The fiancé of a Los Angeles woman who was accused of owning her 7-year-old daughter, said she was depressed to immigration status, ABC7 reported Tuesday.
The man who asked not to be identified Exit He is said to have owned his daughter following what he said was a deep recession that could prevent her daughter from becoming a legal resident. Despite the allegations, her fiancé said she was the “sweetest mom in the world” and that according to ABC7, she never hurt a child before.
“First, I want to say that my wife was almost a perfect mom. She didn’t say any bad words, shouted at the girl, never hit her,” the man told the outlet in Spanish. “She was the sweetest mom in the world.”
The man also told ABC7 that he did not arrive at the apartment where the child was allegedly killed until after the incident.
“I got to the apartment and never saw a girl or her. After all that happened, I went home. This happened at 4pm or 5pm and I went home with the dots almost 7.”
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced today that 37-year-old Graciela Castellanos was charged with murder on April 11th in Van Nuis in the death of his seven-year-old daughter.#Lacunty #lada #LadaOffice #NathanHochman #dahochman #DistrictAttorney… pic.twitter.com/o03waxw5w6
– Nathan Hochman (@nathanhochmanda) April 16, 2025
According to the man, Castellanos was suffering from mental and emotional health issues, so she screamed and isolated until she was calm. The first responder arrived at the scene of the apartment on April 11th and noticed that the child was not responding in the bathtub. She was later declared dead. (Related: Teen dies after being drowned at a pool at a popular theme park, police say)
The man said he and Castellanos plan to marry in two months and adopt a 7-year-old daughter. Video obtained by KTLA It appears to indicate that Castellano is being held in a wheelchair while authorities are in custody.
Castellanos is charged with one count of felony murder and one count of felony assault on a child under the age of eight. press release Nathan J. Hochman’s office was released on April 15 by the Los Angeles District Attorney. Castellanos pleaded not guilty to his recent arrest and faces a preliminary hearing on June 17th.
The daily caller contacted Hochman’s office about the case, and the spokesman declined to comment beyond the press release.
