally
could not deny him that right.
The jury of nine men and three women is expected to begin deliberating
today whether to sentence Casteel to death. Any decision to impose
death must be unanimous.
As jurors head into deliberations, they will take with them testimony
from several victims of armed robberies Casteel committed in the 1970s
and '80s - a time in his life, Casteel testified Monday, when he was
"a very violent young man."
Family members of the two men who died in the shootings also testified
Monday, reading emotional victim impact statements that had many
people in the audience in tears.
"Every parent assumes they will die before their children," Susanna
Orr, the mother of 38-year-old Weides told jurors. "I have been
robbed."
Orr read personal messages from Mother's Day and Christmas cards she
received from Jeff, including one with this note: "Thanks, Mom, for
helping me grow up, for protecting me. 1/4 If you ever need a friend
to lean on, I'm your man."
She cried as she talked about Jeff's two young children and how she
wouldn't get to watch Jeff love and teach them as they grow up.
Nancy Wales, the sister of Bartlett, recalled the moment her father
and brother told her "Richie" had died. The pain and disbelief is just
as strong today as it was that morning, she said.
"For a few days after his murder I would call his phone number, half
expecting that he would pick up the phone. 1/4 Instead, I heard
Richie's voice, 'Leave a message,' " Wales said. "I want to scream and
yell for Rich to please pick up the phone. 1/4 Let this living hell
stop."
Wales also shared with jurors how her brother's murder has affected
their parents, saying she longs to see them "whole again."
"Through their 52 years of marriage they had to weather many storms,"
she cried, "but never should they have had to bury their child."
In his approximately 20 minutes on the witness stand Monday, Casteel
offered little explanation for the shootings.
He said his parents were "chronic welfare recipients" who didn't work
and raised him in an atmosphere of poverty and ignorance. The family
situation led Casteel to run away and join a gang at a young age. It
was there he learned to use violence to get money and guns.
Arrested several times and sent to youth homes, then prison, Casteel
said he only learned to become more violent.
He also said that at the time of the shootings at JB's, he was
depressed about a relationship with a woman that had ended about 18
months earlier.
When he was arrested April 14, police found a note in Casteel's pocket
that referred to the woman, then read: "She robbed my soul." Defense
attorneys said that was a suicide note and that Casteel expected to be
killed by police during the shooting.
Casteel, however, denied on the witness stand Monday that he had any
intention of hurting himself. He also said he is a "very
compassionate, giving person," that he is a Christian, and that he
isn't someone who makes excuses for his actions.
"Once again, I'm not looking for anyone to overlook my actions or have
any mercy on me, because I have no fear," he said.
Prosecutors declined to cross-examine Casteel, saying outside the
courtroom they believe his testimony spoke for itself.
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Science is not belief, but the will to find out.