Crime & Safety
Burlington County Man Indicted in Murder of Atlantic County Man
Michael Castro allegedly killed John Kingsbury while attempting to rob his home four years ago.
A Burlington County man has been charged in connection with the murder of an Atlantic County man who was found fatally shot inside a home four years ago, Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain announced Wednesday night.
Michael K. Castro, 34, of Pemberton, was indicted on nine criminal counts, including murder and felony murder. He was subsequently arrested on a warrant Wednesday morning.
The nine counts include:
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first degree murder;
first degree felony murder;
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second degree burglary, while armed with a deadly weapon;
second degree burglary, while inflicting bodily injury upon the victim;
second degree possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose;
second degree unlawful possession of a handgun without first obtaining a permit; and
three counts of third degree passing bad checks.
He was lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility on $800,000 full cash bail.
A family member discovered John Kingsbury, 77, injured and bleeding inside a residence located on the 2100 block of Woodland Avenue, Mullica Township on Feb. 5, 2012.
The Mullica Township Police Department and ambulance personnel responded to the scene. Kingsburg was transported to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center Mainland Campus, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
A subsequent autopsy revealed that Kingsbury had sustained two gunshot wounds to the head. Kingsbury’s death was ruled a homicide.
Through an intensive investigation, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Mullica Township Police Department determined that Castro killed Kingsbury during an attempted burglary.
Castro was arrested at his home on April 9, 2013, by members of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
He was lodged at the Broward County Jail in Florida, later extradited to New Jersey, and held at the Atlantic County Justice Facility on $1,100,000 full cash bail.
He was indicted for murder, felony murder, 2 counts of burglary, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a handgun on July 3, 2013. However, that indictment was dismissed on June 17, 2014.
He was re-indicted on Wednesday.
A conviction for murder carries a potential sentence of incarceration in New Jersey State Prison for a period of 30 years to life. The potential penalty a 2 nd degree conviction is 5-10 years of imprisonment, and the potential prison penalty for a 3rd degree conviction is 3-5 years.
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