By HOLLY GASKILL
After less than 30 minutes of deliberation, a jury found Anthony Castleman, 38, guilty of murdering his grandmother.
Bernice “Dianna” Eubank was found on Nov. 12, 2023, in a pile of debris in the backyard of her rural Markle home. She reportedly had 36 stab wounds and evidence of blunt force trauma. Castleman had been living with her at the time and is the last person known to see her.
A warrant for Castleman’s arrest was issued on Nov. 13, 2023, and he was arrested six weeks later by U.S. Marshals in Georgia.
Castleman also faces an additional habitual offender enhancement. The jury did not know about Castleman’s previous convictions, which included burglary and strangulation, before their verdict. The trial will reconvene at 8:30 a.m. today. for new testimony and deliberation on the enhancement.
The trial began Monday with the all-day selection of 12 jurors, seven women and five men, and two alternates, both men. The prosecution called 26 witnesses, including many law enforcement officers who assisted in the investigation and Castleman’s and Eubank’s family members.
Throughout the trial, evidence revealed that multiple knives contained DNA consistent with Castleman’s. His DNA, believed to be sperm, was also located on and around the victim’s genitals and inside the cervix.
Public defenders Kristina and Karina Lynn initially indicated that they had not determined whether or not Castleman would take the stand. When he did on Thursday, Castleman said he had left the area to go on a “spiritual retreat” in Florida after plans to purchase a truck fell through.
Castleman also repeatedly claimed he had been framed for the crime and that multiple witnesses were lying or had been “tricked.” He also attributed his DNA evidence to the fact that he had lived in the home and the two had shared a washer and dryer, bathtub and other items.
When Huntington County Prosecutor Jeremy Nix questioned who would frame him, Castleman became frustrated and said, “I’m not a law enforcement officer nor a detective.”
“You’ve had a year to think about it and you’ve come up with no one?” Nix asked. “You have no idea who it would be, but you insist you were framed?”
Nix had no further questions after Castleman confirmed.
In closing statements, Nix alleged that Eubank was murdered sometime Friday, Nov. 10, and Castleman spent much of the evening and early morning attempting to clean up the crime scene. He stated that Castleman left the property when his actions would become visible in the daylight and developed the plan to flee. Nix also reiterated multiple items of evidence, including DNA evidence, that corroborated his narrative.
Karina Lynn, however, indicated a series of inconsistencies in the crime scene log, distrust in the legitimacy of multiple testimonies, and the threat of contamination in DNA testing. Lynn also alluded to a lack of diligence from the state to pursue other possible leads and conduct more extensive DNA testing and fingerprinting. Because of all this, she said the state had not fulfilled the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
The jury left for deliberation shortly after 5:30 p.m. and returned before 6 p.m. with their guilty verdict. Before the verdict was read, Castleman mouthed several undecipherable phrases to his mother several feet behind him in the gallery. After Special Judge Samuel Conrad read the verdict, several other audience members shed tears and were emotional. Castleman hung his head low.
holly@news-banner.com
