Brian Castro was 21 and lived in San Jose. A construction roofer who loved cars, he was described by family as a loving son, brother, and father to his three-year-old boy and was planning to propose to his girlfriend. Early on August 15, 2019, just before 2 a.m., Brian and a friend stopped for gas at an Arco station on Senter Road. Both men were shot there; they drove themselves to Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center. Brian was pronounced dead shortly after arrival; his friend survived with non-life-threatening injuries.

San Jose homicide detectives treated the episode as an ambush tied to what was reported as a $4,000 marijuana deal. Investigators identified three Stockton residents as suspects. In October 2019, Ricardo Diaz, Alexander Toledo, and Keonte Smith were arrested. A jury in 2022 convicted Diaz and Toledo of murder, robbery, and assault; both received life without parole. Smith was convicted of robbery and assault and was sentenced to 13 years.

What can readers who knew Brian or witnessed that night add to the picture?