DUBLIN — A San Jose man failed to convince jurors that he didn’t have ill-intent when he showed up to a Dublin movie theater, bringing condoms and erectile dysfunction pills, after arranging to meet an undercover police officer who was pretending to be a 13-year-old girl there, court records show.
On Feb. 6, Aldo Castillo, 29, was convicted of contacting a minor to commit a sex crime and arranging a sexual meeting with a minor, both felonies. Judge Toni Mims-Cochran denied a prosecution motion to detain Castillo until his sentencing, which has been set for March 10. In the meantime, he remains out of custody, records show.
Castillo was arrested in 2023 after talking online with an undercover Dublin officer who was pretending to be a 13-year-old girl. Their talks started when the “girl” posted something about needing a hair blower and Castillo joked about getting her one for a sexual favor, according to prosecutors.
At trial, Castillo argued he never believed it was a 13-year-old girl he was talking to, and his attorney pointed to a psychological study that concluded Castillo was “immature.” But, the attorney added, “you asked if he exhibits any measurable or observable traits consistent with a deviant sexual interest in children, or if his profile resembles that of a typical pedophile or predator. The answer is no.”
The same study said that, when asked about his offenses, “Mr. Castillo says he believed that he was being duped by the police from the beginning. He denies any sexual interest in minors, citing his past history with age-appropriate partners.”
But at the preliminary hearing, Judge Paul Delucchi said it was “not a close call” to uphold the case.
“(The detective) testified, made it very clear that he’s posing as a 13-year-old. He sends pictures. The purported recipient of those doesn’t back off of that but starts asking sexually explicit questions, identifies himself by his real name of Aldo, takes the steps to detail where they should meet, when they should meet, and what he would be driving,” Delucchi said. “Lo and behold, at the appointed time, location, here comes the car. It’s being driven by one person and one person only and that person has been identified as the defendant.”
When Castillo was initially detained, Dublin police Detective Ryan Henrioulle called Castillo’s phone with the burner device police he had been using to impersonate a minor. Castillo’s phone began to buzz, and the detective asked if Castillo wanted to check and see who was calling, prosecutors said in court filings.
“I know what this is about,” Castillo allegedly replied.