Here we go again, another three children murdered after the family courts allowed a psychopathic parent unfettered access them. This is the story of doctor Amy Castillo (a pediatrician) as was told last night on Larry King Live. Dr. Castillo’s problems with her husband began in full force about two years ago when he began “staying out all night.” The couple had decided that he would stay home with the children and that she would practice. However, she was unable to go to work because he could not function in the caretaker role. Due to his behavior, she left him. After threatening to kill himself he was hospitalized.
According Larry King “court documents say that Mark was diagnosed with a mood disorder — narcissistic personality disorder, borderline and histrionic personality traits.” Please note these together are just synonyms for psychopathy. Furthermore, the pastor that knew Mark stated, “One of the things about Mark is that when he was being evaluated, he was an intelligent person. He was articulate. So he had a way of… Yes, he had a way of covering it up.” Please note this is another indication of psychopathic traits.
The courts initially restricted Mark’s visitation, then against Dr. Castillo’s wishes allowed unsupervised visitation. Dr. Castillo quotes Mark saying, “The worst thing I could do to you would be to kill the children and not you, so that you would have to live without them.”
Amy tried in vain again to restrict his access to the children and was in fact fined by the court this year for not cooperating with visitation.
Finally during his visitation time Mark drowned all three young children. A fund has been set up to help Dr. Castillo. I ask that all who read this blog donate a little something. Don’t think that because she is a doctor she is rich. Psychopathic men financially ruin women and now due to her grief she can’t practice. Please visit LoveFund4Amy.com to see pictures of the three children and donate through pay pal.
What exactly is wrong with our court system that this is happening to children? First there is a perverted view of what parenting is supposed to be about. Parenting is about taking care of children and providing them with a positive environment where they can develop to their fullest potential. Parenting isn’t about father’s rights or mother’s rights, it is about children’s rights. We shouldn’t let a disordered parent access the children because he/she is not capable of doing the job of parent so what’s the point. Let the parent recover completely first, then consider visitation.
Second, in cases where one parent is clearly functional and the other parent is clearly dysfunctional, the functional parent should decide what is best for the children. If that were in place, this would not have happened. The functional parent deserves to decide because he/she has to live with the consequences of the decision. The judges all go home to their children and grandchildren. While parents like Amy are either grief stricken or have to live with the daily pain of behaviorally and emotionally disturbed children who are traumatised by a psychopathic parent.
Third, the belief that a child needs both parents is a pie in the sky ideal that is not applicable in many cases. A child does not need a psychopathic parent anymore than anyone else needs a psychopathic individual in his/her life.
We got the first printed copies of our book Women Who Love Psychopaths yesterday. When Sandy and I were discussing the title she said, “It has got to have the words..inevitable harm.” So the subtitle is Inside the Relationships of Inevitable Harm. People with psychopathic personality traits are inevitably harmful to everyone who is unlucky enough to be in their lives. It is time we all accept that truth and protect the children of psychopaths.
Addendum
- Shame on Montgomery County Circuit Judge Joseph A. Dugan Jr. for denying Dr. Amy Castillo’s request for a full protective order.
- Shame on Dr. C. David Missar who wrote, “The acute risk of harm Mr. Castillo poses to his children is low, provided he continue with his psychotherapeutic treatments.” There is no real “treatment” for narcissism. Why doesn’t he know that? Furthermore Dr. C. David Missar failed to recognize the dangerousness of the combination of mood symptoms and narcissism which together basically equate to psychopathy.
- Shame on Circuit Judge Michael D. Mason who denied Amy Castillo’s emergency motion to end Mark Castillo’s access to the children.
To read more of the story of Amy Castillo and her brave effort to protect her children read Access to Kids a Big Issue.
I was afraid to go to the site.
It is heartbreaking.
My prayers are with her family and children.
One lesson – and I am sorry to find “a lesson” seemsto me to cheapen my response…but I will say…never underestimate these monsters. Never.
Not that Amy did….oh my heart breaks for her.
I know Amy did all she could- I cannot begin to fathom her despair.
When will society figure out these monsters cannot be trusted?
It starts with us, those who do know.
Malignant optimism, truly is malignant.
I hate to say this, but that is why I would take my children and RUN—break the law—and I am very much for the “rule of law” but when the “rule of law” depends on people who are ignorant, arrogant, narcissistic themselves with power trips, who obviously become upset on the bench, I can’t tell you what I think ought to be done to these people…I think this judge if he has ANY conscience and isn’t a psychopath himself, will apologize and step down from the bench, become a monk, serving the poor in DV shelters for the rest of his life and he still won’t make up for his decision.
May the fleas of a thousand camels and the crabs and all the diseases of a hundred whores infect his crotch.
My prayers and my tears are for Amy, her children are now SAFE from their father–I hope the judge who sentences him to live in solitary confinement for the rest of his natural life (hanging is too good for him) will have more compassion than the judge who ruled that he could see his children. God bless them all that they get what they deserve—Peace, Amy.
PS> I couldn’t go to the site or view any more about this, sorry about the rant, some days it just gets to me. Makes my life even the worst of it seem like a picnic. God bless you Amy and bring you peace.
My heart goes out to Amy. The man was hospitalized for threatening to kill himself among other signs of mental illness. I cannot believe the judge did not see this and determine at the VERY MOST, that SUPERVISED VISITATION should be ordered if any visitation at all. This is so sad and I will keep Amy in my thoughts and prayers.
how do they go around the system???? million fathers are falsely accused of child molesting, and they have to hire lawyers to prove they are innocent, while psychopaths abuse their own children, and yet convince judges and CPS they are good farthers…Mark Castillo sometimes represented himself…
does that mean that normal people always lose the court battle to psychopaths?
Cell,
I wish I knew the answer to your questions—I think the comment about CHILDREN’s rights is the big thing that is NOT addressed.
I have stewed about this all day—it went straight to my heart and the sound you hear is my blood boiling! I am so personally frustrated with the “criminal justice system” (boy is that an OXYMORON) and I bleed for the mothers and fathers who have to “share custody” of their children with these MONSTERS…I am not sure I could do it.
There is no way I can even begin to imagine the suffering of this poor woman…knowing he killed her children to make her suffer…how she will retain her sanity or how she will ever heal from such a blow.
Makes me feel like my own problems with the Ps are chicken feed compared to such unmitigated horror. Plus, there is always the chance that the guy will pull an OJ in court and get off becuse HE IS THE VICTIM….
I am so angry I wish all kinds of EVIL upon the judge, and the only hope I have in such a horrible situation is that it becomes a NATIONAL SCANDAL AND THE JUDGES SIT UP AND TAKE NOTICE, and hope that they are not the next one on CNN and that they start to listen to the nurturing parents.
As for the psychologist that said he was no or little risk–DITTO.
I realize that in “defense” of these professionals, that Ps are sometimes very convincing etc. but ….well, just but….
My heart is broken for this woman and I feel so helpless to do anything.
I can’t begin to imagine the grief this woman must be going through. It is overwhelming to even think about.
Supervised visitation was definately in order.
What a heart breaking and infuriating story. This was totally preventable.
I’m speachless….I don’t even know what to say at the moment except I feel so sorry for Amy.
Again more Legislative work needs to happen! it upsets me when children are abused. It makes me so sad that these three are gone….and this judge should more than apologise….they need to know this web site and be taught about these psychopaths.
I am going to send a package to that judge! And to the local senators in that town. I have said the legal system needs to diagnose these people. With proper diagnosis than a judge cannot give a child to one of them.
The problem is that “Forensics” inside the Family legal system is a joke! You spend if you are luck one hour with a therapist and they determine what’s the matter. It all needs to change!
This thread goes directly to my heart, as I to am a single parent. I live each day trying to understand what effects my ex sociopath will have on my children’s life as they process on to adulthood. In the beginning, after trying to pick up the many pieces of my own emotional turmoil and self worth. And then trying to deal with the many issues that my children have. I was overloaded and then had an emotional breakdown. I went to therapy and then started receiving anti-depressions. Again started to pick up the many pieces (what was left) of our life and tried again. Now let’s fast forward two years to the present date. I am now off anti-depression, I now have worked thru many of my emotional debt issues and now am stronger to deal with the many issues that my children have as teenagers as well as my own needs. I look for any “red flags” behavior (as well as myself) that I may see in my children’s emotional growth. I am learning how to approach this as a loving, caring and understanding father. There are many skills we need as parent when concerned with our relationship with our child. But please allow me to give two fundamental factors needed: 1) Go slow when dealing with any issues between parent and child. 2) Always leave options for both parent and child. In short no ultimatums! Always leave doors (issues) open. Because of these two fundamental factors my children feel validated loved and cared for..
Now for the bad news.
That the only reason I believe that I was able to achieve this in a short time (if two years is short?) is because of NC (no contact). I wish I could say that NC was my ideal, but sorry it wasn’t. No, my (our) children wanted no contact with their mother. And to be honest dear reader, even today this breaks my heart… But I do understand the need for NC. The thing that I tell myself over and over again, is that it isn’t about my rights, isn’t about her (mother) rights! No, it’s about their (children) rights. For what is best for the child is always RIGHT!
Amy and her children should have had this “option” of NC. We all will take part in this shame. But in this “shame”, we know that we need to change our laws and those that govern us. Those that are involved with police work, the court system and the mental healthcare sector must, must be educated in dealing with sociopath individuals and the harm that can and or will be cause by these type of personality disorders. I wish I knew the answer to end these types of horrendous crimes, I don’t. But I do know that we need to start changing our laws or at the least, changing those put in authority who are better educated in these type of personality disorders. Those put in authority over us must be held accountable for their decisions!
My prays go out for Amy and her children!
as we all have learned the hard way, we couldnt have even imagined that these type of people exist…we rationalized all the red flags away….so it is probably true that the ignorant court system is doing likewise…unless living through the hell, one would never believe it to be possible…..i will jump on any bandwagon or brainstorm with any of the other members here, who would like to form a group that would like to help educate these judges and all who make decisions that affect others lives…maybe the time that we spent with these evil creatures, can now be spent in a healthy way trying to spare other innocents some of our pain