Delhi man sentenced by Merced County judge, expected to serve life for molesting children

A Delhi man was sentenced to 70 years to life in prison on Tuesday, three months after being convicted of child sex crimes related to the abuse of two children he sexually assaulted for years.

Conrad Castillo, 52, was convicted by a Merced County jury in December of three counts of committing a lewd act upon a child and two counts of oral copulation with a child 10 years old or younger, all felonies.

With the sentence, Castillo will likely spend the rest of his life in prison, as he won’t be eligible for parole until he is well over 100 years old.

Castillo requested a new attorney at the beginning of his sentencing hearing Tuesday morning, saying that he had insufficient counsel and wanted a new lawyer present.

Presiding Judge Steven Slocum denied that request, saying what Castillo was asking for was untimely.

Castillo also requested the legal right to be shown evidence proving he committed the crimes he was convicted of, which Slocum also denied. .

The two victims, who are now adults, told their father in May 2020 about the abuse at the hands of Castillo.

The victims’ father reported the abuse to police, according to a news release from the Merced County District Attorney’s Office.

Castillo admitted to the victims’ father that he used his tongue when touching the victims, as well as other inappropriate behavior.

During Castillo’s arrest, he provided an alias to Merced County Sheriff’s deputies and refused to immediately comply with law enforcement, the release said.

During trial Castillo maintained he never touched the victims in a sexual way. Both victims and their father testified during the trial, which was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Sara Rosenthal.

Castillo is expected to file an appeal within the week, according to his attorney, Scott Furstman.

He was also ordered to pay more than $50,000 in fines and fees, including $891 in restitution to the victims in the case.