New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani offered condolences on Thursday to the family of Luis Alberto Lopez Castillo, 20, who was facing murder, manslaughter, robbery and weapons charges in the 2025 slaying of 26-year-old Ron Marte and who died in Department of Correction custody on Wednesday, according to the Department of Correction. Mamdani wrote on X: “I extend my condolences to his family,” and did not mention Marte in the post.
New York mayor offers condolences for man accused of murder who died in custody
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani offered condolences on Thursday to the family of Luis Alberto Lopez Castillo, 20, who was facing murder, manslaughter, robbery and weapons charges in the 2025 slaying of 26-year-old Ron Marte and who died in Department of Correction custody on Wednesday, according to the Department of Correction. Mamdani wrote on X: “I extend my condolences to his family,” and did not mention Marte in the post.
The Department of Correction said staff saw Castillo in “medical distress” at Queens Criminal Court about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and performed CPR until EMS took him to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead just before 8 p.m. The department said it is still investigating the death.
Castillo was in court that day for charges related to a separate incident, according to a report in Gothamist.
Castillo had been accused of robbing Marte, a 26-year-old autistic man, of his cellphone during an early morning ambush in the Bronx’s Starlight Park. Castillo’s alleged accomplice, Axel Martinez, reportedly shot Marte in the chest as Marte walked home from an Amazon warehouse shift, according to the source.
Mamdani wrote on X: “I extend my condolences to his family.” Users on X criticized Mamdani for mourning Castillo and for not mentioning the victim.
The criticism echoed backlash Mamdani faced last month after he mourned the death of accused killer Clarence Woodward at Rikers Island. Relatives of Woodward’s alleged victim called the mayor’s remarks a “slap in the face” because they did not acknowledge their loss.
- The source does not state the cause of Castillo’s death.
- The source does not state whether Castillo had been convicted of any charge; it describes charges he was facing.
- The source does not state whether Mamdani or his office responded to the criticism of his post.
- The source does not state whether Ron Marte’s family was asked for comment or provided one.
- The source does not state the status of the case against Axel Martinez.
- The source spells the victim’s name as Ron Marte in the article text and Ronell Marte in a photo caption.
- The source does not state the specific charges Castillo faced in the separate incident for which he was in court on Wednesday.
Read the original at New York Post