Woman Charged with Neglect After Son Beats Grandson to Death Collapses in Court

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A South Bend, Indiana woman collapsed in court today, during her own trial in which she is accused of negligence. Dellia Castile’s trial was delayed just as it was expected to go to jury.

Castile is on trial for failing to act when she observed her grandchildren being abused by her own son. The 53 year old grandmother is facing 3 counts of neglect for not reporting the abuse which led to the death of her 10 year old grandson.

Castile’s son, Terry Sturgis, is serving life in prison for the murder of his son, Tramelle Sturgis.

A court staffer reports that as Castile was walking over from the witness box to the defendant’s table, she fainted. There were no jurors in the courtroom to witness the fall.

Castile was removed from the courtroom, on a stretcher, by South Bend firefighters and paramedics. As she was being carried out of the courtroom the grandmother appeared to be conscious and engaged in a conversation with the emergency response team.

During the four days leading up to Castile’s fall in the courtroom, several people had mentioned that she had sever health issues, including problem with her heart and mobility. Also, Castile is reported to have had several incidents, in the courtroom, where she cried uncontrollably.

Court staffers and sheriff deputies had to make sure that none of the jury members saw the accused being wheeled out of the courtroom. The jury was supposed to enter the courtroom around the time that Castile collapsed. They were given instruction in her absence.

The trial is expected to resume on Thursday.