Collins gets 50 years for stabbing

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By Dustin Lemmon | Thursday, October 9, 2008 9:21 AM CDT | () comments

A 50-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to the fatal stabbing of Anthony Castro, 46, was sentenced to 50 years in prison Wednesday.

Vail Collins, address unavailable, tried to withdraw her plea before being sentenced by Scott County District Court Judge James Kelley, arguing that her attorney did a poor job of explaining the plea agreement and the sentence she faced.

Kelley dismissed the argument and found that Collins understood what was taking place at her plea hearing in August. Collins pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the March 4 stabbing in an apartment at 717 W. 4th St.

Collins said she plans to appeal the decision and is eager to share her version of what happened.

“I’m going to fight,” she said. “I’m going to share my side of the story.”

Davenport police were dispatched to Castro’s apartment at 11:08 p.m. March 4 after he went to a neighbor’s apartment for help, Scott County Attorney Mike Walton said.

When police arrived, they found Castro in his apartment with Collins, who was a friend, and found a butcher knife on the floor with a lot of blood, Walton said, adding Collins made a statement that she stabbed Castro.

Early on in the case, the defense filed a notice that it planned to use self defense as an argument at trial, Walton said.

Castro was taken to Genesis Medical Center, East Rusholme Street, Davenport, where he died a few hours later.

Castro’s sister Margaret Lee lashed out at Collins in her statement to the court Wednesday and questioned how it could be self defense when her brother was stabbed repeatedly.

“I just want to know why you had to stab him six times,” she said. “He tried to help you. You’re going to carry this ... with you for the rest of your life.”

Collins apologized to Lee.

“I know I took a life, and I apologize,” she said. “I ask for forgiveness because I never wanted to take a life.”

Dustin Lemmon can be contacted at (563) 383-2493 or dlemmon@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.