GUILTY NV - Damian Avila Castro, 4 mos, dies in axe attack, Las Vegas, 11 Feb 2010

Missizzy

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http://www.ktnv.com/global/story.asp?s=11971709

"Las Vegas Metro Homicide detectives are investigating a grizzly attack that left a 4-month-old boy dead and two others wounded.

Police were called to 1600 block of San Pedro Avenue, near Maryland Parkway and Sahara, just before noon on Thursday. Investigators say the 33-year-old suspect, Harold Montague, came out of his house with an axe and toward a woman who was walking her son in a stroller.

Moments later, the man reportedly went on the attack, swinging the axe at both mom and son. Police say the attack was random, and the axe wielding man did not know the woman and her baby.

The witness who dialed 911 says she tried to intervene."

More at link
 
Sometimes these events are so unbelievable -- and always heartbreaking.
 
My heart just breaks for the neighbor who confronted him but wasn't able to stop him. I sure as heck hope that victim witness funds cover trauma therapy for innocent bystanders.
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100213...jA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNzdXNwZWN0aW5heHM-


Suspect in ax slaying tells police he blacked out


"A man wielding a medieval-style battle ax wounded his sister-in-law before going on a deadly, random rampage with the weapon outside his Las Vegas home, killing a 4-month-old baby and critically injuring the child's mother, police said Friday.

Harold E. Montague told police he doesn't remember the attack. He didn't know the woman or the boy he is accused of hacking with the blade of the ax during the rampage a little before noon Thursday on a residential street about a mile east of Las Vegas Boulevard, police Lt. Lewis Roberts said.

Montague, 33, also is accused of stabbing his sister-in-law, a mentally disabled woman, more than 20 times with a point of the ax before bursting out of a home into the street.
"We don't know what set him off," Roberts said after Montague was interviewed by homicide detectives and taken to the Clark County jail.

"He claims he blacked out. He said he doesn't remember anything," Roberts said."

and

"Garner said she wanted to help the baby in the overturned stroller next to a widening pool of blood on the pavement, and had to keep his severely wounded and disfigured mother from trying to stand.

"I'm surprised she lived," Garner said of the woman, identified by police as Sandra Lisset Castro. "Her whole face was gone. She had a big gaping wound on the top of her head."

"She kept saying, 'Help my baby! help my baby!'"

Garner said it was obvious the child was already dead. The Clark County coroner reported that 4-month-old Damien Avila-Castro died of multiple head wounds."


Rest in peace little Damien. You're all safe and warm now. Hear the lullabies?

And kbl, I'm not so sure Jesus is weeping. He knows we're human and fallible. Plus, he's busy taking care of a lot of little ones these days. He's a busy guy. Maybe, late at night, when they're all down for the night, he sips a little wine and tears up. He's a mighty strong guy, though, and He knows His work is cut out for Him. JMO.
 
OMG! Unbelievable! Watched the video interview with his wife on the link in 1st post...seems like lots of mental problems, but no medication?

Sitting here just shaking my head in disbelief! :(
 
OMG! Unbelievable! Watched the video interview with his wife on the link in 1st post...seems like lots of mental problems, but no medication?

Sitting here just shaking my head in disbelief! :(

So, the SIL is the one with the mental problems??? What about Harold ?? And why would anyone need a medieval-style battle ax in Las Vegas? Does he work at The Luxor??? This is just so sickening.
 
OMG! Unbelievable! Watched the video interview with his wife on the link in 1st post...seems like lots of mental problems, but no medication?

Sitting here just shaking my head in disbelief! :(

The wife seems to be in denial....doesn't want people to think he's crazy & says he's not violent...yet she says he's schizophrenic, bi-polar, depressed,etc. & doesn't believe in taking meds (which is exactly what many schizophrenics say).

My first reaction was this guy must be schizophrenic.

Because if he's not, the only thing left is a dark, evil spirit within him to do something like this.
 
The wife seems to be in denial....doesn't want people to think he's crazy & says he's not violent...yet she says he's schizophrenic, bi-polar, depressed,etc. & doesn't believe in taking meds (which is exactly what many schizophrenics say).

My first reaction was this guy must be schizophrenic.

Because if he's not, the only thing left is a dark, evil spirit within him to do something like this.


Not only is the wife in denial, she has been in denial for some time. If he is schizophrenic, bi-polar, depressed, etc -- that is not normal. Taking meds is not an option. The meds are what allows a person with these kind of issues to function more normally in the world and prevent them from being violent. Tragic that he had conditions that needed intervention and nothing was done.
 
My heart just breaks for the neighbor who confronted him but wasn't able to stop him. I sure as heck hope that victim witness funds cover trauma therapy for innocent bystanders.

Thank goodness this neighbor had the courage to confront the man. How many times do we read that people just watched and did nothing until the media shows up and then they come out to tell what they saw. This woman took an action.

She remembers the short period between Montague's disappearance into his house and the arrival of police, when the woman was alone on the street with her dead son.
"I was trying to help her and the baby," she said through tears. "But they were so hacked up. I didn't know what to do for them."
One thing she took some solace from was a phone call from a police officer Friday morning. They told her the injured women were still alive, and the two children at Montague's residence were unharmed and safe.
The police attributed some of that to her scaring Montague away from Castro before her wounds became fatal, she said, as well as her quickness in calling 911.
"They said I may have saved four people's lives," she said. "I just wish I could have done something to stop this."

http://www.lvrj.com/news/neighbor-r...t-was-like-satan-looking-at-me_-84281882.html
 
OMG! Unbelievable! Watched the video interview with his wife on the link in 1st post...seems like lots of mental problems, but no medication?

Sitting here just shaking my head in disbelief! :(
Maybe somebody should put this SOB out of his misery.
I have mental illness in my family too. (daughter with bipolar :()

but killing is just one thing that makes me outraged.
 
So, the SIL is the one with the mental problems??? What about Harold ?? And why would anyone need a medieval-style battle ax in Las Vegas? Does he work at The Luxor??? This is just so sickening.
Very good question... Maybe with a lot of mental illness in the family history, there should be no weapons but unfortunately, all a mental person has to do is go to the kitchen if he has such tendencies. :(
 
Wow!
I hope it was just random brutality, as opposed to true evil. Some defect or mental illness that made him just snap. I am always terrified that these cases will become the norm, the ones where there is no way to plan, no reason to believe that somwthing bad could even happen.

These are the cases where I worry about everyone in the immediate area, not just the obvious victims. It's hard to process this kind of violence, especially when people did try to intervene and one of the victims is so young.

I'd never ask God to tell me what the plan is, but days like this I could use more reasurance that there really is a plan. Where's the lesson in this one?

ETA: Although the axe doesn't really strike me odd (I collect weapons). I just wonder if he was a collector and the axe happened to be the first handy thing or if he planned this with the axe already in mind.
 
So, the SIL is the one with the mental problems??? What about Harold ?? And why would anyone need a medieval-style battle ax in Las Vegas? Does he work at The Luxor??? This is just so sickening.

This is what I wondered.

Good lookout on The Luxor.

Maybe he collected like NMK said. Then again with all these mental problem issues somebody should have thought to get that stuff out of there.
 
I've been reading so many horrible stories lately but this one's really getting to me. I just couldn't imagine walking with my baby and all of a sudden some crazy guy comes at us with an axe. I feel so so so bad for the mother. I know it was in no way her fault but if it were me I know for the rest of my life I would be thinking 'if I only didn't take that walk'. I am really so heartbroken for her. :(
 
My gosh, I must commend the neighbor who through fear (I am sure), confronted and scared this "man" away! I am actually surprised we are not reading about her being injured or killed also.

This poor mother, taking her wee one for a walk and to have this happen! I can only imagine the horror and sorrow she must be feeling. God bless her, and wee one, have a wonderful time TWA!!
 
I am just gob-smacked that a woman could leave her sister and her children in the care of an extremely unstable and mentally ill man and go off to work. I actually wonder about her grasp on reality. There's a lot of mental illness in that family. I'm making the assumption that the sister-in-law was the man's wife's sister. She was so ill he had to "care" for her all the while he was also caring for two young children with another at school? A total disaster just begging to happen--even with lots of support and meds.

I've watched the video several times of the neighbor. What an amazing person. I think she should be an honorary WSer. I feel that there's so many of us on these threads who would have the knee jerk reaction to go towards the violence instead of away. She's a hero in my book. I'm sure she's so traumatized and pray that she has a loving support system. If this young mom makes it, she owes her life to this woman. Even if she doesn't this woman risked her life for people she didn't even know.

My prayers go out to all who were impacted. I'm sure that whole neighborhood will be in shock for some time. I hope a local church or community center will realize that and spread around some love.
 

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