ST. GEORGE — A man is in jail facing robbery and aggravated assault charges following an incident reported during the early morning hours of New Year’s Day.
Cain Castillo, 36, was arrested Monday and faces one count each of second-degree felony aggravated assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child, a third-degree felony.
According to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest, officers arrived on the scene to find the suspect’s girlfriend with a black eye. She was convulsing and unresponsive from what police believe was a strike to the head – the second such incident reported in less than 10 months.
The incident was reported shortly before 4 a.m. on New Year’s Day when officers were dispatched to a residence on West 1610 North in St. George on a report of a family fight that initially involved a parent and one of their adult children,
Officers spoke to one of the family members who had an obvious injury to her left eye, which the officer described as swelling and severe bruising that was “consistent with having been punched,” the officer noted. Officers also learned that Castillo reportedly had assaulted the woman and caused the injury to her face.
When officers attempted to speak to the victim, police say the injured woman’s eyes rolled into the back of her head and she went unconscious. Officers attempted to move her so they could provide assistance, but as they did, she started to convulse and was unresponsive, leading officers to suspect she may be having a seizure, so they requested an ambulance.
As the woman was being transported to St. George Regional Hospital, she “continued to seize off and on,” police say, despite the efforts of the emergency medical staff. Officers also learned from speaking to family members that the woman had no prior history of seizures, aside from an incident that took place in March 2022.
The incident was also called in as a family fight on March 24, 2022, and officers arrived to learn from several witnesses that a woman was struck in the back of the head “by the male who was with her.” The report indicated the alleged perpetrator turned out to be Castillo, the woman’s boyfriend.
The assault reportedly took place after the suspect pushed the woman into a vehicle, and when she attempted to get away, Castillo “punched her in the back of the head, which knocked her onto the roadway.” He then dragged her to the sidewalk, took her cell phone and fled, authorities allege.
The attack, police say, left the woman lying on the sidewalk unconscious – “with no means of contacting help once she came to,” and the officer closed by saying, “It was reasonable to conclude the seizures were triggered by the assault.”
The suspect, who was initially identified as Cain Carrizosa, reportedly left Utah for Las Vegas immediately after the incident in March. The name, officers would later learn, turned out to be an alias, and it was not until the incident on New Year’s Day that authorities were able to accurately identify the suspect as Castillo, who was taken into custody by police.
Officers also learned that Castillo has ties to Las Vegas, where he is a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, which led authorities to believe he likely would flee Utah as he had done last March.
The alias that officers were provided during the March incident, “Carrizosa,” is actually the surname used by the suspect as an MMA fighter – where he is referred to as, “The Insane Cain Carrizosa,” according to a UFC profile.
During the arrest on Monday, Castillo reportedly told police that once he is released, “he is leaving the area and never coming back.”
The suspect was booked into jail facing multiple domestic violence-related charges between the two incidents. In connection with the incident in March, Castillo has been charged with robbery and aggravated assault, each a second-degree felony.
Moreover, due to the suspect’s ties to Nevada and the fact that he left the state following the incident in March, officers also requested that Castillo be held without bail.
Washington County Prosecutor Tyler Bonzo told St. George News that a no-bail order was signed at the time of the defendant’s arrest, and during the initial appearance Tuesday, Castillo told the court he would be retaining his own counsel to represent him, so his custody status remained unchanged.
When the defendant returns to court, his attorney can request a bail hearing, at which point the judge would review Castillo’s custody status and hear oral arguments.
Until then, at least, Bonzo said, the suspect will remain in jail without bail.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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