Father pleads guilty to drowning 3 children

BALTIMORE (AP) — A Maryland man has pleaded guilty to drowning his three young children in a Baltimore hotel bathtub.

Prosecutors say Mark Castillo pleaded guilty Wednesday to three counts of first-degree murder in Baltimore Circuit Court and was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without parole.

Castillo's attorneys previously contended he was not criminally responsible for the March 2008 slayings, Maryland's version of an insanity plea.

In a taped interview with police played in court last week, Castillo calmly described how he drowned 6-year-old Anthony, 4-year-old Austin and 2-year-old Athena.

The 43-year-old has a history of mental illness and had been involved in a custody dispute with his former wife. The court referred him to a treatment center for mentally ill inmates.

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