Inset: Ruben Castro Jr. (Guadalupe County Jail). Background: Sierra Rios, one of Castro’s alleged victims (KSAT/YouTube).
Victims of a Texas man who allegedly sexually assaulted them when they were children are now adults and are determined to disprove his claims of being near death and too ill to appear in court.
Ruben Castro Jr., a 65-year-old man from Guadalupe County, was charged in 2020 with two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and sexual contact with a child for incidents dating back to 2007. Despite these serious allegations, reported by San Antonio’s KSAT, the case has faced numerous delays due to Castro’s purported health issues. These include a severe stomach ulcer in 2022 and three strokes, rendering him allegedly too frail to undergo surgery.
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During a recent court session, a prosecutor informed the judge about Castro’s medical condition, citing details obtained from his health records through a subpoena.
“They’re just trying to keep him as comfortable as possible before he passes away,” the prosecutor reportedly said. “That’s how dire it is.”
Skeptical of the claims, Castro’s accusers took matters into their own hands. They reportedly gathered cellphone footage of him out and about, suggesting he’s not as sick as he claims. One video shows him working on the deck outside his San Antonio modular home, KSAT reports. In another, he’s outside a hotel, standing next to a U-Haul truck. They sent the videos to the Guadalupe County Attorney’s Office.
“We don’t know the law,” one of his alleged victims, his step-granddaughter Sierra Rios, now 29, told KSAT. “All we know is what we went through and now we’re having to become detectives ourselves, just to get our own justice,”
Rios said Castro would sneak into her room at night while she was sleeping and sexually assault her. She expressed dismay about Castro apparently gaming the system.
“A lot of times as victims we’re, I guess, silenced by the fear of having to retell our story over, over and over again,” she said. “Now it’s almost like they are protecting him and I want them to know and I want Ruben to know I’m not letting it go.”
Their efforts have apparently paid off. A judge set a status hearing for Jan. 31. On Wednesday, the day after the KSAT story aired, the Guadalupe County Community Supervision and Corrections Department (CSCD) filed a memorandum, which was obtained by Law&Crime, asking the judge to increase his bond. After his October 2020 arrest, Castro posted a $100,000 bond in March 2021. As part of his terms of release, he was supposed to report to the department.
“Since that time, Mr. Castro and defense counsel have presented to the Court that the defendant has been unable to attend Court hearings due to medical conditions,” the memo states. “He has been set for various Medical Health Status Checks. Mr. Castro has not reported to the Guadalupe County CSCD since Sept. 8, 2022. He has failed to provide medical documentation to this department to support his claims.”
The judge increased his bond to $500,000 and issued a warrant for his arrest, records show. As of Thursday morning, he had not yet been arrested.
Castro’s lawyer told KSAT she learned about the videos of her client from prosecutors. She told the station she couldn’t comment on the case, but in general when a client is not “honest” with her or “misrepresents something to the court” she will withdraw as their attorney. She has since done exactly that.
