Trial delayed for defendant in teacher’s death while he ponders plea deal

By Dave Toplikar

Monday, Feb. 20, 2012 | 3:20 p.m.

It’s been 16 months since Timothy VanDerbosch took his final walk to school at Eldorado High School in the northeastern part of the Las Vegas Valley.

The 50-year-old physics and chemistry teacher was confronted by a group of young people along Washington Avenue. He ran from them. But they caught up with him, robbed him with either a knife or a gun or both, beat him into unconsciousness and he fell into the street, where he was run over by a truck and killed, according to police.

Since that occurred on Oct. 20, 2010, three of the six young people indicted by a grand jury have made plea deals or tentative deals with prosecutors to avoid going to trial on murder charges.

A fourth suspect, who was scheduled for trial this week, is also trying to work out a deal, according to court records.

Marcos Coronel Castrejon, 21, had been scheduled to have his trial begin Tuesday on 24 felony counts, which involved VanDerbosch’s robbery and murder, plus several other armed robberies and beatings.

But at a trial calendar call last week, Chief Deputy District Attorney Robert Daskas and Castrejon’s attorney, Bret O. Whipple, told Clark County District Judge Jennifer Togliatti that prosecutors had offered Castrejon a deal that day.

Whipple asked the judge to give him time to talk to Castrejon and his family about the state’s offer. So the judge set a status check hearing for 11 a.m. March 1 to see if Castrejon would take the deal or to set a new date for his trial.

Although Castrejon was with the group, his role in the robbery is not clear. However, the state is not seeking the death penalty against him.

Death penalty trials are scheduled for two of the group. Saul Farvela, 20, will go to trial at 10:30 a.m. March 5. David Rosas, 21, has a status check set for May 17. Rosas’ trial has tentatively been set for 10:30 a.m. Sept. 10.

Two defendants in the case pleaded guilty to reduced charges.

Bridget Lugo pleaded guilty to five felony counts of conspiracy to commit robbery in exchange for the 19 other felony charges, including murder with a deadly weapon, dismissed. Her sentencing has been set for May 5.

Daniel Carrillo, who was 16 at the time of VanDerbosch's death, was sentenced on Oct. 7, 2011, to a minimum of 19 years in prison after pleading guilty in July 2011 to several felonies, including second-degree murder.

Marisol Diaz, 16, received house arrest in a tentative deal her attorneys worked out in September that requires her to testify against her remaining co-defendants.