(December 12) Joseph Castorena, the suspect in the Oct. 30 quadruple homicide in Aurora, was arrested over the weekend in Mexico.
Castorena, 21, was arrested Saturday, December 10, 2022, in Aguascalientes, a state in north-central Mexico, with the assistance of the FBI, local police officers in Mexico, the Instituto Nacional de Migracion – Mexico’s immigration enforcement agency – and the Mexican government. Castorena was flown to the U.S. Sunday and was booked into a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office detention center located in Phoenix.
Following the Oct. 30 quadruple homicide, investigators with the Aurora Police Department’s Fugitive Unit developed information Castorena fled to Zacatecas, another state in north-central Mexico. Investigators, with the help of federal and Mexican law enforcement partners, continued to monitor Castorena’s movements south through the country until his arrest Saturday.
“The arrest of Joseph Castorena 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,” said interim police Chief Art Acevedo. “I would like to thank our federal partners at the FBI and our law enforcement partners in Mexico for teaming up on the arrest.
“We hope this announcement helps bring family and friends of the victims a little closer to the closure they deserve.”
It’s not yet known when Castorena will be transferred to Colorado.
**Booking photo provided by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
Joe Moylan
Public Information Officer
Public Affairs Unit
720.432.5095
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Information previously released.
UPDATE: FAMILY MEMBER OF SUSPECT ARRESTED: Aurora Police Investigating Overnight Quadruple Homicide
(November 10) The Aurora Police Department continues to work with local, state and federal partners to locate 21-year-old Joseph Mario Castorena, who is wanted for killing four people on October 30, 2022.
Today, Carlos Casillas-Flores, 22-years-old, was arrested in Denver by Aurora Police Fugitive Officers. Carlos Casillas-Flores is the cousin of Joseph Castorena.
Carlos was transported and booked into the Aurora Jail and is facing the charge of accessory after the fact, 1st degree murder. Detectives do not have evidence at this time indicating Carlos was directly involved in the shooting on Geneva Street on October 30, 2022, but investigators determined that Carlos assisted Joseph in avoiding apprehension.
We continue our search efforts for Joseph Castorena. We urge anyone with knowledge about his whereabouts to call 911 or submit a tip to Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.
To be eligible for the award and to remain anonymous, tipsters must call the tip line at 720.913.STOP (7867) or submit a tip online. Tipsters can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $10,000 in this case. The tip line is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Additionally, the Aurora Reward Fund is offering a $5,000 reward. There is now a combined reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the arrest of Joseph Castorena.
Agent Matthew Longshore
Public Information Officer
Public Affairs Unit
720.432.5095
Information previously released
(November 4) The Aurora Police Department has been working tirelessly to locate 21-year-old Joseph Mario Castorena, who killed four people on October 30, 2022.
Today, Juan Angel Castorena, 18-years-old, was arrested near West Belleview Avenue and South Federal Boulevard in Denver by Aurora Police Officers. Juan Castorena is the brother of Joseph Castorena.
Juan was transported to Aurora and booked into the jail facing the charge of accessory after the fact, 1st degree murder. At this time, there is no evidence indicating Juan was involved in the shootings on Geneva Street on October 30, 2022.
This arrest is the result of the hard work of many different Aurora Police Department Units and their collaboration with other State and Federal Agencies. We will continue our search for Joseph Castorena. We urge anyone with knowledge about his whereabouts to call 911 or submit a tip to Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.
To be eligible for the award and to remain anonymous, tipsters must call the tip line at 720.913.STOP (7867) or submit a tip online. Tipsters can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $10,000 in this case. The tip line is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Additionally, the Aurora Reward Fund is offering a $5,000 reward. There is now a combined reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the arrest of Joseph Castorena.
Sergeant Faith Goodrich
Public Information Officer
Media Relations Unit
720.432.5095
Information previously released
(November 1) The Aurora Police Department responded to a shooting in the 900 block of Geneva Street in the early morning hours of October 30, 2022. Four people were killed by 21-year-old Joseph Mario Castorena who has been on the run since this incident and has not been located.
Today, Metro Denver Crime Stoppers has increased their reward for information regarding the whereabouts of Joseph Castorena. To be eligible for the award and to remain anonymous, tipsters must call the tip line at 720.913.STOP (7867) or submit a tip online. Tipsters can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $10,000 in this case. The tip line is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Additionally, the Aurora Reward Fund is offering a $5,000 reward. There is now a combined reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the arrest of Joseph Castorena.
We are urging anyone with knowledge about his location to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers. If you see Joseph Castorena, you are urged to call 911 immediately.
Agent Matthew Longshore
Public Information Officer
Public Affairs Unit
720.432.5095
Information previously released
(October 30) The Aurora Police Department is investigating a quadruple homicide that occurred overnight near Delmar Parkway.
At 2:06 a.m., Aurora 911 received a call about suspicious activity in the 900 block of Geneva Street. Three minutes later, the dispatcher heard gunshots and upgraded the call.
Officers arrived at 2:15 a.m. to find four adults dead at a home near the intersection of East 10th Avenue and Geneva Street. Officers rescued two young children and a woman from the scene. The woman and the children were unharmed.
The children are not related to the woman or the suspect.
The ongoing investigation revealed the incident stemmed from an ongoing domestic situation between the surviving woman and the suspect, 21-year-old Joseph Mario Castorena. Castorena has a distinctive lion tattoo on the left side of his neck.
Castorena is on the run and should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with any information about Castorena or his whereabouts is asked to call 911 immediately.
The victims’ identities will be released by the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office following positive identification and notification of next of kin.
If you have any information about this case, and did not speak to detectives on scene, you may also contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720.913.STOP (7867). Tipsters could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000 and may remain anonymous.
Here’s a link to the news conference Aurora police Chief Dan Oates delivered Sunday morning from the scene.
Joe Moylan
Public Information Officer
Public Affairs Unit
720.432.5095
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