Dellia Castile Probable Cause Affidavit for Tramelle Sturgis murder album 5

8/3/2019 Dellia Castile Probable Cause Affidavit for Tramelle Sturgis murder album 5

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STATE OF INDIANA

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY

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IN THE ST. JOSEPH SUPERIOR COURT

CAUSE NO. 71DOJ--I111-FB-~

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VS. SUPPLEMENTAL AFFIDA VIT~SUPPORT OF PROBABLE CAtm~

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JAMES TAYLOR, upon information and belief, affirms under the penalty of perjury that: C Oq;+

DELLIA CASTILLE

STATE OF INDIANA

I am a South Bend Police Officer currently assigned as an Investigator with the County Metro

Homicide Unit. I have been assigned to investigate a case involving DELLIA CASTILLE, and make this

affidavit after participating iIi and watching interviews and reviewing evidence related to this case.

The facts which form the basis for the belief that there is probable cause to believe that DELLIA

CASTILLE has committed the crimes of Neglect of a Dependent, Class B Felonies are as follows:

In the early morning hours of November 4,2011, officers and medics responded to 1130 W.

Washington, South Bend, St. Joseph County, Indiana, because 10 year old T.S. was unresponsive. An

examination ofT.S (age lO)'s body revealed multiple contusions, multiple burns, a severely broken arm,

and other injuries both old and new. T.S. (age 10) was pronounced dead at the hospital. T.S. (age lO)'s

father, Terry Sturgis, Sr. has since been charged with Murder and Battery relating to T.S. (age 10)'s

injuries and death, along with injuries to another child, T.S. (age 14).

T.S. (age 10) lived at 1130 W. Washington, South Bend, Indiana, with Terry Sturgis, Sr., as well

as his siblings, T.S.(age 14), T.S. (age 10), T.T. (age 6) and T.S (age 4). Sturgis and the five children had

bedrooms in the basement of the house.

DELLIA CASTILLE is Terry Sturgis, Sr.'s mother and T.S. (age 10); T.S. (age 14), T.S. (age 8)

and T.S. (age 4)'s, grandmother. T.T. is not Terry Sturgis, Sr.'s biological daughter, although he had

physical custody of her. CASTILLE also lived at 1130 W. Washington St., South Bend, Indiana, and had

guardianship over four of her other grandchildren. CASTILLE and those grandchildren slept on the



second floor of the house. CASTILLE was interviewed by police, and said that Terry Sturgis, Sr., and t

five children with him moved into her home on W.Washington street in August, 2008 and had been

living there since.

As part of the investigation into T.S. (age 10)'s death, T.S. (age 14) and T.S. (age 8) were

interviewed at the CASIE Center. Both described an ongoing pattern of severe abuse by Sturgis that date

back to and before the time they moved in with CASTILLE.

T.S. (age 14) told Detective Galen Pelletier that Sturgis repeatedly beat him during the time that

they lived in CASTILLE's house, and that Sturgis would beat him, T.S. (age 10) and T.S. (age 8) with

various items. Those items included a wooden club wrapped in duct tape and a table leg that Sturgis

broke off a TV tray table. On one of the occasions, T.S. (age 14) was brought to the hospital and received

stitches on two places on his head.

T.S. (age 14) also told Det. Pelletier that Sturgis repeatedly burned him with various objects.

Specifically, T.S. (age 14) told Det. Pelletier that on November 3,2011, Sturgis burned T.S. (age 14) with

a clothes iron on both of his legs and his stomach. Sturgis also burned T.S. (age 10) and T.S. (age 8) with

the clothes iron that night. T.S. (age 14) said that, on prior days, Sturgis burned him and T.S. (age 10) on

the torso and genitals with a screwdriver that he heated with a lighter. T.S. (age 14) said that Sturgis also

burned him on a different occasion with a homemade torch made of a can of roach spray and a lighter.

T.S. (age 14) told Det. Pelletier that CASTILLE knew that Sturgis was beating the children and

that she would try to cover forhim. T.S. (age 14) said that CASTILLE would pay Sturgis not to beat

them too hard. He said that CASTILLE offered to do loads oflaundry for Sturgis if he would stop

beating the kids. According to T.S. (age 14), Sturgis would ask CASTILLE which child she was saving.

CASTILLE didn't want to pick, so she would pay Sturgis instead.

T.S. (age 14) told Det. Pelletier that CASTILLE knew that Sturgis burned him and T.S. (age 10).

He said that CASTILLE saw and put cocoa butter on their bums, although they would have to go into

their bedrooms and put the cocoa butter on the bums on their genitals.



In his interview with forensic interviewer Sally Wisthuff, T.S. (age 8) said that Sturgis often

"whooped" him with a belt, but that CASTILLE would have Sturgis let T.S's 17 year old cousin take over

because CASTILLE knew that Sturgis whooped to hard. T.S. (age 8) said that, one time, CASTILLE

yelled down to Sturgis, "stop it, you're going to kill them!" and that Sturgis yelled back, ''the kids are

going to kill me by making me do this:'

T.S. (age 8) said that CASTILLE knew that Sturgis had burned T.S. (age 14) with the torch made

of roach spray and a lighter and that she put cocoa butter on those burns. T.S. (age 8) said that

CASTILLE knew that the boys were getting burned because she would often treat the burns, unless they

were on the boys' genitals. The boys' would put their own cocoa butter on those injuries.

An inspection of the bodies ofT,S. (age 14), T.S. (age 10) and T.S. (age 8) confirmed injuries,

both old and new, consistent with the boys' statements.

On numerous occasions, Sturgis would be gone from the home and CASTILLE was the only adult

in the home. CASTILLE stated that she would care for the kids when Sturgis was gone. She regularly

had the care of all of the children in the house.

On three separate occasions while the children were living fn CASTILLE's house, either law

enforcement or the Department of Child Services investigated complaints of child abuse involving Sturgis

and his children. At no time, did CASTILLE ever report to either agency that the children were being'- .

abused. In an interview with Det. Pelletier on November 15,2011, CASTILLE initially claimed to have

no knowledge of any of Sturgis' abusive behavior. She then admitted that she remembered at least ten

times that Sturgis said he was going to "whoop" the kids. CASTILLE also ultimately admitted that she

would give Sturgis money or provide other incentives to get him to stop beating the children.

I affirm under the penalties for perjury, that the foregoing representations are true.

OR

OR, COUNTY METRO HOMICIDE UNIT

Documents

Dellia Castile Probable Cause Affidavit for Tramelle Sturgis murder album 5