El Paso man sentenced to 45 years for machete murder in Lower Valley
El Paso, Texas (KVIA) -- An El Paso man has been sentenced to 45 years in state prison after pleading guilty to the 2023 murder of a Lower Valley resident in a machete attack.
Jan Carlo Castillo, 25, entered a guilty plea to first-degree murder during a hearing on Thursday, April 17, in the 384th District Court. Judge Patrick M. Garcia accepted the plea, which also included Castillo waiving all appellate rights as part of the agreement.
The victim, 34-year-old Brian Valentin Almanza, was found dead on September 12, 2023.
El Paso Police investigators reported that Almanza suffered multiple deep lacerations across his body, consistent with a machete attack. Surveillance footage from the apartment complex showed a man later identified as Castillo approaching the apartment late on the night of September 11 and leaving shortly after while concealing an object in a bundle of clothing.
Castillo was arrested on September 21, 2023, after officers spotted him jaywalking on Alameda Avenue.
