JADA JUSTICE - Aged 2 years - Indiana (USA)

CNN

Indiana girl, 2, missing more than a week
June 25, 2009 -- Updated 1138 GMT (1938 HKT)

Jada Justice was last seen about 9:40 p.m. on June 16
Cousin stopped at convenience store in Gary, Indiana, to buy milk and cigarettes
Engelica Castillo said after returning, girl was missing from car seat in back of car
Mom says she and girl's father have taken polygraph tests

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/24/missing.indiana.girl/index.html

ABC News

Body found believed to be missing Gary toddler

Thursday, June 25, 2009 | 6:27 PM

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6884673

Jada Justice



Missing since 16 June 2009

Right Juris

27 June 2009

Jada Justice Body Found: Indiana Missing Toddler Body Found

Remains found in a rural Northern Indiana area have been confirmed to be those of missing 2 year old Jada Justice. Read about this story, see pictures and a video below.

http://law.rightpundits.com/?p=566

ABC Local

27 June 2009

Suspects held without bond in toddler's murder

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6887198&rss=rss-espnChicago-wls-article-6887198

Chicagoist

27 June 2009

Charges Made In Jada's Death

http://chicagoist.com/2009/06/27/charges_made_in_jadas_death.php

CBS2 Chicago

27 June 2009

Family, Friends Gather To Remember Jada Justice

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/jada.justice.memorial.2.1062678.html

Gary Post Tribune

28 June 2009

Balloon launch pays tribute to slain 2-year-old

http://www.post-trib.com/news/1642442,jadamemorial0628.article

NWI.com

Monday, June 29, 2009 12:00 am

By Bill Dolan

Police have to stun Jada Justice suspect before court hearing

Lake County police had to use a stun gun Monday morning on one of the two adults now charged with the murder of 2-year-old Jada Justice.

Tim Tkachik, 24, of Hobart, appeared for his initial hearing Monday morning with his head bandaged and a prominent bruise on his left cheek.

Michael Higgins, a spokesman for county police, said Tkachik became disruptive in a holding cell shortly before the court session. "He got up on a table and was trying to get into an electrical panel. He was asked nicely to get down and when he didn't they had to use a Tazer," Higgins said.

Higgins said jail medical staff tended to Tkachik's injuries arising from the incident.

His 18-year-old girlfriend, Engelica Castillo, also of Hobart was visibly trembling during the court session as she stood a few feet from Tkachik and heard they both were being charged with neglecting, battering and murdering Jada on June 13 as well as being charged with lying to police in their effort to cover up the crime.

(continues)

http://nwitimes.com/news/local/article_ae5c98dc-d2cc-5fea-925c-e86f062a910b.html

NWI.com

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 12:00 am

Jada Justice funeral services set for Friday



(snippet)

The girl's baby sitter and cousin, Engelica Castillo, and Castillo's boyfriend, Timothy Tkachik, were charged with her murder in the girl's death last week.

The couple are accused of dumping the girl's body, encased in concrete, on June 15 into a LaPorte County swamp, only after a failed attempt at burning her body to destroy evidence from the previous day.

They realized the girl was dead while en route to buy heroin on June 13, hours after Castillo beat the girl in her head, prosecutors allege.

http://nwitimes.com/news/local/article_0fbc000c-5282-5906-8113-3595777e5c80.html

CBS2 - Chicago

Jul 16, 2009 9:07 am US/Central

Father Awarded Custody Of Jada Justice's Siblings

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/jada.justice.father.2.1088117.html

WNDU.com

Sep 19, 2009

Ind. seeks life for babysitter charged with murder

http://www.wndu.com/indiana/headlines/59807662.html

My Fox News

Updated: Friday, 18 Sep 2009

Prosecutors Seek Life Sentence For Woman In Child's Murder


Jada Justice

(snippet)

Prosecutors plan to seek a life sentence without parole for a northwest Indiaan woman charged with the beating death of a toddler, the Post-Tribune is reporting.

Engelica Elisa Castillo, 18, of the 3900 block of Missouri Street in Hobart, Ind., was charged June 26 with murder, two counts of neglect of a dependent and battery in the death of 2-year-old Jada Justice.

Lake County prosecutors on Thursday filed an amended information seeking a sentence of life in prison without parole if Castillo is convicted. The request is based on an aggravating circumstance that prosecutors would have to prove -- that Castillo killed the girl, who was less than 12 years old.


Enjelica Castillo

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/Prosecutors_Seek_Life_For_Wom

Post-Tribune

October 9, 2009

Castillo trial delayed

The murder trial for a Hobart woman facing life without parole if convicted in the beating death of a Portage toddler has been postponed until March 29.

http://www.post-trib.com/news/lake/1815026,castillo1009.article

Post Tribune

October 30, 2009

BY RUTH ANN KRAUSE

Judge considers defense request for $72,000 in baby-killing case

http://www.post-trib.com/news/1854611,castillo.article

Post Tribune

November 8, 2009

BY ANDY GRIMM

Bill for capital cases delivered to taxpayers

Lake County, state have spent combined $2.7M defending death penalty defendants since 1990

(snippet)

This year, public defender Schneider has requested adding $200,000 to his budget in anticipation of expenses from defending Isom, and life-without-parole cases in some high-profile homicides -- notably Engelica Castillo and her boyfriend, Timothy Tkachik, charged with the murder of 2-year-old Jada Justice.

http://www.post-trib.com/news/1871391,penalty-death-1108.article

nwi.com

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Judge reschedules Castillo trial

Hobart woman charged with Jada Justice death

(snippet)

Lake Criminal Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. on Friday agreed to again reset the trial date of 19-year-old murder defendant Engelica Castillo.

Castillo had been slated to go to trial March 29, but Friday's hearing resulted in resetting the starting date to Aug. 2. The trial is estimated to run two weeks.

(...)

Activity on Tkachik's case appears to lag considerably behind that of Castillo. His last hearing Dec. 18 resulted in the defense's declining to set a trial date.

An omnibus hearing for Tkachik currently is set for Feb. 5.

http://nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/article_d1d89d45-3776-5a48-b4c9-36c34a676ee6.html

Gary Post Tribune

1 August 2010

500 potential jurors to be called for Castillo trial‎

Some 500 Lake County residents have been identified as potential jurors in the case of a Hobart woman charged in the death of 2-year-old Portage toddler Jada Justice.

They will begin reporting to the Lake County Government Center on Monday morning for the start of the trial of Engelica Elisa Castillo, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, two counts of neglect of a dependent, battery and false informing in Jada's death in June 2009.

One of the key witnesses during the trial will be Castillo's former boyfriend, Timothy John Tkachik, 25, who pleaded guilty June 21 to two counts of neglect of a dependent. Prosecutors may introduce as evidence some letters Castillo wrote to Tkachik and others while she's been held at the Lake County Jail.

In court, Tkachik admitted he endangered the girl by putting her in a situation that resulted in her death and by failing to get her prompt medical attention.

Tkachik and Castillo, who is the cousin of Jada's mother, Melissa Swiontek, had agreed to care for the girl between June 12 and June 18, 2009, at their rental home at 3925 Missouri St., Hobart.

http://www.post-trib.com/news/lake/2554146,new-castillo0801.article

NBC Chicago

2 August 2010

Jury Selection Begins in Jada Justice Trial‎

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/Jury-Selection-Begins-in-Jada-Justice-Trial-99802309.html

Gary Post Tribune

4 August 2010

Jury seated as Castillo murder trial set to start‎

http://www.post-trib.com/news/2562436,nu-castillo0804.article

nwitimes

4 August 2010

Several testify as Jada Justice case begins‎

Testimony in the Jada Justice slaying case began Wednesday afternoon following the final selection of four alternate jurors.

The regular jury, composed of seven women and five men, had been seated earlier after two days of intense grilling by Lake County deputy prosecutors and defense attorneys.

The jury is charged with judging the fate of Engelica Castillo, of Hobart. Castillo, who turns 20 on Friday, faces a potential sentence of life without parole if convicted in the death of her 2-year-old cousin, Jada Justice, of Portage.

In opening statements, deputy prosecutor David Urbanski set the stage for the state's star witness, Castillo's boyfriend, 25-year-old Timothy Tkachik, also of Hobart.

Tkachik faced the same five charges in the case as Castillo until he entered into a plea bargain last month, which includes testifying against his girlfriend.

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/laporte/article_e2b552f2-a3fb-5ab8-9a82-307e7d2cf53a.html

Gary Post Tribune

5 August 2010

Castillo murder trial begins; mother takes stand

http://www.post-trib.com/news/lake/2568394,new-castillo0805.article

ABC 7 Chicago

6 August 2010

Ex-boyfriend testifies in toddler murder trial‎

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7594913

CBS2 Chicago

6 August 2010

Jada Justice Case: Boyfriend Admits Role In Abuse‎

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/jada.justice.trial.2.1846235.html

Gary Post Tribune

7 August 2010

Detective: Castillo reacted with anger during questioning‎

http://www.post-trib.com/news/lake/2573594,new-castillo0807.article