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Ex-judge once jailed for mailing live snake gets 40 years in drug case; feds say he killed witness

Imprisoned a decade ago after he and his son mailed a live poisonous snake to a man with whom they had a dispute, a former Arkansas judge on Friday was sentenced to 40 years in a new federal prosecution.

Bob Sam Castleman was convicted last year in a case over a methamphetamine manufacturing and distribution conspiracy. Federal prosecutors sought a life prison term in the Little Rock case, arguing that Castleman killed a witness although he has not been criminally charged, let alone convicted, of doing so, the Associated Press reports.

Castleman’s defense asked for less than four years, and said it was improper to consider the death of the witness in the drug-case sentencing. The witness, Travis Perkins, was also a co-defendent in the case. He was found shot to death in an apartment in Pocahontas, Arkansas, days before he was set to testify against Castleman, reports WTOC.

During trial, his adult son, Robert Jerrod Castleman, who had taken a plea and promised to cooperate with the government, testified that the father once admitted he had killed Perkins, the Associated Press reported at the time.

Attorney Blake Hendrix represented the father. He said the murder claim was “uncorroborated” and called the son’s testimony “entirely self-serving,” noting that the son faced a likely prison term in the case.

The Associated Press says the former Pocahontas district judge served 27 months in federal prison and lost his license to practice law after his 2004 conviction in the snake case.

In an unrelated drug case in Chicago, federal prosecutors recently sought a life term on essentially the same theory for Justin Austin, arguing that he had killed an off-duty police officer. Austin, like Castleman, was not convicted of the slaying at issue (a murder charge against Austin concerning the officer’s death was dropped).

Related articles:

CNN (2004): “Lawyer guilty of mailing deadly snake”

Arkansas Business (2004): “Pocahontas Attorney, Son Sentenced in Snake Case”

Associated Press: “Prosecutors try to link ex-judge to witness death “

KAIT: “Former city judge due in court for sentencing”

See also:

ABAJournal.com: “Man beat murder charge in detective’s death, but feds seek life term in drug case, citing slaying”