ST. LOUIS – A chilling tale of greed, violence, and betrayal unfolded in University City, Missouri, where two men, Nathaniel Brown-Shatto and Carlos Albert Castellanos Jr., have pleaded guilty to their involvement in the fatal shooting of a man in 2022. Their greed over counterfeit cash led to the brutal murder.
Brown-Shatto, 21, pleaded guilty to one count of knowingly discharging a firearm in furtherance of the commission of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death. Castellanos, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on June 6.
The tragic incident occurred on February 19, 2022, when Brown-Shatto, Castellanos, and a third man, Emanuel Benito Vasquez, were involved in a three-person marijuana conspiracy. Brown-Shatto had previously sold marijuana to the victim using counterfeit currency. The trio, armed to the teeth, drove to the victim’s home in the 7800 block of Birchmont Drive, where the fatal encounter took place.
When the victim stepped out of his home, Brown-Shatto shot him with a handgun, while the third man began shooting him through the vehicle’s sunroof with an AK-style rifle. Investigators later recovered a total of 22 spent cartridge casings from both weapons. Both shooters disposed of those weapons, but Castellanos kept his because he didn’t use it, according to their plea agreements.
Three days later, University City police stopped Castellanos and Brown-Shatto in a vehicle that matched the description of the one used by the shooters. Castellanos and Brown-Shatto were both armed with handguns, and officers found about one pound of marijuana in a backpack in the car.
The third man, Emanuel Benito Vasquez, 21, is facing a marijuana conspiracy charge as well as charges of discharging a firearm in furtherance of the commission of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death and conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He has not yet been arrested. Charges are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Castellanos is scheduled to be sentenced in December, while Brown-Shatto is set to face sentencing in November.
The case was investigated by the University City Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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