Man who confessed to 1987
murders enters innocent plea

Sac Bee excloo

YUBA CITY 8/20/02 (YSN) - Daniel H. Castillo, 34, has pleaded innocent in Sutter County Superior Court to charges he bludgeoned a man and a woman to death in a shed on a Live Oak ranch 15 years ago..

Castillo surrendered to Santa Cruz County, Ariz. authorities last week, saying he wanted to clear his conscience of the double-murder of Margaret Lorraine Still, 23, of Oregon and Gabriel S. Ramos, 19, of California on a Pennington Road ranch in 1987.

The two victims were farm workers following the crops, a spokesman for the Sutter County Sheriff Department said. They were reportedly close friends, but their connection to Castillo, if any, was unknown, the spokesman said.

Castillo waived extradition and was returned to Sutter County where declared Monday before Superior Court Judge Robert Damron that he was innocent of two open counts of homicide..

Damron set bail for each at $2 million bail and ordered him to return to court Aug.