'Baby Hope' Mother Speaks Out: 'We'll Never Have Peace'
Angelica Castillo, better known as Baby Hope, was formally identified and an arrest made for her murder. Now her mother, Margarita Castillo, is speaking out, 22 years after her daughter was taken.
"You can't even describe a punishment," Margarita told New York Daily News reporters through her front door. "You won't understand the pain. We are waiting for justice. We are not going to have peace. I'm devastated."
Conrado Juarez, 52, was arrested and charged with felony murder after confessing what he did to police. The little girl was living with her father when she was attacked by her cousin, who sexually assaulted her, then "accidentally" smothered her to death. Juarez's sister reportedly told him to get rid of the body, so he put Angelica's lifeless body in a cooler and dumped it by the side of the road, where it was later found.
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Juarez is currently in protective custody at Rikers Island because "no one likes a baby killer," a source told the Daily News. His arrest came as a relief to all those who worked on the Baby Hope case for 22 years. Police recently made an update to the tombstone they purchased for the young girl, placing her name on a sheet of paper and adding it to the headstone, covering up the request for information. They will likely make the change permanent once everything is settled.
"Thank God we have a resolution," retired Detective Jerry Giorgio said. We put the angels on purpose, like guardian angels," he said of the tombstone. "And it turns out her name is Angelica. It's strange how these things happen."
Police made another huge push for resolution in the Baby Hope case in light of the 22-year anniversary. A flurry of fliers was released, but it was a conversation in a local Laundromat that led police to Angelica's sister, who then led them to her mother. Once a name was confirmed, the arrest soon followed.
