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 A Livingston County jury on January 29 found Raulie Casteel, 44,
guilty of terrorism, assault with a dangerous weapon, firing a
weapon from a vehicle and other felony weapons charges.
He faced up to life in prison for the attacks. No one was injured,
but the threat of being fired upon sent chills through motorists.
A resident of Wixom, Michigan, northwest of Detroit, Casteel was
convicted of shooting at 23 vehicles in a four-county area in
southeastern Michigan, mostly on or near Interstate 96 from October
16 to 18, 2012.
Schools changed bus routes, commuters took back roads to and from
work, and sports fans feared traveling to college sporting events
because of the Casteel's shooting spree, Attorney General Bill
Schuette said in a statement.
"Today, our communities can rest easy knowing that a violent,
unpredictable criminal is behind bars where he belongs," Schuette
said.
Casteel will serve the sentence he received in Livingston County at
the same time he serves an 8-1/2 to 12-year sentence he received for
convictions on assault and felony firearm charges in a separate case
prosecuted in Oakland County.
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Casteel testified at trial that he opened fire on motorists because
he believed they were part of a government conspiracy against him,
according to the attorney general's office.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee;
editing by Jon Herskovitz)
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