Rhonda Casto
March 16, 2009
23-year-old Rhonda Castro and her boyfriend Steve Nichols set out the day of March 16 to hike a Eagle Creek Trail. The trail was very popular for a steep drop-off that looked over the Columbia River Gorge. No one knew that this day would be turned into a nightmare.
Before they went on a hike, Castro dropped her 9-month-old daughter Ava with her mother.
By early evening, a rescue team responded to a 911 call from Nichols. When they arrived at the scene, they found Castro's body lifeless at the bottom of a ravine.
Nichols recalled the before the incident, he saw Castro running down a narrow trail with a towel behind her like "superman." He then remembered her sliding down the ravine and him trying to help her by swimming across a freezing creek to get her. By the time he got there, she was lifeless. By the time he reached her, he had collapsed over her body from exhaustion and hypothermia.
Before making it back to the call to call 911, Nichols fell asleep on her body but he doesn't remember how long that was.
When police started to investigate this tragedy, Nichols had told the police that prescription pills played a part in her death. He also found out that she was using marijuana and taking pills to help her loose weight and control her depression. However Castro's mom Julia Simmons believed otherwise. She thought that her daughter would never let drugs ruin her life and would never commit suicide because she had a daughter at home whom she loved.
In February of 2015, six years after Castro's death, Nichols was arrested and charged with murder. Police believed that Nichols allegedly pushed his girlfriend off the cliff so that he could receive $1 million in life insurance that he had secured on her. Prosecutors also claimed that he had sexual contact with Castro's younger sister and that he previously tried to push his ex-wife off of a balcony in China.
In May, Nichols had the charges dropped and pleaded guilty for Criminally negligent homicide. He served time and had three years of probation.
To this day, Nichols insists that he did not push his girlfriend off of the cliff but that she was very high on drugs that day. Before they started hiking the trail, he noticed that something was off with her and that he should have taken her back
to the car and left.
Prosecutors won't comment on this but those close to Castro have said that she was considering leaving Nichols because of their abusive relationship.
I’d love to hear what you think about this issue. Let me know in the comments!
23-year-old Rhonda Castro and her boyfriend Steve Nichols set out the day of March 16 to hike a Eagle Creek Trail. The trail was very popular for a steep drop-off that looked over the Columbia River Gorge. No one knew that this day would be turned into a nightmare.Before they went on a hike, Castro dropped her 9-month-old daughter Ava with her mother.
By early evening, a rescue team responded to a 911 call from Nichols. When they arrived at the scene, they found Castro's body lifeless at the bottom of a ravine.
Nichols recalled the before the incident, he saw Castro running down a narrow trail with a towel behind her like "superman." He then remembered her sliding down the ravine and him trying to help her by swimming across a freezing creek to get her. By the time he got there, she was lifeless. By the time he reached her, he had collapsed over her body from exhaustion and hypothermia.
Before making it back to the call to call 911, Nichols fell asleep on her body but he doesn't remember how long that was.When police started to investigate this tragedy, Nichols had told the police that prescription pills played a part in her death. He also found out that she was using marijuana and taking pills to help her loose weight and control her depression. However Castro's mom Julia Simmons believed otherwise. She thought that her daughter would never let drugs ruin her life and would never commit suicide because she had a daughter at home whom she loved.
In February of 2015, six years after Castro's death, Nichols was arrested and charged with murder. Police believed that Nichols allegedly pushed his girlfriend off the cliff so that he could receive $1 million in life insurance that he had secured on her. Prosecutors also claimed that he had sexual contact with Castro's younger sister and that he previously tried to push his ex-wife off of a balcony in China.
In May, Nichols had the charges dropped and pleaded guilty for Criminally negligent homicide. He served time and had three years of probation.
To this day, Nichols insists that he did not push his girlfriend off of the cliff but that she was very high on drugs that day. Before they started hiking the trail, he noticed that something was off with her and that he should have taken her back
to the car and left.
Prosecutors won't comment on this but those close to Castro have said that she was considering leaving Nichols because of their abusive relationship.
I’d love to hear what you think about this issue. Let me know in the comments!
I'm not convinced at all that Steve pushed Rhonda. For one thing, do we know if drug tests were run on Rhonda post mortem? Supposedly she was high on antidepressants and marijuana. If you look at the area of the trail she fell from, it's 3 feet wide. His claim is she was running and my last point, she never called the police once and there is no proof he abused her. The photo her mom, who I feel terribly sorry for, is passing around supposedly of bruises from his hitting her are actually post surgery. I understand he slept with her underaged sister but I am just not convinced he killed Rhonda, may she rest in peace.
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