MARYSVILLE, CA – A California husband has been sentenced to four years in prison for a brutal domestic violence incident in which he was caught on video by his 9-year-old child beating his wife in front of their three children. Miguel Lazaro-Castillo, 38, received the maximum term allowed under the law for pleading no contest to felony domestic violence, false imprisonment, and misdemeanor child abuse.

The charges stemmed from an alarming incident on the morning of October 9, when the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from one of Lazaro-Castillo’s children. Deputies arrived at the family’s home to find the wife lying face-down on the floor, surrounded by blood-soaked napkins, with Lazaro-Castillo sitting on top of her. The couple’s three children, ages 9, 14, and 15, were present at the time of the incident.

During the investigation, deputies discovered that Lazaro-Castillo’s youngest child had recorded the assault, capturing more than 6 minutes of footage that showed the father repeatedly hitting his wife in the face and head. One of Lazaro-Castillo’s daughters attempted to shield her mother from the blows, but Lazaro-Castillo continued the assault by flipping his wife over onto her stomach and pressing her face into the carpet “for an extended amount of time.”

Despite not having a prior criminal record, Lazaro-Castillo received the maximum sentence for felony domestic violence due to the brutality of his actions and his complete disregard for his children, according to the Yuba County District Attorney’s Office. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of domestic violence on families and the importance of holding abusers accountable for their actions.