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00:00September the 1st is set to be a big day it was Erin's birthday she was having the time of her
00:08life it was her time to shine and it was amazing Erin has been counting down the days to her 19th
00:17birthday she plans to celebrate she knew who she was she had a lot of confidence which I
00:30admired Erin gets ready to go out dancing with her friends her favorite thing was to dance I think it
00:38was kind of a big deal that she was able to go to a place like that Erin was looking for a wonderful
00:46birthday celebration and night out with friends the celebratory mood shifts when Erin's on-off
00:53boyfriend Joshua Garcia arrives this is not a good relationship I was definitely uneasy about Erin
00:59going out that night knowing that Josh was gonna be around I told her I don't like him I don't think
01:06it's safe and I don't want him here because I don't think he's a good person his friend was going to be
01:13driving them and I said well you've got precious cargo said absolutely and have a good time and
01:20we'll be home early no one knew it would be her last night out like something in me like my soul knew she was gone
01:29in San Antonio Texas 18 year old Erin Castro eagerly awaits her birthday birthdays are always a big deal in our family
01:56so it was exciting because she's the baby and um we always like to shower her with a lot of love
02:08Erin loved the fuss loved it that it's her day and we are doing everything Erin loves to do she was like I'm so excited I'm gonna be older
02:23there was a lot of positive things that were coming up for air we were looking for a car for her she was looking to go to school there was a lot of things that were exciting to make this birthday extra special
02:41she was working at her mom's restaurant she loved it there we worked as waitresses together it wasn't so
02:53much work for us it was more just hanging out with family she made sure to let everyone know that her
03:00birthday was coming up the customers loved her she would be laughing joking doing the things and it'd be like Erin you
03:09have to have to get to work they loved her and she loved them she had regular customers Monday through
03:16Friday but she wanted everyone to make sure they came back on Saturday for her birthday
03:23on Saturday September the 1st 2018 Erin turns 19 she has a shift at the hot diner
03:35no bother that it was her birthday and she was going to work it was exactly where she wanted to be that day
03:41everybody that she told came in throughout the whole day and would come and wish her happy birthday and bring
03:57her gifts it was like a whole thing she always was super giggly and really radiant she was just so
04:06positive and just full of life that I loved about her we all came to the hut to come see her and we spent
04:14um hours sitting at the table just talking to her she was having the time of her life I was like aren't you
04:22supposed to be working working and she was like yeah but it's okay she wanted to spend time with my
04:28great-grandmother and she wanted to spend time with us
04:30we were there with her all day long and at the end of the day her stepdad had bought her a cake with a
04:42bunch of animals on it it looked like for maybe a preschooler but it was perfect for her we all sang
04:49her happy birthday they sang her happy birthday quite a bit throughout the day
04:52this place was crowded we would close at three but everybody was just enjoying time spending time
05:06seeing her so I don't think we closed until later because of that it was just a great day
05:13the past year hasn't been easy for Erin
05:18a turbulent relationship with her high school sweetheart has caused a lot of heartache
05:26Erin and Joshua met when Erin was 14. this was not a good relationship it was toxic it was controlling
05:37nobody liked Joshua Garcia nobody wanted her to spend time with him I told her I don't like him
05:46because I don't think he's a good person one of the things I think that was hardest for her friends and
05:55family was this kind of rollercoaster relationship not only in terms of the dynamics but in terms of the
06:03breaking up and getting back together on the evening of her birthday Erin plans to go dancing
06:12she and her friends had been talking about going to Club Lush for about a month and they decided
06:19they're going to go the night of her birthday she loved loved dancing even her mom was telling her you
06:25know if you don't end up with a career you don't get a job you should be a backup backup dancer she was
06:29great at it so there was a like an 18 and up club I think it was kind of a big deal that she was able
06:37to go to a place like that Erin's friends arranged to meet at her home before getting ready together
06:51her friends started coming over a couple of her girlfriends and I heard them you know in the other
06:57room laughing and having fun and doing all the things that you know girls do together she had
07:06music playing loud putting on makeup that was one of the main things we're gonna make up it took forever
07:14another thing about it she had ordered a beautiful dress and some shoes to go and that was what she was
07:25gonna wear to go out and she looked stunning Erin's mother Raina is surprised by the appearance of one guest I
07:43go in to check on you know just to say hi and Josh was there I was under the impression it was going
07:54to be her and her girlfriends but it's her day and by all means I wanted her to have a good time
08:03Garcia wants Erin to ride with him and her friends are strongly encouraging her to ride with them
08:12I said would you like me to Uber you he said no that his friend was going to be driving them
08:21and I said well you've got precious cargo
08:26the phone calls almost immediately started she tells Raina mom I'm in the car with Joshua
08:45and she starts talking about that she's getting concerned and that things are getting bad
08:51now I just wanted her home and started to tell her let me go get you let me go pick you up
09:0140 minutes later her mom gets another call
09:07she's hysterical crying that he had hit her she's screaming and all of a sudden she says he stabbed me
09:20and that's when I heard like a the worst gut-wrenching
09:32screen screen and the phone went dead
09:42Erin Castro's birthday celebrations have taken a terrifying turn what should have been a night of
09:57dancing has descended into violence her mother Raina is frantic with worry about her youngest child Erin the baby of the family
10:08Erin had two older sisters and an older brother she was funny she could be a little annoying at times
10:21but at the end of the day I saw her as like my baby I even had her saved in my phone as the baby
10:29growing up here in South Texas we've got hardly any winter so it's warm all year long
10:41a favorite thing for all the kids to do was we'd always gravitate to my parents house to the swimming pool
10:49Erin was fearless she did everything a hundred percent she had a lot of confidence which I admired and
10:59for her to be so young and for me to be the oldest one I admired that from her
11:05I thought she was beautiful she was just an amazing person I honestly didn't believe that anyone could make
11:30Karen feel bad about the way she looks I didn't feel that that was possible because of how how high she held
11:42herself in her standards but when that dam broke it came rushing down it was it happened so fast
11:52aged 14 Erin enrolls at John Marshall high school where she meets Joshua Garcia Erin loved school she
12:13didn't have to put in too much effort it just came naturally
12:17she told me she had a crush I think she thought that I would have said something as in like you're too
12:25young um so she would just tell me she like I have a crush and that's it um she knows me too well
12:34I guess a little bit further more into their relationship uh was when I started noticing
12:41because she would go on dates and stuff getting a little older you know she'd ask for a little
12:47bit more space and I trusted Erin I trust her judgment I took them to the movies and I picked them up
12:56I was like well as long as he's making you happy then I'm happy for you
13:01Erin's boyfriend's life is very different from her own
13:08they didn't really have much in common from my understanding
13:13she comes from a very very supportive family very loving family his family is much more complicated
13:22much uh more chaotic I have other opinions from other people that have said you know that Josh is
13:29sweet and you know kind and stuff like that I never saw that side of Josh I don't think the people
13:33hanging out with were that good of a crowd as the relationship continues those around Erin sense a
13:45change in her and I didn't see anything until I would say her junior year and it was very subtle
13:52it was just something wasn't right she'd be like hey can you pick me up from school I don't want to be
13:59here so I thought that was a little weird and that's why I was like well aren't you like isn't
14:03your boyfriend there don't you want to spend time with him and she'd be like no I just want to go home
14:08I definitely saw a change in her confidence she would brush it away and always have an explanation
14:16for it but I definitely saw changes even in her makeup in her clothes she was like I don't want to
14:23wear makeup and it kind of shocked me because she was the one that was like very presentable hey what's
14:32what's wrong like are you okay um she'd be like yeah I'm fine I just didn't feel like wearing makeup
14:38which was really weird it doesn't take long for Erin to start confiding in her friends about what's
14:45going on behind the scenes she was telling me like you know Josh was telling me no you're ugly you're
14:51fat um you have acne things like that so he's constantly trying to control her he's constantly
14:58trying to kind of undermine and undercut her and make her feel like nobody else would want you
15:03you're lucky to have me Erin has kept Joshua's cruelty hidden from her family but when the school
15:18gets involved that all changes like most teenagers her prized possession was her backpack with all her
15:26things in it makeup etc and somebody from the school had called her boyfriend had been arguing
15:34with her he'd taken her backpack away and wouldn't give it back and fled the school because he didn't
15:40want her wearing makeup the relationship continues so do the calls from the school he was yelling at her in
15:52the hallway calling her awful names in front of everyone then I'd hear that he had looked
16:02through Erin's phone Erin had gotten a text from another boy and that Joshua who was looking through
16:11her phone has seen this text and actually attacked this boy and broken his nose we had mediations
16:21with the deputy um that patrols the school and makes you know sure the children are safe and I'll never
16:31forget that her senior year he looked at her to her face and said one day he's gonna kill you
16:45Reyna presses charges against Garcia he's expelled from the school and Erin stops seeing him
16:51her sister encourages her to seek out less serious less unhealthy relationships she had crushes and
17:00stuff and I'd be like well you should talk to him you should go for it you're not married I thought she
17:08was moving on I was in a way happy she was speaking to somebody else Josh I guess ended up finding out that
17:14that she was speaking to somebody else and he went and reached out to that guy and let him know you
17:20know to stay away from Marian maybe he didn't he was gonna hurt him Erin was since she could talk was
17:28excited about wearing big dresses and makeup so I knew that prom would be a very important part of Erin's school
17:37time Erin on the one hand being starting to be told by Joshua Garcia that she's not attractive or she's
17:46heavy she's unfortunately getting some confirmation of this because people who especially boys at school
17:52will have nothing to do with her but the irony is it's because of Joshua Garcia it's because of his
17:58actions they're afraid to be around Erin because of what this guy might do to them I felt so bad for Erin she
18:10was becoming isolated but us as a family we always try to help each other and my amazing son-in-law
18:19he um he said well I'm not from here Erin let's go Erin always looked beautiful but that night she
18:32glowed she just was so happy and full of hope you know confident Erin Joshua Garcia always has a
18:46strategy to get Erin back whether it be him calling and saying he was gonna hurt himself or a sub story
18:57about how his you know family didn't care about him she felt sorry for him she wanted to help him in any
19:06way because she was loving and I think she tried to change how he was an abusive relationship doesn't
19:19start when somebody hits you and it's so important for us to talk about the signs that are not violent
19:27physically because oftentimes the physical violence it is the third quarter of a football game there were
19:35instances that Aaron would have bruises on her legs or arms and she could always make an excuse for them
19:43Erin's friends believe Joshua Garcia is the one causing her injuries they also believe Erin is in real danger
19:54Erin had told me to pick her up she was um at the apartment of Josh
20:04we got to my apartment and she was bruised up from her arm because he was like grabbing her and she was
20:13crying saying that he was being like ugly towards her I believe Erin at first wanted to leave and he
20:17was then letting her leave um and he had took a gun out on Erin
20:23so this was a serious domestic violence um which is really shocking when you have somebody who is that young
20:33I was planning to go out to a house party um with our mutual friend and Erin had called me on my phone
20:39and that she was with Josh she said she was gonna walk home it was just a 10-minute walk we ended up leaving the party we tried calling we tried texting she never responded
20:50I felt like I don't know if I heard a whimper
20:57so I turned on the light and when I looked at her her face was bruised she had awful road burn on her leg
21:12she tried to say that she got into a fight with some girls and I immediately said no Erin no
21:21the truth is more shocking than they can imagine Erin has been subjected to a sickening attack he beat her
21:32broke her nose threw her out of the moving vehicle ran her over and then went looking for her Erin is terrified
21:45and she ends up hiding in the bushes from him and he is circling around and looking for her and he ends
21:56up finding her and he wrestles her back in the car and he got her back in his car and then he stopped at
22:03the the gas station by the house and was attempting to clean her up and put makeup on her and then he
22:13proceeded to leave her off down the street from the house and had to walk home scared with a broken
22:21leg to see her like that hurt we called the police immediately and made a police report filed charges I
22:33took her to the hospital and that was the second time that a complete stranger would tell her to her
22:42face that he was going to kill her
22:4416 year old Erin Castro has been subjected to a violent and sustained attack at the hands of on
23:00off boyfriend 17 year old Joshua Garcia he's charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and
23:07detained following his indictment by a grand jury with Garcia behind bars Erin's family are relieved to
23:15see an opportunity for a fresh start one without him everybody was definitely involved in trying to
23:22have Erin know how much she was loved maybe it was something awful that we're gonna go through but she
23:27was gonna come out you know as a victor on the other side finally I felt like she was serious your spark is
23:35back you're happy like there's no reason for you to even think to talk to that person anymore something was
23:43gonna come out of it good and it did for a while the phone calls started even when he was in jail and it was
23:55all directed at it's your fault everybody who knew Erin talked about what a giving person that she was and
24:05what a loving person that she was and I think that's for the most part of strength but if you have that
24:11personality and you encounter the wrong person that empathy and that compassion it can almost be used as a
24:20weapon against you it was hard for me trying to stay and save her from him when she would just wanted to save him
24:26I did start to see the anxious Erin came back you know when that phone would ring she'd have to get to
24:35it and be private with it I found out later on that she recanted her story Erin submitted an affidavit
24:48saying that the injuries she sustained were not Joshua Garcia's fault she caused them herself she said
24:57he was released from jail she didn't press any charges and it was really heartbreaking to watch
25:03that she still wanted to be with him after he hurt her we had a lot of conversations about what was
25:11holding her I can remember us sitting on my bed and talking about it and her crying and I believe it
25:21was a fear that maybe all the things that he had told her could be true this kind of coercive control
25:29and abuse can wear anybody down over time Erin believes things will be different this time
25:36in reality Garcia's behavior is getting worse there is nowhere that Erin is safe from him
25:45I know he had broken into Erin's house I'm not sure if it was like once or twice
25:50um where Erin was afraid sometimes to go to sleep it was just like chipping away from her
25:56inch by inch that's what his goal was to just chip her slowly bring everything down
26:03it was the hardest time I've had as a mother wrestling with what to do Erin's my baby she was my daughter
26:16I so desperately wanted to to fix it and I obviously knew that this relationship was going to continue
26:25so we were out one day and we were going to go to lunch and she said well I was going to hang
26:34out with Josh and I made the decision to ask her to invite him to come with us I think I was desperate
26:45at the time and I was just trying to be encouraging and I told him you know just be good to my daughter
26:54and I'll be good to you and things will work out and it seemed promising for a while but then the
27:05whole like roller coaster of arguments started again there was an element of fear Erin felt like he was
27:18omnipotent that he could do anything he wanted to without there being really any repercussions I
27:25recall one time he had told Erin when she was in my apartment that he was gonna show up with a gun and
27:30kill us and things like that Erin kept watching through the window she was scared it went downhill
27:36pretty fast and before I knew it it was her birthday was coming up that morning she woke up excited and
27:55happy she said if you know I gotta get to work I think she knew she had an audience that was gonna
28:02be waiting for her I was not working I picked up my great-grandmother and we all came to the hut to come
28:13see her I felt like she was in a good headspace I thought there was a click in her head that she's
28:20ready to move on and do the things that she wants to do the conversation we had at the table while she
28:29was working was about her going to college Erin wanted to be a veterinarian and loved animals ever
28:38since she was a child we had three adopted dogs that she had brought home I still have Lola with me
28:47as evening comes Erin prepares for the next phase of her birthday celebrations she's going to get
29:03together with some of her friends and start celebrating with them Erin has gotten all dressed
29:10up in a special outfit and done her makeup and everything and Joshua Garcia shows up Joshua and his
29:20friend are drinking he takes Erin aside to speak to her and within minutes her friends see that she's in
29:27tears and had taken off a glamorous birthday outfit before I knew it she was changing she said well I
29:34just didn't feel comfortable in that it's all about him and him exerting control over her Josh affected
29:43her self-esteem and stuff like that he would tell her that she was fat and she was telling me like you
29:49know Josh was telling me there that my clothes doesn't fit me that it's too tight on me things like
29:54that even on her birthday which is such a special occasion for Erin that he is not only able to
30:04come in and to start controlling her her mood her feelings her demeanor what she wears but he's willing to
30:13do that I was definitely uneasy about Erin going out that night just knowing that Josh was going to be
30:22around Erin is supposed to ride with her friends now she says she will travel with Josh and his friend
30:36they set off in the green SUV that Josh has borrowed from his brother they've been gone less than an hour
30:43when Raina receives a call from Erin they were fighting and I said well it's your birthday you shouldn't
30:50be fighting the fighting escalates quickly Erin gets out of the car at a gas station and calls her
30:58friends Erin text her friends we're fighting please come pick me up her friends can't find out where she
31:07is exactly and they're also you know frustrated because they're calling her she's not answering her
31:16friends her thinking we've heard this song before I started to get the understanding that she was not
31:25with her friends and that she was with him and his friends really start to panic Josh has got Erin back in
31:34his car he's driving towards the Camp Bullis Road he calls his brother to meet him he gets there driving the
31:42silver Lexus initially what he sees is Garcia in the front seat hitting Erin in the backseat his friend
31:52manages to pull him out of the car when he does Joshua jumps in the backseat and continues to hit Erin
32:01I'm calling calling and calling and calling like oh just redial redial redial all these texts I was
32:12sending her like answer your phone now answer your phone now 40 minutes later her mom gets another call
32:19and Erin is panicked I can't get out of the car I don't know where I am
32:26she's screaming and all of a sudden she says Joshua stabbed me I'm bleeding in my neck I'm bleeding in my
32:35face and I can't get out of the car and all of a sudden she hears this just blood curdling scream
32:41at this point Garcia grabs her by the hair throws her on the ground kicks her in the ribs and kicks her in
32:50the head and she's not really moving the phone goes dad I could see the time was still going so she was
33:00on the other end and so I kept saying Erin Erin and I didn't want to hang up so I got the neighbor to
33:08to call the police for me Erin is laying on the ground she is behind the green forerunner that they
33:21arrived in and she's also in front of the silver Lexus that his brother drove so his brother decides to
33:28get in the car and turn the forerunner around and all of a sudden Joshua Garcia jumped in the Lexus
33:36accelerates and rolls over Erin's body runs over her and then stops reverses and rolls over her again
33:47backs up over her he gets out of the car and he kicks her and they all drive off her mom spends the
33:59next hour and 20 minutes or so hanging onto this phone desperately hoping that her daughter is going to
34:05come back on the line police are triangulating Erin's phone and have been briefed to look out for the
34:14green SUV that Joshua is driving I thought you know if we just get enough information we'll be able to
34:21find her and bring her home
34:23police were basically track the signal where Erin's phone had pinged last and they drive to Camp Bullis
34:44road they find Erin on the side of the road in the breakdown lane
34:49the police showed up at the house and I think I just fell to my knees and said
34:57no no no no no I did something like I knew like something in me like my soul knew she was gone
35:11to think of having to go through life without my daughter I wouldn't think that was possible
35:27Erin has been beaten and run over repeatedly her injuries are too catastrophic to survive just hours
35:52into her 19th birthday she is pronounced dead ex-boyfriend Joshua Garcia is the prime suspect but he is on the
36:03run police are on the lookout for this green you know forerunner and they noticed this silver Lexus
36:12driving off kind of you know fast after they find Erin and realize kind of what has happened they become
36:19concerned that perhaps this car was involved and so they began looking for this car as well they were
36:26looking for him I had told him like an address that I knew we have Joshua driving the silver Lexus and we
36:33have this brother who's in the green forerunner at some point they stop at a Walmart and they switch
36:39Garcia is making his way back home he makes a phone call to his mom and tells her essentially that he
36:46has run over his girlfriend they all meet back at this Studio 6 hotel CCT footage shows Joshua Garcia in
37:00the parking lot there is some video of Joshua throwing some shoes away in the gutter when police
37:09would show up initially Joshua is not there but later on they find out that he has returned to the hotel
37:16they show up and they arrest him the two vehicles are recovered a knife is found in the SUV and the Lexus
37:28shows clear damage as well as bloodstains but Joshua Garcia accepts no responsibility for Erin's death or
37:37when they bring a Joshua Garcia in for questioning he says Aaron suddenly attacks him as he's driving and
37:44and that he doesn't know what to do so he lets her out of the car and drives off that she may have fallen
37:52down but he had no idea that she was dead later however he acknowledges he did hit Erin with a knife
38:02only of course because Erin is attacking him as he's driving and that yes he did run over her once with
38:10the car because he was afraid she was going to call the police and he was going to have to go back to jail
38:15charged with Erin's murder Garcia spends almost three years in Bear County jail his family unable to raise
38:32the two hundred thousand dollars bail on his 23rd birthday he appeared in the 227th district court he
38:42pleaded guilty to Erin's murder and was sentenced to 35 years in prison he will be eligible for parole after
38:50serving half that sentence the nature of this murder is incredibly violent it is it is brutal he is literally
39:02trying to erase this person from the face of the earth then leaving her on the side of the road
39:07like a piece of garbage they never ever even looked at us or like to Erin's mom or ever try to apologize
39:16it's like Erin's life didn't matter to him they gave him 32 years and that I feel like he's only gonna be 50
39:25he can still date and he can still live his life and that's not justice because she's not here she
39:33can't have the life that she wanted or deserved
39:37Erin's loved ones will never know the truth of what happened that night but they believe Erin
39:44had finally had finally had enough of Garcia
39:46that day on her birthday I do feel like she was ready to leave I do feel like she was
39:57gonna break up and move on with her life I feel like there was an argument that happened
40:08because I know something had to set him off and I feel like that was the argument that she didn't
40:15want to be with him anymore Joshua Garcia felt that Erin was his possession and he could essentially do
40:23whatever he wanted to with her and that if she didn't go along with all the things that in his mind a
40:31relationship was supposed to be like that she deserved whatever she got they did show up to
40:40the funeral but I couldn't I couldn't walk inside it was too it was too hard for me I got a lot of
40:47outpouring of support but I also got I've got a lot of people that reached out to me and let me know
40:57that they had been in relationships like this where their daughter was in a relationship like this
41:02and I know that it was becoming very evident that this wasn't just a isolated thing with Erin that
41:14this was a vast problem my mom called me and was telling me that you know we have to do something
41:25so we just grabbed all our family members and we talked about the idea of starting a foundation if
41:36this family didn't do something then who would the Erin Reyes Castro Foundation was established to
41:47tackle domestic abuse it aims to enlighten educate and support young people giving advice and scholarships
41:55those are conversations that have to be had we can't brush those things under the rug we have
42:02to take them serious and we need to educate early when I go speak at high schools all these girls remind
42:11me of Erin they could have all been Erin and to try to help those to try to help those that are going through
42:21something we want them to know that they're not alone going through this and I feel like I should be one of the
42:30ones to talk about it my sister's life was taken because of this and I'm gonna say something now and I'm not
42:37gonna sugarcoat it to share our story keeps her alive with me but I think the biggest thing is it's seeing
42:49how it's helped other teenagers Joshua Garcia's warped ideas of love meant that Erin's 19th birthday was her
43:02last night out leaving behind a family who strived to associate that anniversary with positivity and
43:09love for Erin we do celebrate her birthday still we'll go see her grave site but the biggest thing
43:17that we do do is we give out the scholarships on her birthday I feel like Erin would be proud of us and I
43:25feel like she wanted wouldn't want to hide her story she'd want the world to know and if she can
43:32save one life then we're saving everybody that's the spirit of Erin she'd never want one of her friends
43:40to go through what she went through she'd never want a stranger to go with through what she went through
43:47that's Erin
44:17you
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