Beach Park man found guilty of 2011 murder of Waukegan man
A Beach Park man accused of assisting in the torture and murder of a 27-year-old Waukegan man was found guilty by a Lake County jury Friday.
Eric Castillo, 26, of the 38000 block of North Sheridan Road, faces life in prison for the murder of David Campbell in an auto-body garage in Waukegan on July 5, 2011.
It took less than three hours for a jury to reach its verdict. The jury of six men and six women also agreed Castillo should receive extra prison time for the cruel and unusual punishment of Campbell before his death.
Because of the added prison time, Castillo faces 30 years to life in prison with no possibility of parole.
Members of Campbell's family wept outside of the courtroom after the verdict was read, but they did not talk with reporters.
Authorities said five people - including Castillo - were looking for revenge when they lured Campbell to a Waukegan auto-body shop on Dugdale Street through a fake drug deal and attacked him.
Castillo was accused of grabbing Campbell from behind and holding him while a second assailant hit him in the head with a hammer, authorities said.
After the initial attack, authorities said, the five assailants interrogated, tortured, and eventually killed Campbell in the garage, before dumping his body in the Penny Road Pond in unincorporated Cook County near Barrington.
Authorities said the five also hid Campbell's car in Indiana, before splitting up the $15,000 to $20,000 in cash he had in his possession.
Police said the attack against Campbell came after he was wrongly accused of sexually assaulting a female assailant five days earlier.
Defense attorneys argued throughout the trial that Castillo was not at the garage to kill Campbell, and was unaware the situation would result in a murder.
Assistant state's attorneys Jim Newman and Robert Money were not able to comment after the verdict.
This is the third of four cases involving Campbell's death that has been decided.
Jose Horta, 21, of the 300 block of Edison Court in Waukegan, is due to be sentenced to prison March 11 after being found guilty of murder in November.
Roberto Guzman, 26, of the 1000 block of Berwick Boulevard in Waukegan, was sentenced to 29 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in May.
Nadia Palacios, 24, of 3500 block of Windhaven Drive in Waukegan, is awaiting trial.
Authorities believe a fifth suspect in Campbell's murder has eluded capture.
Castillo's sentencing date will be decided at his April 2 court appearance.