Richmond woman living in fear of random stalker

She sleeps with a hammer under her pillow, not knowing if that night is the one where she’s forced to defend her family inside her home.

For the last year or so, single mom Koszima Mair has been living in fear of one man – a random stranger who, for a reason unknown to anyone, has turned up multiple times at her Terra Nova house in Richmond and tried to get inside while she and her teenage kids are home.

In each of the 11 frightening episodes over 13 months the man, Jesse Castillo, 39, who is understood to be homeless, bangs on Mair’s door and tries the door handle.

He seems adamant, said Mair, that he either lives there or knows someone who does and appears to be afraid of nothing, neither her dogs nor the imminent arrival of the police.

But it wasn’t until an exceptionally sinister incident in January – the 10th time he had tried to get in the house - that the courts were finally able to take action.

“He was in my front yard, sharpening two pieces of concrete together, staring right into our living room,” said a still shaken Mair, who has several security cameras around her home.

“He looked like he was going to throw it through my window. That one was really scary.

“Again, he was arrested and this time he got convicted with (placing Mair in a state of fear and alarm). He got fined $500 and was released with a whole set of conditions not to come anywhere near me or my home.”

All seemed well until last week, however, when Castillo allegedly showed up again, for the 11th time, and rang Mair’s doorbell when she was out on a school run.

“I have a smart doorbell. I got the alert on my phone and I see his face at my door. It was scary. I called 9-1-1,” Mair claimed to the Richmond News.

“They told me not to go home. So I drove past my house and he saw me and waved at me. I was like ‘what?’

“I waited for an hour and finally an officer called me and said that they had him in custody and I could go home.

“The video shows him slowly walking down the driveway and trying the door before going into the bushes again. It’s so creepy.”

Richmond RCMP confirmed to the News that Castillo is currently charged with two counts of breach of a recognizance is currently in custody following his arrest on June 15.

Castillo is expected to be in custody until July 15 and is understood to be undergoing more assessments.

Mair suspects he has a serious mental health condition, but claimed that Richmond RCMP’s mental health unit had assessed him previously as “not being a danger to himself or others.”

Richmond RCMP told the News that Castillo “entered into a one year Section 810 Peace Bond” on Jan. 29, stemming from a police investigation in June of last year.

That bond is supposed to prevent Castillo from having contact, direct or otherwise, with Mair, as well as there being a large no-go area around her home in west Richmond.

Richmond RCMP say they have created a safety plan with Mair that includes calling 9-1-1 if she sees Castillo.  

According to the RCMP, calls received from Mair or associated to her residence “would be considered for a priority response.”

“This is an unenviable position to be in. We are extremely sympathetic to Ms. Mair’s situation,” said Richmond RCMP’s Cpl. Adriana O’Malley.

“We are doing everything to keep her safe which would include arresting and recommending charges where an alleged offence has been committed.”

However, Mair is not convinced Castillo is getting the message and is already fearing the day he gets released from custody.

“When he’s not in custody, I’m scared to even put my garbage out,” Mair conceded.

“I’ve told police I sleep with a hammer and I will defend myself and my children if he gets in here.

“It’s going to be him or me and then it will be my kids without a mother, as I’ll be dead or in prison. It won’t be a difficult crime to solve.”

Mair said Castillo’s mother contacted her to explain his troubled past, after reading on social media what her son is doing.

However, Mair refused to engage with her, adding that “everyone has their troubles” and it’s not her responsibility, as a complete stranger, to bear the brunt of them.

“It’s a shame, but I shouldn’t be the one dealing with it,” said Mair.

“This is not a life. There have been suggestions of getting a bigger dog or getting him beaten up or even moving home. But they are not solutions are they?

“The guy clearly needs to be locked up or in a place where he can be helped.”