Trial Set For Man Accused In Children's Deaths

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The trial of a Rockville man accused of drowning his three young children in a Baltimore hotel bathtub is set to begin.

Attorneys will argue a motion Tuesday afternoon to suppress Mark Castillo's statements to police, in which he admitted he was responsible for his children's deaths. Jury selection is expected to start after that motion is decided.

Castillo's attorneys contend that he was not criminally responsible for the slayings, which is Maryland's version of an insanity plea.

The start of Castillo's trial follows a morning in which attorneys appeared in three courtrooms and Castillo's public defenders sparred with a judge, saying she had not ruled on motions they filed last year. Judge Gale Rasin reacted angrily, saying that all their motions had been denied or found moot.