Man convicted of killing women he claimed were witches

A New York City man has been convicted of fatally beating his girlfriend and her daughter with a hammer because he claimed the two were witches and had been casting voodoo spells on him.

Forty-eight-year-old Carlos Alberto Amarillo, of Queens, was found guilty Wednesday of murder, criminal possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child.

“I killed them because they are witches,” Amarillo reportedly said on the 911 call, according to the statement. “I want the police to kill me. I killed them with a hammer.”

The bodies of 56-year-old Estrella Castaneda and 25-year-old Lina Castaneda were found brutally beaten in their home in January 2014. Lina’s 7-year-old daughter was found unharmed.

Court records say Amarillo called 911 saying the women were “assassinated” and that he killed them because they were witches. When officers arrived, Amarillo was holding a Bible and said the women had cast spells, which made him sick.

A message left with Amarillo’s lawyer wasn’t immediately returned.