Kennewick tattoo artist admits to sexually assaulting woman after he offered free tattoo

A tattoo artist is facing more than a year in prison after admitting to sexually assaulting a woman who he asked to model for him.

Jose Chamorro Castillo, 43, lured the woman to his Richland home in September 2022 with the promise of a free tattoo if he could share pictures of it in his portfolio.

When there he forced her into into his bedroom, and attacked her.

While he had been charged with two counts of second-degree rape, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of third-degree assault with sexual motivation on Thursday in Benton County Superior Court.

His sentencing range will be between a year and a month and a year and three months in prison. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

Prosecutors plan to ask for the maximum sentence.

The state Department of Corrections will need to conduct an investigation before he can be sentenced.

Chamorro Castillo made headlines after he was one of six defendants held in the Benton County jail who were released because they weren’t assigned an attorney.

He was first arrested in April, arraigned in May and held in jail in lieu of posting $200,000 bail. By June 6, he still didn’t have a lawyer when he appeared in front of Judge Diana Ruff.

At the time, the Benton County public defense manager said he didn’t have any attorneys to assign to his case.

Federal and Washington state constitutions guarantee everyone the right to an attorney if they can’t afford one.

Suspects also are guaranteed the right to a speedy trial within 60 days if they’re in jail or within 90 days if they’re out of custody unless they waive that right.

He was asked to return the next week, but he never showed up and an arrest warrant was issued for him. He was caught two months later.

Attack accusation

Chamorro Castillo was listed as the owner of The Badder Ink, a tattoo and piercing shop with locations in Kennewick, Oregon and New York.

A woman contacted Chamorro Castillo’s shop in September 2022 because she wanted to get a tattoo for her birthday.

When she told him about her birthday, he insisted they celebrate at his shop with some champagne, said court documents.

He asked if he could tattoo her for free in exchange for taking some photos for his portfolio. She agreed, and he suggested they talk about it more. When she suggested they go to an area bar, he said that wasn’t safe and invited her to his home in Richland, according to court documents.

Along the way, he stopped at a gas station to buy a bottle of wine and a rose for her.

“She advised that she started to feel uncomfortable but he had given her the tattoo for free, so she felt obligated,” court documents said.

At the home, he gave her a glass of wine and insisted she drink a shot of tequila, said the documents. She told police she tried to leave, but he steered her into the bedroom and raped her.

After leaving, she went to a hospital and the DNA collected was considered a near match to Chamorro Castillo, show court documents.

A Richland detective discovered Kennewick police investigated three other reports that Chamorro Castillo offered free tattoos before making alleged unwanted sexual advances. No charges were filed in those cases, according to court documents.

“Also, in 2019, a Facebook post warned women about a tattoo artist who was being sexually aggressive with girls,” according to court documents. Several women posted warnings about Chamorro Castillo, who goes by “Israel,” said the documents.