Bruce L. Castor, Jr.

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Bruce L. Castor, Jr. (b. October 24, 1961) is an American lawyer and Republican politician from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Castor was district attorney for Montgomery County from January 2000 through January 2008 when he took a seat on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. In addition to his governmental role, Castor is a shareholder and director of the Blue Bell, PA. based litigation firm of Elliott, Greenleaf & Siedzikowski.

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[edit] Legal career

Castor began in the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office as a legal intern in 1985. Prior to his election as district attorney, he served as an assistant district attorney in Sex Crimes Unit, Captain of the Major Crimes Unit, and Assistant DA in charge of the Investigating Grand Jury, eventually becoming Deputy District Attorney and Chief of the Trials Division in 1991. Michael D. Marino appointed Castor as First Assistant District Attorney in 1993. In that position and later as District Attorney, Castor supervised wiretap and homicide investigations and successfully prosecuted a string of high-profile murders. From 2000 to 2008, Castor served on the Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania District Attorney's Association and was elected Vice-President of that organization in 2006 and President in 2007. Law and Politics and Philadelphia Magazine named Castor a "Pennsylvania Super Lawyer" in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2008. Castor was inducted into the Pennsylvania Police Hall of Fame in 2007.

[edit] Political career

In 1999, incumbent district attorney Michael D. Marino left to run for County Commissioner with James Matthews. Castor secured the GOP nomination to replace Marino. Castor won election in 1999 and re-election in 2003. He led the ticket on both occasions and set a record for the highest vote total ever in a countywide contested election in 2003.

Castor then ran for the GOP nomination for Pennsylvania Attorney General in 2004 against Republican Tom Corbett. Furious that he had lost endorsements of the southeastern GOP chairmen, Castor attacked Corbett and the county chairmen with allegations of backroom deals with Bob Asher [1], the state's national GOP committeeman and a convicted felon connected to Budd Dwyer.[2] In the end, Castor was unable to produce proof of any conspiracy against him and was forced to run without the party endorsement in all but two counties (Montgomery & Monroe.) Castor lost 52.8%-47.2% despite a strong showing in the southeast and winning Montgomery County with nearly 82.5% of the vote. [3][4][5]

In 2007, Castor challenged incumbent County Commissioner Tom Ellis, a one-time friend who had chaired Castor's campaigns in 1999 and 2003.[6] However, Ellis endorsed Corbett over Castor in the 2004 primary election for attorney general. Castor commissioned a poll showing that Ellis, who had been hobbled by negative press surrounding an alleged domestic violence incident, would lose in a general election.[7] Ellis released his own poll to try and refute Castor's charges that he was unelectable. [8] In a six candidate field, Castor won the endorsement on the first ballot, but his preferred running mate, former State Rep. Melissa Murphy Weber, was narrowly defeated by incumbent Jim Matthews on the second ballot.

Initially Castor was reluctant to run with Matthews given his belief that Matthews could not win and was untrustworthy. However, amid wide-spread pressure that he would be spliting the party, Castor relented and ran with Matthews against former Democratic Congressman Joe Hoeffel and incumbent commissioner Ruth Damsker in the general election.[9]

During the campaign, some of Castor's earlier criticism of Matthews was raised by the Democrats, including financial support to Matthews from Bob Asher. Over Castor's objections Matthews set up a separate campaign account from the Matthews/Castor account in order to collect contributions form Asher. [10] Castor stated that he would not accept campaign contributions from a convicted felon, nor would he benefit from any such contributions in urging Matthews not to take Asher's money.

On election day, Castor prevailed, taking first place in the general election with the highest vote total ever in history for a county commissioner candidate (except for one year where there was a special election for US Senate greatly enhancing the voter turnout that year.) His running mate placed third, giving the GOP control of the commission. This was the first time in at least 140 years that a Republican (Matthews) failed to capture the second spot. Castor and Matthews serve with Hoeffel, who finished second. [11]

[edit] Notable Cases

  • Bill Cosby - Castor declined to prosecute Cosby for sexual assault in 2005 after he found "insufficient, credible and admissible evidence exists upon which any charge against Mr. Cosby could be sustained beyond a reasonable doubt." [12]
  • Guy Sileo - murdered his business partner in the General Wayne Inn, serving a life sentence for first degree murder. A highly circumstantial case, the "General Wayne Inn" murder has been the subject of numerous television portrayals.[13]
  • Caleb Fairley - sexually assaulted and murdered a mother and her child in his parents' shop, serving a double life sentence. [14][15]
  • Craig Rabinowitz - murdered his wife to elope with a stripper. This case was the subject of multiple television programs and a book by Ken Englade called Everybody's Best Friend. He is serving a life sentence.[16][17]
  • John Eichinger - murdered three young women and a small child making him the most prolific serial killer in Montgomery County history. Eichinger was sentenced to death.[18] This case is the subject of a pilot for a proposed television series on Castor's career in the DA's Office.
  • Thomas Hawkins - sexually assaulted and murdered his young niece after doing a similar crime as a juvenile in another county and being released on parole. Hawkins is on death row.
  • Pedro Vega/Jack Fink - murdered a young pregnant woman by beating, shooting, and burning her while still alive. Both serving life sentences. Castor and county coroner, Dr. Halbert Fillinger, reconstructed the victims charred skeletal remains and solved the case despite initially not being able to identify the victim.
  • Robert Fisher - murdered a woman who was a witness to his involvement in another murder as part of a drug trafficking case. He is on death row.
  • Bruce Godschalk - A man convicted of rape in 1987 (before Castor was elected) was freed in 2002 after DNA tests cast doubt on his guilt. Castor, who was under no legal obligation, originally would not offer DNA testing. Godschalk filed a lawsuit against the county. The suit was settled for approximately $1 million. [19][20]
  • Dillon Cossey - Planned a Columbine-style attack on a local high school. After a teen came forward with information, police raided Cossey's home recovering a rifle, gunpowder, grenades, a book on bomb making and other items to indicate that an attack was planned. Cossey was convicted in juvenile court. The case received national and international attention. Castor prosecuted the case personally and obtained a conviction.
  • Rafael Robb - World famous University of Pennsylvania professor of "Game Theory" accused of murdering his wife in a rage. Robb presented an alibi defense. Though the case was entirely circumstantial, through a series of procedural moves, Castor forces Rodd to plead guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter. Robb is in prison awaiting sentencing.

[edit] Personal

Castor is an alumnus of Chestnut Hill Academy.

He earned his undergraduate degree in Government and Law from Lafayette College and a law degree from Washington and Lee University. He attended the FBI National Academy in 1993.

Castor married the former Elizabeth Pierce in 1989 and they are the parents of two children, Bruce III and Alexandra.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Castor backs Corbett in attorney general race The Colonial, 6/4/04
  2. ^ Most still undecided on Corbett, Castor, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 4/22/04
  3. ^ Election Returns, May 2004, PA Department of State
  4. ^ Corbett, Eisenhower win in attorney general race, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/28/04
  5. ^ Editorial: A rare public dispute in ranks of the GOP, Delco Times, 02/06/2004
  6. ^ Jeff Shields, Philadelphia Inquirer, February 2007
  7. ^ Poll Commissioned by Castor, obtained by politicspa.com
  8. ^ Ellis rebuttal poll William Mulgrew, The Bulletin, 2/32/07
  9. ^ Margaret Gibbons. "Montco GOP Tries To Make Up", Ambler Gazette, 2007-02-27. 
  10. ^ Margaret Gibbons. "Dems want Asher money returned", Pottstown Mercury, 2007-09-24. 
  11. ^ Jacob Fenton. "Montco Republicans are winners", The Intelligencer, 2007-11-7. 
  12. ^ Prosecutors end Cosby investigation, CNN, 2/22/05
  13. ^ Families, friends of victims give support to candidate, Pottstown Mercury 4/24/04
  14. ^ Caleb Fairley Case, Crimelibrary.com Caleb Fairley case at crimelibrary.com
  15. ^ Families, friends of victims give support to candidate, Pottstown Mercury 4/24/04
  16. ^ Anne Barnard, Steve Ritea and Ralph Vigoda, Rabinowitz Admits Killing Wife - A dream urged him to `do the right thing', Philadelphia Inquirer, 10-31-97
  17. ^ Husband guilty of murder - obsession with stripper led to strangulation, Associated Press, 10-31-97
  18. ^ Carl Hessler, Eichinger confronted by loved ones of victims, King of Prussia Courier
  19. ^ Maurice Possley and Steve Mills, In depth: Crimes go unsolved as DNA profiles not sent to FBI, Chicago Tribune, Reprinted in St. Augustine Record, 10/6/04
  20. ^ Sara Rimer, Convict’s DNA Sways Labs, Not a Determined Prosecutor, New York Times, Reprinted at www.crimlaw.com, 10/6/02