Fort Pierce police accused Castro of killing Sato outside her Timber Ridge Lane home during the early morning hours of July 23, 2022. A man called 911 and said he had shot and killed his girlfriend and was considering killing himself. Officers arrived and found Sato outside the home with multiple gunshot wounds. Investigators reported finding six gunshot wounds and several 9 mm shell casings near her body.
Kelly Matthews, Wilson's former girlfriend, told WPTV she reported to law enforcement in February 2019 that Wilson had beaten, kidnapped and raped her. Matthews said she had begged Detective Louis Potter to arrest him. Potter collected Wilson's DNA but 34 days later closed the case before the lab results came back. In his report, Potter wrote there were no witnesses, no evidence, and that Wilson denied the allegations, concluding there was no probable cause to make an arrest.
A Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office internal affairs investigation found Potter failed to conduct a thorough sex crimes investigation. Investigators concluded he closed the case before reviewing DNA results, and when those results came back confirming Wilson's DNA was found at the scene, Potter failed to follow up. The internal affairs report found Matthews' account was corroborated by her injuries and evidence collected from the vehicle where the alleged crimes occurred, including a pocket knife and torn clothing. Potter was suspended without pay for 120 hours and reassigned to administrative duties.