Florida Man Winel Castro-Molina Sentenced To Life In Prison For Kidnapping

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. -- A man, who kidnapped a stranded woman off the side of Interstate 4, was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison. Winel Castro-Molina stood there and listened as the judge handed down the life sentence, without a testimony, inside a Seminole County courtroom.

"Does Mr. Castro-Molina care to make a statement, or do you want to make an argument as to sentencing?" the judge asked in court.

"No, your honor," Castro-Molina's attoey Erick Trivedi replied.

There were no defense arguments, no character witnesses or no requests for mercy, during the sentencing of Castro-Molina.

"I will sentence you to a mandatory sentence to life in prison," the judge stated.

Castro-Molina picked up an intoxicated woman who was stranded along I-4 in 2009. He took her to a dark and secluded area near a storage facility.

An Altamonte Springs police officer on patrol discovered them. The victim was unaware of what was going on.

Castro-Molina was charged with rape and kidnapping. Last month, it took jurors 15 hours to acquit him of the rape, but they convicted him of kidnapping.

"My client feels, frankly, to this day that he's never done anything wrong," Trivedi said.

He defense argued a harsh interrogation by police forced a confession.

"Tried to take advantage of her because she's intoxicated?" an officer is heard asking Castro-Molina in a recording.

"Yes," he answered.

But prosecutors said it was his actions and not his words that got him into trouble.

Kidnapping is a more serious charge. And because he committed the crime less than three years after he was released from federal prison on a marijuana trafficking conviction, he faced the mandatory life sentence.

"Everybody's aware of how sophisticated of a crime this was, and I think everybody's probably aware of how doubtful the case was overall. I think in light of that, I think this is travesty; he's being sentenced to life," said Trivedi.

Castro-Molina has 30 days to appeal. Trivedi said there will be appeals and he thinks one juror's actions could be grounds for appeal.