A Fort Worth man who stayed in the car while four friends robbed a high school Halloween party at gunpoint has been sentenced to 10 years of deferred-adjudication probation.
David Castro, 20, will not have a conviction on his record if he completes the probationary term without further incident.Castro testified against the others, telling jurors he did not go inside the Pantego home where members of the Arlington school district's gymnastics teams were holding a party.The four masked youths who went inside initially posed as partygoers but eventually pulled their guns and forced the students to the floor. The father of one of the students was severely beaten when he interrupted the robbery by arriving to pick up his son.Castro's sentence came as part of a plea deal with prosecutors in exchange for his testimony."He provided important evidence that helped lead to the conviction of the four gun-wielding criminals who did more than stay in the car," prosecutor Brock Groom, who tried the case with Page Simpson, said in an e-mail."Castro sat in the Tarrant County Jail for nearly two years and now, if he fails to maintain strict compliance with all the terms and conditions of his sentence at any point in the next 10 years, he faces the potential of up to 99 years in prison."Castro's attorney, Lisa Mullen, could not be reached for comment.Castro was sentenced Friday by state District Judge Mike Thomas. His sentence came just a few days after the sentencing of Pablo Garcia, 19, of Fort Worth, who received 45 years in prison for what Groom said was a key role in the 2010 robbery. Another ringleader of the group, Pedro Dominguez, 19, was convicted of aggravated robbery by a jury and sentenced to 99 years in prison. He will be eligible for parole in 30 years.Accomplice Jonathan Diaz, 19, reached a plea deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. A juvenile who participated was sentenced to 10 years in a state juvenile facility.Witnesses told jurors that the group laughed about their exploits afterward and posed for pictures wearing their masks, with guns drawn.Dianna Hunt, 817-390-7084Twitter: @DiannaHuntHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
