A former police confidential informant hung his head Friday as a judge sentenced him to life in prison after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder and drug trafficking.
Jurors found Oscar Mungia, 33, guilty for his role in the March 8, 2007, fatal shooting of Jose Luis Castillo, 29.
Castillo's older brother, David Castillo, was also shot during a botched drug transaction Mungia set up in the 1100 block of 13th Street East. David Castillo survived.
Mungia did not fire the shots that killed Jose Castillo, but testimony from David Castillo placed him at the scene of the slaying.
Mungia, a former Bradenton Police informant known on the streets as "Taz," was charged with first-degree murder because Jose Castillo was killed during a meeting he attended with two acquaintances to purchase $50,000 worth of cocaine from the Castillos, said Assistant State Attorney Art Brown.
Under the law, a person can be convicted of murder if a killing takes place during the commission of a felony.
The jury determined Mungia arranged the deal with the Castillos and two other men he knew as "Lil Skip" and "Lil Bro."
"He set up the deal, he made the introduction," Brown said.
During the meeting, "Lil Bro" shot Jose Castillo five times with a machine gun outside a gold Dodge car, Brown said, and "Lil Skip" shot David Castillo once with a 9 mm as he sat in the driver's seat of the Dodge.
The men, Brown said, kept the money and took off with the dope.
When Mungia was arrested, he told Bradenton Police he did not know the men were going to shoot the Castillos.
But Brown called the deal as a "rip off" and said Mungia knew "Lil Skip" and "Lil Bro" came to the meeting armed.
John Fleck, Mungia's attorney, said his client was in a Volkswagen when he heard gunfire. He conceded that Mungia set up the meeting, but he did so reluctantly.
"Where is the evidence this was a drug 'rip off' and Mr. Mungia knew it was a drug 'rip off?' There is no felony murder in this case," Fleck said during his closing argument.
During the investigation of the shooting, Mungia told detectives he had drugs in his house in the 2400 block of 12th Street West. Detectives later found 1,137 grams of cocaine there.
Soon after, police also arrested Brian D. Johnson, 20, on murder charges, but later found out he had an alibi.
They also arrested Anthony R. Brown, 19, on a murder charge. Police say he was identified as "Lil Skip," who shot David Castillo.
But the state attorney's office later also decided not to prosecute him.
No one is charged with shooting the Castillos, Brown said Friday.
Bradenton Police Det. Greg Price said Friday the shooting remains under investigation.
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