Bradenton man guilty in fatal parking lot crash that killed 5-year-old girl
A jury found a Bradenton man guilty of running over and killing a 5-year-old girl in a local parking lot.
Adrian Noel Castillo, 46, faces up to seven years and eight months in prison after a jury convicted him of driving with a revoked license and causing the death of a child in a 2024 crash at the Sunset Village Mobile Home Park in Bradenton, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
Court records show Castillo is set to be sentenced at 8:30 a.m. on July 3.
An attorney representing Castillo did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
Prosecutors said Castillo was behind the wheel on Feb. 2, 2024, when he drove through the park’s parking lot and fatally hit 5-year-old Emily Perez as she played outside with her siblings. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Emily’s mother was inside the communal laundry room at the time of the crash.
Investigators said Castillo pulled into the striped safety zone of a handicap space to reverse into a spot, narrowly missing Emily’s sister on a scooter before running over Emily. He told troopers he didn’t see the girl, according to an arrest report. Prosecutors said she was wearing a fluorescent green shirt and pink pants.
Emily died at a local hospital, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
Castillo’s driver’s license had been revoked since 2018 for an earlier DUI conviction, but investigators said he continued to drive despite the suspension.
“Mr. Castillo has a history of not following the traffic laws in the state of Florida. Had Mr. Castillo abided by the revocation of his license, this tragedy would have never occurred,” Assistant State Attorney Nicholas Bedy said in a statement. “I thank the jury for their commitment to serve and for bringing justice to the victim, Emily. Through their verdict, the defendant has been held accountable for the devastation he caused the family.”
Court records show the two-day trial was held at the Manatee County Courthouse in downtown Bradenton and presided over by Circuit Judge Matt Whyte. It included testimony from Emily’s mother, who said in court that her daughter loved being at school with her friends and siblings more than being home on the weekends, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
