By HOLLY GASKILL & SYDNEY KENT
Murder suspect Anthony Castleman took the stand to testify in his defense for over an hour on Thursday.
Castleman, 38, was charged with the first-degree murder of his grandmother, 72-year-old Bernice “Dianna” Eubank. The two lived together at Eubank’s rural Markle home. Castleman is believed to be the last person to see Eubank before she was found at the home dead from multiple apparent stab wounds on Nov. 12, 2023.
In his testimony, Castleman recalled going to the library to check out a DVD with Eubank on the evening of Friday, Nov. 10. The two reportedly planned to travel to Fort Wayne the next day, where Eubank would buy a $1,000 truck for Castleman.
Castleman testified that Eubank had felt ill that evening and told him to go to Fort Wayne on his own. Castleman said he left in Eubank’s car early Saturday morning, Nov. 11, before Eubank had woken up, and was later stood up by the prospective seller.
“My life was broken, a lot of bad stuff happened, so I split,” Castleman explained. He allegedly planned to go on a “spiritual retreat” in Florida, which he said he had done before.
Castleman reportedly purchased items at a gas station in Fort Wayne and marijuana from a dispensary in Reading, Michigan, using the $1,000 from Eubank. Castleman said he “already felt like a failure for not getting the truck” and felt worse for “spending some of Mamie’s (Eubank’s) money on pot.” He said he did not want to travel back to Eubank’s as “it was more than disappointment at that point. I knew I was going to be kicked out.”
He added, “I’m a piece of (expletive), I’m not going to lie. But I’m not a murderer.”
He then traveled back to Poneto, where he said he wanted to leave Eubank’s vehicle for her to pick up at his cousin, David Watson’s, house. Castleman then said he and Watson traveled to a second cousin, Michael Chick’s, house in Marion, Ohio, where he wanted to see if he could still get a car for $500. Instead, he said Chick purchased a bus ticket to Kentucky for Castleman to help him on his spiritual journey.
“We worship the same God, just in different ways,” Castleman said. Castleman testified that he was raised Methodist and converted to Islam, and found a common ground with Abrahamic religions. During his testimony, Castleman spoke often about faith and sometimes spoke in what seemed to be Arabic.
Castleman vehemently denied murdering and assaulting his grandmother and alleged there was a conspiracy to frame him. Referencing Thursday morning testimony from his former stepfather, John Fry, Castleman said, “What the heck was that?”
Fry, who has known Castleman since the age of five, said that the two continued a relationship following Fry’s divorce from Castleman’s mother, Tiffanee Cole, in 2000. Fry testified that Castleman called him from a private number in late December and that the same number had called him in March. Castleman reportedly told Fry he was in Georgia and asked him to pick him up.
“I asked specifically what the (expletive) happened,” Fry said. “He said, ‘I don’t know, I just flipped out Dad.’ I told him he needed to turn himself in and he said, ‘I know I just want to see you first.’”
Castleman claimed this phone call never happened and that Fry had been “tricked.” Later, Detective Dylan Lagonegro with the Huntington County Sheriff’s Department testified that tracing this phone call led law enforcement to Castleman in Georgia.
Castleman also refuted testimony from Patrick Davis, who claimed Castleman had told him that he had killed Eubank in a “blood sacrifice” while they were housed in the same cell block at the Huntington County Jail.
Davis explained that inmates would congregate near common areas together, often to watch TV, play cards or dominoes, or talk. During this period, Davis reportedly had a conversation with several other inmates about his family ties to the Mafia and a friend who was acquitted of murder after a witness was found dead on railroad tracks.
Davis testified that Castleman approached him a short time later, initially wanting to talk about his “Muslim religion.” He said Castleman then requested information from the family members because he needed someone to kill a witness.
“He said that killing his grandma was a blood sacrifice for his religion,” Davis said. “His biggest regret was the overkill of his grandma.”
Castleman claimed that Davis came into the jail announcing intentions to jump onto others’ cases. However, Davis stated that he had not testified against a witness before and was not receiving any benefits for his testimony.
“No, I’m not getting anything,” Davis said. “All my life, I have been living wrong. It’s just the right thing to do.”
Castleman also contradicted the only other witness from the defense, Coy Manis. Manis, who lives at a neighboring property to Eubank, recalled seeing Eubank’s vehicle around 1 p.m. on Nov. 11. He did not remember seeing Eubank in the vehicle, but said Castleman was “hanging out the window” of the back seat.
However, Manis was unable to identify Castleman in the courtroom. Castleman noted this while defending his claim that he had not returned to the house after he left early Saturday morning.
In the cross-examination of Manis, he said he was confident that he had seen Castleman around 1 p.m. on Nov. 11 because he was good with dates. That said, he also recalled seeing police at Eubank’s house leaving for church around 9 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 12. Law enforcement had not arrived until that afternoon.
Huntington County Prosecutor Jeremy Nix drilled Castleman, with questions about multiple details of his testimony — when he lost his ID, if he packed a bag before he left on Saturday, and why Chick had bought a bus ticket for Castleman.
First, Nix questioned Castleman’s alleged plan to purchase the new truck on his own, asking how Eubank’s car would get back home. Castleman said the seller was going to drive it back. Nix asked how the seller would get home. Castleman said the seller would bring a “buddy.”
Additionally, Castleman initially said that Chick had bought the ticket because Castleman didn’t have the money. This created discrepancies between the receipts, Castleman’s remaining money, and his initial claim that he would look for a cheap car in Ohio. “I had approximately $500,” he revised his statement. “You want the calculations I’ll give them to you … This is why I didn’t want to get up here.”
Nix also questioned how Castleman could claim such piety with his religious beliefs, but freely admitted to smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol. Castleman said it was difficult to obey all rules, but refuted Nix’s assertion that he was picking and choosing parts of Islam.
Castleman also claimed he had no idea how his DNA was implicated in the crime scene, and attributed it to the fact that he and Eubank had shared the same living space, washer and household items. “I don’t know, I’m not the DNA guy,” he said.
When asked about the presence of Castleman’s potential sperm DNA on and around the victim’s genitals and inside the cervix, Castleman said the two used the same bathtub. A juror later asked why the sperm DNA wasn’t found all over the victim’s body from the tub, but Castleman was unable to provide an answer.
Nix continued to press Castleman, occasionally raising his voice and interrupting Castleman, which appeared to frustrate Castleman. “You attack me and build everything about me … You falsify things and I can prove it with all sorts of notes I’ve taken,” Castleman said.
“How am I the only one not buying into all this junk?” Castleman questioned. He later added, “You guys were supposed to figure this out. I’m not supposed to figure this out … I know I didn’t (do it).”
Regarding Castleman’s assertion that he was framed for the crime, Nix went through the state’s witness list one by one to ask if Castleman thought each person could have framed him. For each person Castleman replied “no” or “I don’t know.”
“You’ve had a year to think about it and you’ve come up with no one?” Nix questioned. “You have no idea who it would be, but you insist you were framed?” The prosecution rested after Castleman confirmed.
The jurors also asked Castleman questions, including why he had changed his appearance before he was located in Georgia. Castleman explained that someone had told him they preferred it that way. While the questions were reviewed, a bailiff moved toward the stand to stop Castleman whispering to with the jury.
Wilcox County Sheriff Jess Wessel, who located Castleman in Georgia, also testified on Thursday. Wessel told the jury that when Castleman was arrested, he made an “attempt to speak Arabic” and told officers his name was Joseph Phillips. Castleman was arrested at a picnic table near a gas station he frequented for several weeks.
Wessel also described a nearby 18 by 20 ft. outbuilding where Castleman allegedly lived as he was homeless. There was no electricity or running water in the building. Officers located a pallet made of Hunt Brother’s pizza boxes, a blanket, a candle and a Quran, the Islamic religious text.
Three additional law enforcement witnesses also testified on Thursday, specifically Sgt. David Poe with the Indiana State Police, Chief John Markley with the Markle Police Department, Sheriff Jeff Wessel with the Wilcox County Sheriff’s Department in Georgia and Lagonegro.
Markley obtained video footage of Eubank’s vehicle at the library on Friday, Nov. 10, recorded by the Markle Volunteer Fire Department. Poe was also asked to obtain video footage at a gas station. He took photos of the footage on his department-issued cell phone, which were presented as evidence on Thursday. The images depicted Castleman in a hat, shielding most of his face, and Eubank’s vehicle in the parking lot outside.
The defense questioned if the vehicle had any damage at the time, to which Poe responded it did not. When law enforcement later located the vehicle, it reportedly had a broken window and other damage.
Also during Fry’s testimony, he explained that Eubank sought custody of Castleman when he was 12 or 13-years-old. A juror questioned why Eubank received custody.
“His mom was staying with a girlfriend, and he and the girls weren’t getting along,” Fry said. “He tried to hang himself.”
Public defender Karina Lynn swiftly objected, and Special Judge Samuel Conrad immediately called for a short recess of the jury. However, the record continued for several minutes. At that time, Conrad asked Fry to answer the questions without the jury present. This gave the defense a chance to deliberate after the unexpected revelation.
“From what Dianne (Eubank) said, Anthony (Castleman) tried to kill himself, and he ended up in the hospital,” Fry recounted. “She sought custody.”
Fry further explained that Castleman again went to live with Eubank as a young adult because he did not get along with his mother or her girlfriend and disagreed with their romantic relationship. When the jury reconvened, the questions were objected to due to hearsay, given that the information regarding Castleman’s mental health was not told to him by Castleman.
holly@news-banner.com
sydney@news-banner.com
