A Bronx man has been sentenced to no less than 20 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to the second-degree murder of his estranged wife. The sentencing came down from Bronx Supreme Court Justice Audrey Stone, concluding a case that has lingered since the incident in February last year. The Bronx District Attorney's Office reported that 50-year-old Exiquio Castillo committed the crime inside the victim's home.
According to the release by the District Attorney's Office, the crime unfolded when Flor Recio Noble returned home to find it vandalized and Castillo waiting inside, armed with a knife. The attack left Noble fatally wounded and their two children motherless. In a statement concerning the tragedy, District Attorney Darcel D. Clark said, “The defendant waited inside the victim’s home. When she returned, he viciously stabbed her multiple times, leading to her death. Now, he is being held accountable for this crime that left two children motherless.”
Castillo's guilty plea on January 22 set the stage for Justice Stone's sentencing decision. The investigative facts disclosed a violent scene: Castillo entered Noble’s residence on February 16, 2022, slashing at personal belongings before the fatal stabbing. When Noble arrived, a friend tried to wrestle the knife away from Castillo, but he managed to grab another blade to commit the murder before he was arrested.
The case was led by Major Case Assistant Allison Kline of the Domestic Violence Bureau, with the supervision of several officials within the borough’s legal divisions. District Attorney Clark acknowledged the contribution of Senior Crime Victims Advocate Laura Ramirez and former Trial Preparation Assistant Emily Rosario, as well as NYPD Detectives Manuel Figueroa and Sheldon Smith, for their diligent work in the investigation.
