READING, Pa. – A woman who pleaded no contest in the 1993 death of a two-year-old boy was moved to state prison this week, according to Berks County District Attorney John Adams.
Adams said Sandra Guadalupe Castro pleaded no contest to third-degree murder, and a first-degree murder charge against her was dismissed.
According to court paperwork, Guadalupe Castro made the plea in a pretrial hearing on May 6. Guadalupe Castro was sentenced to five to ten years in prison.
Back in October authorities arrested her in the death of a boy in 1993.
They say she was in a relationship with the boy’s father and was watching the boy on Franklin Street when he was hurt.
On January 8, 1993, the boy was transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Reading where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators determined the child suffered multiple blunt impact injuries to the head and also had numerous bruises in various stages of healing. Forensic pathologist Dr. Neil Hoffman ruled the death a homicide.
During a consultation with investigators, Dr. Hoffman was able to establish that the fatal injuries were inflicted shortly before the child’s death, authorities said.
Investigators say this determination allowed them to narrow the timeline and focus on the victim’s activities on the morning of January 8, 1993.
Investigators discovered the victim was in the sole care of Guadalupe-Castro in the hours preceding his death, authorities said.
Guadalupe-Castro was interviewed by police numerous times in both 1993 and 2025. She told investigators that, on previous occasions, she had struck the child on the buttocks, legs and slapped his face, but denied ever striking him in the head.
On the day in question, police say Guadalupe-Castro told them the child had fallen after using the toilet and then started shaking. Dr. Hoffman concluded that the fatal injuries suffered were not consistent with a fall and were likely inflicted with a fist or some other outside force.