ROCKFORD, Mich. (WOOD) — A Rockford homeowner who found a man standing in his Oak Street kitchen over the weekend said the stranger warned him to “be careful” and “arm” himself.

It was the first of two home invasions that occurred early Saturday morning less than an hour and a mile apart.

Ricardo Perez Castillo, a 24-year-old Marine recruiter based in Grand Rapids, is charged in both incidents.

In the second home invasion, court records said Castillo entered a home in the River Bluffs subdivision off Jericho NE and stabbed an 11-year-old girl multiple times, later telling detectives he had planned to kill the entire family.

“I’m definitely in shock,” the homeowner from the first incident told NewsNation affiliate WOOD on Monday evening. “And I think as more information is coming out, it’s becoming more and more scary (and) we’re realizing how lucky we were to all be safe. Now, we’re just feeling terrible for the family down the street — the little girl’s family,” he said.

A profanity-laced warning

The witness, who did not want to be identified, said he was cleaning up around 2:10 a.m. Saturday, preparing to lock up for the night. He and his wife had hosted friends for dinner on their back deck.

“My buddy was washing dishes at the sink,” he recalled. “I went back out to the deck to grab a few things, came back inside, and there was a man standing at my sink. I kind of did a double take because I thought it was my buddy.”

It wasn’t.

His friend, who was staying the night, had left the kitchen to prepare for bed.

“I asked (the man) who he was, what he was doing in my house,” recalled the Oak Street resident.

The stranger didn’t answer.

“I proceeded to ask him to leave,” he told WOOD. “I walked towards him and didn’t make any physical contact with him. He left with no argument…”

But the homeowner said when the man reached the door, he stopped.

“I asked him, ‘What’s going on?,’ and he said, ‘I don’t even (expletive) know what the (expletive) is going on, but just in case, just be careful. Make sure you’re armed.’ At that point I slammed the door shut and called police.”

The Oak Street witness said the offender did not seem threatening at first.

“He seemed harmless at the time,” explained the homeowner. “It wasn’t until he told me to arm myself that I became worried for my safety. Luckily, he was outside by that time.”

Police: Suspect had been drinking

The witness said the man did not appear to be obviously drunk or high during their brief interaction.

“It wasn’t until later when I watched the (Ring doorbell) footage that I realized he might have been intoxicated because he appeared to stumble as he entered my home,” the resident said.

Rockford police confirmed to WOOD that the suspect, Castillo, had been drinking earlier in the night and was spotted in downtown Rockford, which is a little more than half a mile from the home on Oak. Downtown Rockford was full of revelers this weekend enjoying the city’s annual Start of Summer Celebration.

After the Oak Street witness viewed the stranger stumbling on the Ring video, he said he figured the man was “a drunk guy who stumbled into my home by accident.”

“I could never have imagined what he would go on to do later,” the homeowner said.

When the offender walked outside, he lingered in front of the home and tried to wave down a car before running south on Oak, according to the witness, who told WOOD he was impressed by law enforcement’s quick response.

“The Rockford, local police here, Kent County, and the Michigan State Police were all here,” said the Oak Street resident. “They had a K-9 unit out. They had a drone in the air. They were taking it extremely seriously, and I’m really appreciative of them and their work.”

When police left his house, he said the officers headed south.

“(The offender) had run south. So (police) wanted to check what was going on down there, and we were- we couldn’t sleep and then we saw the ambulances go by,” the homeowner said. “I didn’t put it together. I thought maybe he was apprehended. I had no idea. Couldn’t have imagined what happened.”

It wasn’t until he and his wife saw news reports the next morning that they realized what had occurred an eighth of a mile southwest of their home.

‘I wish it would have stopped here’

The River Bluffs subdivision is a gated community off Jericho Avenue NE, which turns into Oak Street when it crosses into the city of Rockford from Plainfield Township.

“Initially just shock,” the Oak Street homeowner told WOOD. “There’s nothing to say about somebody who does that to an 11-year-old girl. I just don’t know how you process that… I’m really grateful that the father down the street was able to hold him, and without killing him or anything, so he has to pay his justice. But I wish, obviously I wish, that it would have stopped here.”

The Kent County Sheriff’s Office says its deputies were called to Ella Terrace Court in River Bluffs just before 3 a.m. Saturday.

“The caller advised that someone was in his daughter’s bedroom and his daughter’s friend… was cut,” the arresting officer wrote in a probable cause affidavit filed in 63rd District Court. “(The caller) stated that the male (was) being held at gunpoint until police arrived.”

The affidavit said deputies found Castillo in the bedroom with a bloody knife next to him.

“Video shows Ricardo entering the (River Bluffs) residence and taking his shoes, socks, and pants off,” wrote the arresting officer. “Ricardo, with only his underwear and T-shirt, grabbed a knife from the kitchen drawer and walked upstairs. According to Ricardo, his intent was to break into the house and kill the entire family. Ricardo stated that he tried the first couple bedroom doors, but they were locked. Ricardo then opened the master bedroom door and located (the homeowner) and his wife asleep.”

According to the affidavit, Castillo moved on from the master bedroom to search for an “easier target.”

“Ricardo then went into the room where (the girl) was sleeping,” wrote the deputy. “Ricardo stated to detectives that he planned to kill (her) and have sex with her… body.”

The homeowner’s daughter was having a sleepover with a friend, and it was the friend who was attacked.

The deputy wrote in the affidavit that Castillo began stabbing the victim but stopped because of the girls’ screams.

The victim, 11, received multiple stab wounds to her left arm and shoulder, according to the court record. She is reportedly in stable condition.   

In the River Bluffs attack, Castillo is charged with assault with intent to murder, first-degree home invasion, assault with intent to commit sexual penetration, and carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent. In the Oak Street case, he’s charged with misdemeanor breaking and entering. Judge Sara Smolenski set his bond at $2 million cash.

The criminal history database maintained by Michigan State Police shows no prior convictions for Castillo, who appears to be from Waterford in Oakland County on the other side of the state.

Marines ‘deeply saddened’ by ‘tragic incident’

According to the United States Marine Corps, Castillo has been based at the recruiting station on Celebration Drive NE off the East Beltline and Knapp Street since October 2023.

USMC said Castillo was previously assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

“We are not aware of any previous disciplinary actions (against Castillo),” Capt. Terrence Zaleski wrote in an email to WOOD.

Castillo, 24, has collected several awards, including two personal achievement medals.

Zaleski noted that USMC cannot release medical information due to privacy laws but noted that all service members “receive mental, physical, and moral screenings prior to being accepted for service in the Armed Forces.” 

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident and our sincere condolences go out to the family during this incredibly difficult time,” Zaleski wrote. “The charges filed against Castillo do not represent our core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment. Marines are held to a high stand, and we expect all Marines to uphold these standards.”

Zaleski noted that the USMC is cooperating with the Kent County Sheriff’s Office on its investigation.

*Correction: A previous version of this article included the incorrect month on the date of Castillo’s booking photo. He was booked June 15. We regret the error, which has been fixed.