View Full Version : ATV murders on City Confidential


Dallas Links
11-19-2004, 01:16 PM
It is playing now (12PM EST) on A&E (against Unsolved Mysteries ironically), and it will REPLAY THIS EVENING at 6PM EST/5PM CT. I hope that people interested in watching catches this post in time. Actually, I dislike the show City Confidential it is very slow ("sleepy")and dedicates too much time talking about the setting (about the 1st 20 minutes). American Justice is more cut and dry and faster moving, though I do like Paul Winfield's voice.

Dallas Links
11-19-2004, 04:20 PM
OK even though this was a disgusting, heartless crime the show did provide a solid motive as to why Frank Casteel (more than likely) killed the three guys. As said in another post he owned the property and was enraged about people trespassing and also disturbing his peace and quiet. He had many No Trespassing signs up and had confronted at least fifteen people respectively asking them to go away. Watching the Unsolved Mysteries segment somehow gave me that impression this was a random type thrill kill.

The aftermath of it was most fascinating because Casteel's wife sent letters to his mistress saying she was having an affair with the ATV killer (to scare her away from her husband). That became a big part of the trial as both women testified. Casteel is serving life in prison.

magellan333
11-19-2004, 10:41 PM
A few weeks ago, a higher court upheld his conviction. His son still proclaims his father to be innocent and that he will prove it once and for all. He has even constructed the following website:
http://www.freecasteel.org/ I am from the Chattanooga area and this was a highly publicized case.

PracTz
11-20-2004, 04:09 PM
Originally posted by Dallas Links
OK even though this was a disgusting, heartless crime the show did provide a solid motive as to why Frank Casteel (more than likely) killed the three guys. As said in another post he owned the property and was enraged about people trespassing and also disturbing his peace and quiet. He had many No Trespassing signs up and had confronted at least fifteen people respectively asking them to go away. Watching the Unsolved Mysteries segment somehow gave me that impression this was a random type thrill kill.

The aftermath of it was most fascinating because Casteel's wife sent letters to his mistress saying she was having an affair with the ATV killer (to scare her away from her husband). That became a big part of the trial as both women testified. Casteel is serving life in prison.

Just so everyone knows they wife and mistress did NOT work together to convict him. The wife evidently wrote those poison pen notes to spook the mistress away from him. They worked too well for the mistress was revolted enough by the whole thing to go to the authorities. The mistress alone worked with the authories and the wife was extremely upset when Frank Casteel was convicted screaming 'He's INNOCENT! He's INNOCENT!' in the open courtroom.

dynoguy88
11-20-2004, 06:23 PM
Something is not adding up about Casteel. He said, straight out on the witness stand that he never threatened anyone that came near the property and swimming hole. But 15 different people came forward and said that they were afraid of him and that they HAD in fact been threatened by him.

I guess it's possible that somebody could have framed him, but he certainly doesn't look like a saint either way.

Dallas Links
11-22-2004, 06:11 PM
I big part of me feels the wife and their son helped him conceal the crime. There was evidence presented on both shows that supported this- the witnessing of two men with the ATVs in their truck and the woman redirecting traffic on the road. Also there was a bug where his wife cryptically made a reference to what she had helped him with eight years before. I guess those things weren't enough to charge all three, though. :confused:

I think he is most likely guilty. Unsolved mysteries said "new fiber evidence" helped to convct him, but I didn't catch that part on City Confidential. I'm sure that always being seen walking around the area with a shotgun threatening people away sure didn't help his case.

moonshinegrrl
09-08-2009, 03:26 AM
This was disgusting case sounds like the guy was used to getting his way and how dare someone defy him. They should have stayed off private property, but it wasn't worth killing them.