Ex-fiancé returns to Erie to face charges in 2012 fatal shooting of 20-year-old woman
Nearly 11 years after a young Erie woman was fatally shot in her converted garage apartment on the city's west side, the man recently accused of killing her returned to Erie to face charges in her death.
Anthony S. D'Onofrio, 35, was brought back to Erie on Wednesday from Pierce County, Washington, where he was being held on a "no bail hold" on Erie's charges since July, to face offenses including criminal homicide, first-degree murder and aggravated assault in the Sept. 16, 2012, death of Lexie Castile, 20.
Erie 2nd Ward District Judge Ed Wilson arraigned D'Onofrio on those charges, and on misdemeanor counts of possession of a weapon and recklessly endangering another person, shortly before 1:30 a.m. Thursday and placed D'Onofrio in the Erie County Prison without bond to await a preliminary hearing, according to Erie police arrest records.
More: Fiancé charged in 2012 fatal shooting of 20-year-old Erie woman at West 24th St. apartment
D'Onofrio is accused of shooting Castile, his fiancée, in the head above her right ear as the two were in their apartment in the 1100 block of West 24th Street. Investigators charged D'Onofrio on July 7 following a review of the case by cold-case investigators with the Erie Bureau of Police and the Pennsylvania State Police.
A mysterious shooting and case gone cold
The Erie County Coroner's Office did not rule on the cause of Castile's death initially as it awaited more information in the Erie police investigation. The case sat in limbo before Erie police Detective Sgt. Craig Stoker and state police Master Trooper Todd Giliberto took a fresh look at the case with the Erie County District Attorney's Office.
According to information in D'Onofrio's criminal complaint, he told police on the day of the shooting that he and Castile had a small verbal argument, and he told Castile to move out of their apartment, which was in his mother's house, the next day. D'Onofrio also said that Castile stated she could not live without him, investigators wrote in the complaint.
D'Onofrio stated to police that he was on the couch on the east side of the garage when he heard a pop and went over to Castile. He said he grabbed the gun, removed the clip and counted the rounds, noticing that one was missing, according to information in the complaint.
D'Onofrio called Erie County 911 after the shooting and stated that Castile had shot herself, detectives wrote in the complaint.
Erie police officers who responded to the residence found the gun and 16 rounds of ammunition on the bed and located a spent shell casing in a brown paper bag in a corner of the apartment, according to investigators. D'Onofrio consented to gunshot residue testing, and the testing was positive for residue on both of his hands and on the left shoulder of a T-shirt D'Onofrio was wearing at the time of the incident, according to the complaint.
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New information and an arrest
Investigators in October met with Erie County forensic pathologist Eric Vey, M.D., to review Castile's death, which included looking at photographs from her autopsy. Detectives wrote in D'Onofrio's complaint that, based on the position of the gun's muzzle against Castile's head and the trajectory of the bullet, Castile would have had to significantly contort her arm and hand to fire the gun.
The cold-case investigators additionally spoke in January to two former neighbors of Castile and D'Onofrio. One neighbor reported hearing arguing and then a "blood-curdling female scream" on the night of the shooting. The other neighbor reported hearing loud noises coming from the garage apartment on the night of the incident, according to information in the complaint.
Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook ruled Castile's death a homicide shortly before D'Onofrio was charged in Castile's death.
D'Onofrio, who was living in Tumwater, Washington, was taken into custody on the morning of July 10 at the entrance gate of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, home of the U.S. Army's I Corps and the U.S. Air Force's 62nd Airlift Wing. Investigators said D'Onofrio is a member of the U.S. Army, but U.S. Army public affairs officials never responded to an Erie Times-News request for more information on D'Onofrio's military status, including when he joined and how long he had been at the base in Washington.
More: Man charged in fiancée's 2012 killing refuses to waive extradition from WA
Local authorities said D'Onofrio initially refused to waive extradition to Pennsylvania to face the Erie police charges. Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz said Thursday that her office was in the process of obtaining a governor's warrant to have D'Onofrio brought back to Erie when he recently agreed to waive extradition.
D'Onofrio is tentatively scheduled to appear in court for his preliminary hearing on Aug. 24, according to information in his online court docket sheet. A lawyer for him was not listed on the sheet Thursday morning.
Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNhahn.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Ex-fiancé returns to Erie to face charges in woman's 2012 slaying
