Mother of man beaten to death objects to Las Vegas judge’s sentencing decision

Kyle J. Paine
·2 min read
8
Mother of man beaten to death objects to Las Vegas judge’s sentencing decision

UPDATE: This article has been edited to correct the charge to which the man pleaded guilty.

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – The mother of a man beaten to death in 2021 said the man who pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with use of a deadly weapon Wednesday got too light a sentence.

“More. Way more,” Denise Banks, mother of Cornell Black, said when asked how much more time the defendant – Walther Pina-Freijo – should have received in Clark County District Court. Court documents charged Pina-Frejio, 26, and his father, Reino Pina-Castillejo, then 68, with robbing and beating Black to death with a baseball bat on April 11, 2021, at a bus stop near University Center and Twain.

Father, son indicted for murder of Cornell Black

“It has ruined us,” Banks said of her young family, including the victim’s daughter Miracle Black, who turned 15 the same day as the sentencing. Banks spoke at Wednesday’s sentencing and told Judge Michelle Leavitt the sentence was not sufficient.

“It’s not enough, “Banks said.

<em>Cornell Black (seen on the left with his mother Denise Banks) was robbed and beaten to death with a baseball bat on April 11, 2021, at a bus stop near University Center and Twain. (KLAS)</em>
Cornell Black (seen on the left with his mother Denise Banks) was robbed and beaten to death with a baseball bat on April 11, 2021, at a bus stop near University Center and Twain. (KLAS)

Through a Spanish-language interpreter, Pina-Frejio apologized in court.

“He’s sorry about that day,” Banks said. “But I wish that day had never happened.”

The co-defendant in the case, Pina-Castillejo, was awaiting trial set for July 2021 for the child sex crime case at the time of Black’s death. In 2019, he was arrested and charged with sexual assault against a child under 14, lewdness with a child under 14, and attempted lewdness with a child under 14. The allegations date back to 2013. But the court allowed him to go free.

I-Team: Murder suspect was on house arrest for alleged child sex crime

Court documents reveal that in October 2019, Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Joe Bonaventure allowed Pina-Castillejo to be released on his recognizance and do a “walkthrough” at the jail. He was ordered to stay away from the victim, surrender his passport, and be on high-level electronic monitoring.

<em>Court documents charged Walther Pina-Frejio, 26, and his father, Reino Pina-Castillejo, then 68, with robbing and beating Black to death with a baseball bat on April 11, 2021, at a bus stop near University Center and Twain. (KLAS)</em>
Court documents charged Walther Pina-Frejio, 26, and his father, Reino Pina-Castillejo, then 68, with robbing and beating Black to death with a baseball bat on April 11, 2021, at a bus stop near University Center and Twain. (KLAS)

Records also show that the Clark County District Attorney’s Office opposed Bonaventure’s decision.

“He should have stayed in jail, and my son would still be alive,” Denise Maxwell told the 8 News Now Investigators in an exclusive interview.

According to Metro Police, Pina-Castillejo’s GPS ankle bracelet revealed that he was at the bus stop at the time of the alleged deadly beating.

<em>Denise Banks spoke at Wednesday’s sentencing and told Judge Michelle Leavitt the sentence was not sufficient. (KLAS)</em>
Denise Banks spoke at Wednesday’s sentencing and told Judge Michelle Leavitt the sentence was not sufficient. (KLAS)

“That bracelet didn’t stop nothing; the bracelet didn’t stop nothing,” Maxwell told the 8 News Now Investigators back then. “He killed my son while he was wearing a bracelet. So, what did the bracelet do?”

Pina-Castillejo’s murder trial is postponed while the court evaluates his mental competency, records show. He was originally scheduled to go to trial in August 2022.

<em>Court documents charged Reino Pina-Castillejo and his son Walther with robbing and beating Black to death with a baseball bat on April 11, 2021, at a bus stop near University Center and Twain. (KLAS)</em>
Court documents charged Reino Pina-Castillejo and his son Walther with robbing and beating Black to death with a baseball bat on April 11, 2021, at a bus stop near University Center and Twain. (KLAS)

His son, Pina-Frejio, was given credit for almost three years of time served, and will thus have a parole hearing in just over three years.

“We’re going to be at every [parole board hearing],” Banks said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.