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20-year-old dies after medical distress in Queens Courthouse, officials say
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Sep 17, 2026
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Photo by: Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Sep 17, 2026
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Department of Correction officials said a young man died in their custody Wednesday evening after an appearance in Queens Criminal Court.
According to the department, DOC officers observed 20-year-old Luis Alberto Lopez Castillo in medical distress at the courthouse around 6:30 p.m. Staff performed CPR until first responders arrived, and they took Lopez Castillo to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead just before 8 p.m.
In a statement, Correction Commissioner Stanley Richards called Lopez Castillo’s death “a heartbreaking moment for me and the entire department,” and said the DOC would investigate alongside city and state authorities.
According to court records, Lopez Castillo had visited Queens Court in a scheduled appearance on charges of robbery, grand larceny, assault and criminal weapons possession stemming from an incident in July 2025.
Court records and media coverage show that Lopez Castillo was facing charges of murder, manslaughter, robbery and criminal weapons possession in connection with the alleged killing of 26-year-old Ronell Marte. Authorities say Lopez Castillo and another man tried to rob Marte, who had special needs, at gunpoint in the Bronx's Starlight Park in September of last year.
The Bronx Defenders, who were representing Lopez Castillo in the murder case, lamented that he died young. and called every death behind bars tragic.
Darren Mack, co-director of the Freedom Agenda, a nonprofit that advocates for closing Rikers, called Lopez Castillo’s death a “horrific loss,” adding that he had been awaiting trial for almost a year. “It’s time to stop sending people into this death camp. We need urgent action from City Hall to substantially reduce the jail population and get people out of this hellhole – and this preventable death is yet another human cost of delay,” Mack said.
When a person dies in Department of Correction custody, state law requires the department to notify entities including the federal monitor overseeing the Rikers Island jail complex, the state attorney general’s office, the Board of Correction, the city medical examiner’s office and the district attorneys where the individuals were facing charges.
Lopez Castillo is at least the eighth person to die in city Department of Correction custody so far this year**,** following the August deaths of 36-year-old Christopher Rodriguez in the Bellevue Hospital jail unit and 41-year-old Clarence Woodward at Rikers’ Robert N. Davoren Center in the same week.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the number of people who died in DOC custody in 2026.
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Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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