Mason Shannon retrial: Shannon testifies ‘it was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen’

Mason Shannon testified Friday that he was scared of Michael Castelli on the night he placed Castelli into a headlock during a struggle at the Bonnie Plants facility in rural Ottawa.

Castelli could not be revived and soon died.

If convicted again of involuntary manslaughter – Shannon was found guilty in 2018, but the conviction was overturned – Shannon could face two to five years in prison.

After Shannon’s testimony Friday, attorneys provided their closing arguments. Visiting Judge William Dickenson will render his verdict at 3 p.m. March 14.

[ Day 3: Asphyxia or bad heart? Experts dispute Castelli death ]

[ Day 2: Was Castelli alive after headlock? ]

[ Day 1: ‘It was chaotic – a lot happening very quickly’ ]

That there was a struggle and that Castelli needed to be restrained has not been disputed during the trial that started Feb. 13.

Toxicology results showed that Castelli was under the influence of alcohol, marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms, and witness testimonies depicted a man out of control. Three men at one point were trying to restrain him.

But prosecutors said Shannon overdid it when he placed Castelli into what’s been variously described as a headlock, chokehold or carotid sleeper hold that lasted for several minutes. One witness estimated that the hold lasted about 10 minutes.

To date, prosecutors have said that Castelli was unresponsive around the time he was released from Shannon’s grip, suggesting that Castelli lost consciousness and/or began to succumb to asphyxia during the neck hold.

Shannon said he met Castelli when a bunch of workers went together to a local bar. He said they exchanged numbers.

Shannon testified that Castelli contacted him on the night of the incident while he was shopping at Kroger, asking if he would like to meet at Angels Pub to have a drink. Shannon said he told Castelli no because he had his dog with him, but he invited Castelli to his trailer on the Bonnie Plants facility.

“He said people in the bar were close-minded,” Shannon said, “and he would rather have someone fresh to talk to.”

Shannon testified that Castelli had one Redd’s Hard Apple cider from his fridge, but didn’t finish the bottle, and a marijuana blunt.

Shannon said he had the drink that Castelli had asked to try and didn’t smoke marijuana or have knowledge of its whereabouts.

“He asked me if I knew where to get any mushrooms,” Shannon said.

Shannon said he wasn’t from the area, so he wouldn’t have any idea. Shannon testified that Castelli started becoming quiet.

“Did that concern you?” defense attorney Paul De Luca said.

“Yes,” Shannon said.

De Luca asked him why.

“‘Cause I didn’t know this guy,” Shannon said.

Shannon said he wanted to take Castelli home. He testified that he thought it was only he and his boss at the facility, but the greenhouse lights were on.

Shannon testified that he and Castelli drove to the greenhouse, as he wanted to ask if the two men working, Jordan Wilkinson or Joseph Brewer, wanted something to eat or drink from town.

Shannon said he told Castelli to stay in the car, but when he returned, Castelli was gone.

“Were you concerned?” De Luca said.

“Yes, because of the ditches in the terrain, and he didn’t have a flashlight,” Shannon said.

Shannon said he started to panic and ran back to his trailer to get a flashlight to look for Castelli.

Shannon testified that when he found Castelli, he was white, wasn’t saying anything and was sweating.

Shannon said Castelli fell face-forward into the ground, and he had to carry the man as if he had a broken ankle – with one arm over his shoulder and another around his waist – to keep him from falling.

After suggesting that Shannon was “sick,” Shannon said Castelli asked for his flashlight. He told Castelli that he wasn’t going to give it to him, and Castelli grabbed his throat and began choking him.

“I was really scared,” Shannon said.

Shannon said he ran to the greenhouse and begged Wilkinson and Brewer to help him drive Castelli home. He said it took some convincing, but they eventually agreed.

They came outside to see Castelli crawling on the ground. Brewer filmed a short clip of this with his cellphone. Shannon said he shined a light on Castelli and told him to get up.

Shannon said he noticed the skid-steer loader was up and went to lay it flat, as that is an Occupational Safety and Health Administration violation.

He testified there was an exchange between Wilkinson and Castelli, and then Castelli punched Wilkinson in the back of the head.

Trying to restrain Castelli, Brewer put him into a bear hug from behind, his arms around Castelli’s chest, and Shannon testified that he hit him on the head with his fist.

During cross-examination, prosecutor Jonathan McKay said Shannon never mentioned punching Castelli on his head during the previous trial. Shannon said he was never asked about it.

“He was asked, ‘What happened?’ Nowhere in his description of what happened does he say he struck him with his fist,” McKay said.

Shannon agreed.

Shannon said that after he hit Castelli, the man fell forward, and he and Brewer wrestled Castelli to the ground.

Shannon said he told Wilkinson to call the police and get zip ties to restrain him.

Shannon said he was able to get the zip ties on Castelli, but the man “busted right out of them.”

“How did you feel?” De Luca said.

“Words can’t describe it,” Shannon said. “It was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Shannon said he could have failed to tie the zip ties correctly, but to him, Castelli ripped out of the plastic.

Police and the plant manager were summoned. At one point during the altercation three people were restraining Castelli. Shannon said the plant manager, Jim Clouse, was being “punched in the groin” continuously and was concerned about police not getting there quick enough.

Shannon said Brewer was tired, so he and Clouse both withdrew from the fight, leaving Shannon with Castelli in a headlock.

Shannon said he put his arm on Castelli’s chin and pulled up. He demonstrated for the judge. Shannon said Brewer told him that his hold may have been too tight, so he loosened it.

The prosecution challenged Shannon’s description of the chokehold, saying in previous testimony that he said he was under his chin and had never corrected the term carotid sleeper hold.

“Don’t you agree your force was a little rough?” McKay said.

“Sure, at the beginning it could have been,” Shannon said.

Shannon testified that the sheriff’s deputy who arrived at the scene, William Norman, told him to release Castelli when he arrived, and he obeyed.

“Did [Castelli] appear to be lifeless?” De Luca said.

“No,” Shannon said.

Shannon testified that Clouse was the one who noticed something was wrong with Castelli, not the officer. And it was Clouse who checked for a pulse and began CPR on Castelli after some time had passed.

The prosecution challenged this, saying that Shannon never said in the first trial that Norman refused to help.

Shannon agreed and said Norman didn’t help at the beginning, but he did eventually.

“Don’t you think they would need to understand the full scope of what’s going on?” McKay said.

“If someone is unresponsive,” Shannon said, “you’re going to start CPR immediately. So I would say no.”

Prosecutor Michael Falagario said during closing statements that the defense wants the judge to believe Castelli was a big, dangerous man, but in truth he could barely walk.

“They were not scared,” Falagario said. “They were laughing.”

The prosecution said the headlock changed everything because Castelli had calmed down. Everyone else had disengaged, and he was no longer fighting. But Shannon behaved recklessly.

“The chokehold was not reasonable,” Falagario said.

He said the forensic pathologist testified that Castelli died from asphyxia resulting from Shannon placing him, for up to 10 minutes, in a chokehold or carotid sleeper hold.

McKay said it was unreasonable to believe at this exact moment the police handcuffed Castelli and his heart failed.

In disagreement, De Luca said Shannon was defending himself from the Castelli, who turned “dangerous and violent” after ingesting alcohol and drugs, and he had three people at one point trying to restrain him.

“It was mayhem, and it was a nightmare. Those were the words of Jim Clause,” De Luca said.

De Luca said Dr. James Filkins, who also is a forensic pathologist, said that Castelli’s heart was enlarged, and when he died, his heart was enlarged to a degree that can put a person at risk for sudden cardiac death.

And that’s before the added stress of a prolonged fight under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

If convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Shannon could face two to five years in prison with the possibility of probation.