3 Women (2W, 1H) Missing a Decade in CLE Found Alive, 329-count kidnap/rape indictment for Spic

[The Bobster]

Re: 3 Women (2W, 1H) Missing a Decade in CLE Found Alive, 3 Spic Brothers Arrested

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/cleveland_women_held_captive_suffered_RqS3VEAWe3TEIVL5kb9uzH

Cleveland women held captive suffered POW-type injuries
From REUTERS
Last Updated: 10:52 AM, May 15, 2013
Posted: 10:23 AM, May 15, 2013

A 10-foot chain link fence surrounds the home of Ariel Castro in Cleveland Tuesday.


CLEVELAND - Two of the women imprisoned in a Cleveland house in conditions described as similar to a prisoner of war camp suffered from severe malnutrition and will require long-term therapy for injuries such as hearing loss and joint and muscle damage, two sources with direct knowledge said.

The basement where the women were held had chains coming from the wall, and dog leashes attached to the ceiling, the sources said. The women were restrained with them and duct tape in "stress positions" for long periods that left them with bed sores and other injuries, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the investigation, who asked not to be identified.

Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were in worse condition than Amanda Berry when they emerged from at least nine years in captivity at the home of Ariel Castro, accused of kidnapping and raping the women. Castro appeared to treat Berry better than the other two, the sources said.

"There is a reason why you have only seen a picture of Amanda (Berry)," said one of the sources, referring to the condition of DeJesus and Knight.

Berry, who broke down a door to freedom a week ago with the help of a neighbor, and then told police of the other women, was photographed smiling immediately after the dramatic rescue. Berry has a six-year-old daughter fathered by Castro in captivity.

In contrast, DeJesus wore a hooded sweat-shirt covering her head when she first went home last week, and Knight was hospitalized for days, and has stayed out of public view.

The sources said DeJesus and Knight were gaunt and had closely cropped hair when they were freed.

One of the sources, who has been in the house, said the basement had chains coming from the walls and "dog leashes attached to the ceiling." Knight and DeJesus told police they spent extensive time in the basement. A second source corroborated the details.

"One of the girls has difficulty moving her head around from being chained up," said one of the sources. The second source identified DeJesus as the woman suffering this injury.

"It was like they were POWs (prisoners of war). They had bed sores from being left in positions for extended lengths of time," a source said.

All the bedroom doors in the house had padlocks on the outside and the rooms were spare with only a mattress on the floor. Their movement through the house was very restricted, the women have told authorities.

"If he left for long periods of time he would sometimes duct tape-up the women over all parts of their faces, even their eyes, only leaving an opening so they could breathe. Then he would just rip it off pulling off skin and hair," one of the sources said.

 

[The Bobster]

Re: 3 Women (2W, 1H) Missing a Decade in CLE Found Alive, 3 Spic Brothers Arrested

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/michelle_knight_to_cop_don_let_me_Ih6zu5KirJ587GCnEPJOQM

Michelle Knight to cop: Don't let me go
From POST STAFF REPORT
Last Updated: 11:17 AM, May 16, 2013
Posted: 11:16 AM, May 16, 2013

One of the officers who entered Ariel Castro's house of hell described how Michelle Knight, the oldest kidnap victim, threw herself into the officer's arms when she realized she was being rescued.

"Michelle hugged me first, then clutched me and said, 'Don't let me go,'" said Officer Barbara Johnson according a report by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "You can't really describe how I felt...it rips the heart out of my chest."

Johnson said she spent several hours with Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus at a Cleveland hospital trying to comfort them after the dramatic rescue, the emotional officer said during a news conference Wednesday night.

Michelle Knight


Castro is being held on $8 million bond.

"You try and forget about this, but you can't ever forget something like this," Johnson said.

Yesterday, it was revealed that Knight and DeJesus suffered injuries similar to a prisoner of war camp, including severe malnutrition and will require long-term therapy for hearing loss and joint and muscle damage.

The basement where the women were held had chains coming from the wall, and dog leashes attached to the ceiling, sources told Reuters. The women were restrained with them and duct tape in "stress positions" for long periods that left them with bed sores and other injuries, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the investigation, who asked not to be identified.

Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were in worse condition than Amanda Berry when they emerged from at least nine years in captivity at the home of Ariel Castro, accused of kidnapping and raping the women. Castro appeared to treat Berry better than the other two, the sources said.

"There is a reason why you have only seen a picture of Amanda (Berry)," said one of the sources, referring to the condition of DeJesus and Knight.

The women were discovered when Amanda Berry flagged down a neighbor to break down the locked front door and was able to call 911.

The sources said DeJesus and Knight were gaunt and had closely cropped hair when they were freed.

One of the sources, who has been in the house, said the basement had chains coming from the walls and "dog leashes attached to the ceiling." Knight and DeJesus told police they spent extensive time in the basement. A second source corroborated the details.

"One of the girls has difficulty moving her head around from being chained up," said one of the sources. The second source identified DeJesus as the woman suffering this injury.

"It was like they were POWs (prisoners of war). They had bed sores from being left in positions for extended lengths of time," a source said.

 

[The Bobster]

Re: 3 Women (2W, 1H) Missing a Decade in CLE Found Alive, 3 Spic Brothers Arrested

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/cleveland_burgers_charles_ramsey_3Iw1fdfGbvZPtcNGUYBFGO

Cleveland hero Charles Ramsey, who helped rescue women held captive, gets free burgers for life
From ASSOCIATED PRESS
Last Updated: 8:03 AM, May 23, 2013
Posted: 8:03 AM, May 23, 2013

CLEVELAND — The man who famously put down his Big Mac to help rescue three women held captive for a decade in an Ohio house will never have to pay for another burger in his hometown.

Charles Ramsey has been promised free burgers for life at more than a dozen Cleveland-area restaurants.

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reports that the restaurant where Ramsey worked as a dishwasher initially created a special burger in his honor, but eateries in the city decided a larger tribute was due.

Ramsey was called a hero after helping Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight break out of the house May 6. Ariel Castro is now facing charges.

AP

Charles "Wife-Beater" Ramsey


The newspaper says Ramsey was traveling and would get his "Chuck Card" when he returns.

 

[voiceofreason]

http://www.19actionnews.com/story/2...ed-on-hundreds-of-rape-and-kidnapping-charges

Ariel Castro indicted on hundreds of rape and kidnapping charges
Updated: Jun 08, 2013 4:29 AM PST

CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) -

On Friday, June 7, a Cuyahoga County Grand Jury returned a 329-count indictment against Ariel Castro, County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty announced today.

He was in court on initial charges of rape and kidnapping on May 9, and had his case bound over to a Grand Jury.

Multiple sources say secret Grand Jury proceedings in the Castro case began last week.

He has been in the Cuyahoga County Jail since his arrest on May 6. He was charged on May 8.

Castro, 52, the man accused of kidnapping three women, holding them captive and sexually abusing them for about ten years in his Cleveland home on Seymour Avenue.

The indictments cover only the period from August of 2002, when the first of the three women discovered in his Seymour Avenue house last month disappeared, until February of 2007.

Castro was indicted for one act of aggravated murder – for purposely and with prior calculation and design causing the unlawful termination of another's pregnancy, as covered by Sections 2903.01(A) and (B) of the Ohio Revised Code.

He was also indicted on 139 counts of rape, 177 counts of kidnapping, seven counts of gross sexual imposition, three counts of felonious assault and one count of possession of criminal tools.

He will be arraigned on those charges next week, and a trial judge will be assigned at that time.

"Today's indictments represent a first major step in the criminal justice process,'' said McGinty. "Our investigation continues, and we will present our findings to the grand jury.''

When the indictment process is complete, the County Prosecutor's Capital Review Committee will consider whether this case is appropriate to attach a death penalty specification.

 

[The Bobster]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/charges_horror_house_fiend_ariel_XSDIs258W3R00TDEuLSciI

Ohio horror house fiend Ariel Castro pleads not guilty to more than 300 charges of kidnapping, rape
From ASSOCIATED PRESS
Last Updated: 10:39 AM, June 12, 2013
Posted: 8:24 AM, June 12, 2013

Ariel Castro walks into the courtroom during his arraignment today in Cleveland. Castro pleaded not guilty to over 300 counts of kidnapping and rape charges.


CLEVELAND — A Cleveland man has pleaded not guilty to holding three women captive in his home for a decade and raping them.

Fifty-two-year-old Ariel Castro was arraigned Wednesday on an indictment charging him with murder, kidnapping and rape in more than 300 counts.

Castro is charged with kidnapping the three women and keeping them — sometimes restrained in chains — along with a 6-year-old girl he fathered with one of them.

The murder charge involves Castro's allegedly starving and punching a pregnant woman in captivity until she miscarried.

A Cuyahoga County grand jury returned the indictment Friday against the former Cleveland school bus driver, who was fired last fall.

His $8 million dollar bond was continued.

A grand jury charged Castro with two counts of aggravated murder related to one act, saying he purposely caused the unlawful termination of one of the women's pregnancies. He also was indicted on 139 counts of rape, 177 counts of kidnapping, seven counts of gross sexual imposition, three counts of felonious assault and one count of possession of criminal tools.

Last week's 142-page indictment covers only the period from August 2002, when the first victim disappeared, to February 2007. Prosecutors say the investigation will continue and they are leaving the door open to pursuing a death penalty case against Castro.

News that the women had been found alive electrified the Cleveland area, where two of the victims were household names after years of searches, publicity and vigils. But elation soon turned to shock as allegations about their treatment began to emerge.

The indictment against Castro alleges he repeatedly restrained the women, sometimes chaining them to a pole in a basement, to a bedroom heater or inside a van. It says one of the women tried to escape and he assaulted her with a vacuum cord around her neck.

Later, he moved them to upstairs rooms where they were kept as virtual prisoners, according to investigators.

All the while, Castro continued driving a school bus and playing bass in local bands, with fellow musicians saying they never suspected a thing. He was fired as a bus driver last fall after leaving his bus unattended for several hours.

Castro has been held on $8 million bail. Last week he was taken off suicide prevention watch in jail. Cuyahoga County jail logs show him spending most of his time sleeping, lying on his bunk, watching TV and occasionally drawing.

Castro was arrested May 6, shortly after one of the women broke through a door and yelled to neighbors for help.

She told a police dispatcher in a dramatic 911 call: "Help me. I'm Amanda Berry. I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for 10 years, and I'm, I'm here, I'm free now."

The women — Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight — disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16 and 20 years old. Each said they had accepted a ride from Castro, who remained friends with DeJesus' family and even attended vigils over the years marking her disappearance.

The women haven't spoken publicly since their rescue.

Berry, 27, told officers that she was forced to give birth in a plastic pool in the house so it would be easier to clean up. Berry said she, her baby and the two other women rescued with her had never been to a doctor during their captivity.

Knight, 32, said her five pregnancies ended after Castro starved her for at least two weeks and "repeatedly punched her in the stomach until she miscarried," authorities said.

She also said Castro forced her to deliver Berry's baby under threat of death if the baby died. She said that when the newborn stopped breathing, she revived her through mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

The picture of Castro as a friendly musician began to erode soon after the women were freed, as family members told of a man who terrorized his common-law wife, beating her and locking her in an apartment and the same house where the women were later kept.

Castro's two brothers were arrested the same day but were released at a hearing a few days later after it was determined they weren't aware of the activities of which their brother is accused. They denounced him in later interviews.

The Associated Press does not usually identify people who may be victims of sexual assault, but the names of the three women were widely circulated by their families, friends and law enforcement authorities for years during their disappearances and after they were found.

 

[The Bobster]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/thank_through_community_slaves_support_FaRTUXqiWuOBnnJKYE9dZK

'Been through hell and back': Cleveland women held captive as sex slaves speak out, thank world for support
By JOE TACOPINO
Last Updated: 9:23 AM, July 9, 2013
Posted: 1:29 AM, July 9, 2013

'THANK YOU': Cleveland kidnap victims (from left): Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight.


The three victims of the horrific Cleveland kidnapping have spoken publicly for the first time since their rescue last May — sending out a message of thanks to supporters in a video posted on YouTube at midnight today.

Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight expressed their appreciation for more than $1 million in donations sent to them from around the world, and vowed to overcome the trauma of their decade-long captivity.

“I want everyone to know how happy I am to be home with my family,” says Berry, who escaped with her 6-year-old daughter in tow. “I’m getting stronger each day, and having my privacy has helped immensely.”

In the video, Michelle Knight — who is seen for the first time since the rescue — read a statement describing her determination in the face of her ordeal.

“I may have been through hell and back, but I am strong enough to walk through hell with a smile on my face and with my head held high and with my feet firmly on the ground,” she says.

Knight says she didn’t “want to be consumed by hatred” after suffering in the home of Ariel Castro, who kept the women locked up and repeatedly raped them, likely fathering Berry’s child, police said.

“With that being said, we need to take a leap of faith and know God is in control,” she adds. “God has a plan for all of us. The plan that he gave me is to help others who have been in the same situation I have been in.”

The women — kidnapped between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16 and 20 — give thanks to the thousands of donors to the Cleveland Courage Fund.

“I would like, personally, to thank the Courage Fund, everybody in general, and also my community, my neighbors,” Nancy Ruiz, DeJesus’ mom, says in the video, shot on July 2 in a Cleveland law office and placed online this morning by a PR firm.

“Parents that do have loved ones missing, please, do me on big favor: Count on your neighbors. Don’t be afraid to ask for the help.”

The charges against Castro, 52, include numerous counts of kidnapping and rape and one count of aggravated murder — for forcing Knight to terminate a pregnancy. He is being held in lieu of $8 million bail.

Knight, who may have suffered hearing loss and other damage from her decade-long nightmare, ends the video with a hopeful message.

“Thank you for all of your prayers,” she says. “I’m looking forward to my brand-new life.”

 

[The Bobster]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/ohio_kidnapping_rape_suspect_pleads_9ZJe9lGlOLE5vNUhYiNFnM

Cleveland kidnapping suspect Ariel Castro pleads not guilty to 512 counts of kidnapping and 446 counts of rape
From ASSOCIATED PRESS
Last Updated: 11:54 AM, July 17, 2013
Posted: 11:44 AM, July 17, 2013

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland man accused of holding three women captive in his home for over a decade pleaded not guilty Wednesday on an expanded indictment charging him with 512 counts of kidnapping and 446 counts of rape, among other crimes.

The newest charges returned Friday by a grand jury against Ariel Castro expanded on a 329-count indictment filed earlier that covered only part of the time frame of the alleged crimes.

Castro, 53, has been jailed since his arrest on May 6 shortly after the women escaped to freedom. As in past court appearances, he kept his head down Wednesday, typically responding to a judge's questions with one-word answers.

Ariel Castro, the Cleveland man accused of holding three women captive in his home for over a decade pleaded not guilty Wednesday on an expanded indictment charging him with 512 counts of kidnapping and 446 counts of rape, among other crimes.


The judge repeatedly told Castro to raise his head and keep his eyes open during the brief court appearance. She continued his bond at $8 million.

Besides kidnapping and rape, the new, 977-count indictment also charges him with seven counts of gross sexual imposition, six counts of felonious assault, three counts of child endangerment and one count of possessing criminal tools.

He previous was charged with two counts of aggravated murder related to one act, charges alleging that he purposely caused the unlawful termination of the pregnancy of one of the women.

The women appeared in a YouTube video last week to thank people who donated to a fund created to benefit them. They otherwise have sought to stay out of sight and have appealed for privacy.

Castro is scheduled for trial on Aug. 5, a date that could be delayed if the defense requests more preparation time.

He pleaded not guilty to the earlier indictment of 329 counts. His legal team has hinted Castro would plead guilty if the death penalty was off the table.

Castro is accused of repeatedly restraining the women, sometimes chaining them to a pole in a basement, to a bedroom heater or inside a van. The charges say one of the women tried to escape and he assaulted her with a vacuum cord around her neck.

Amanda Berry, Gina Dejesus and Michelle Knight disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16 and 20 years old. Each said they had accepted a ride from Castro, who remained friends with Dejesus' family and even attended vigils over the years marking her disappearance.

Berry has a 6-year-old daughter fathered by Castro, authorities said.

The Associated Press does not usually identify people who may be victims of sexual assault, but the names of the three women were widely circulated by their families, friends and law enforcement authorities for years during their disappearances and after they were found.

 

[voiceofreason]

http://www.19actionnews.com/story/22930943/castro-plea-deal-decision-imminent

Castro will spend life in prison without parole
Posted: Jul 25, 2013 8:24 AM PST Updated: Jul 26, 2013 7:55 AM PST

A plea deal decision is imminent in the Ariel Castro case.


Castro's attorneys refused to give details of a plea deal that will be discussed in court on Friday.

 

[The Bobster]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/monster_castro_accepts_without_parole_OwvAib8TdzGegKLREcFYZO

Ariel Castro accepts plea deal to avoid death penalty - life in jail without parole, plus 1,000 years for kidnap monster
From ASSOCIATED PRESS
Last Updated: 11:21 AM, July 26, 2013
Posted: 10:53 AM, July 26, 2013

Ariel Castro


CLEVELAND — The Cleveland man accused of holding three women captive in his home for about a decade agreed to plead guilty Friday in a deal to avoid the death penalty.

In exchange, Ariel Castro would be sentenced to life without parole plus 1,000 years, prosecutors said.

Castro was in court Friday morning to enter the guilty plea. When asked if he understood he would never be released from prison, Castro said: "I do understand that, your honor."

He added, "I knew I was pretty much going to get the book thrown at me."

The deal comes more than a month after a statement issued on behalf of the women said they were "hopeful for a just and prompt resolution" and had "great faith in the prosecutor's office and the court."

Castro, 53, had been scheduled for trial Aug. 5 on a 977-count indictment. The indictment included two counts of aggravated murder related to accusations that he punched and starved one woman until she miscarried. The former school bus driver also was charged with hundreds of counts of kidnapping and rape, plus assault and other counts.

He was accused of repeatedly restraining the women, sometimes chaining them to a pole in a basement, to a bedroom heater or inside a van. The charges alleged Castro assaulted one woman with a vacuum cord around her neck when she tried to escape.

The sticking point on a plea deal had been whether the prosecutor would rule out the death penalty. The Cuyahoga County prosecutor had kept that issue under review.

From left: Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina de Jesus after breaking free from captivity.


The three women disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16 and 20 years old. Each said they had accepted a ride from Castro, who remained friends with the family of one of the women and even attended vigils over the years marking her disappearance.

The women escaped Castro's house May 6 when one of them kicked out part of a door and called to neighbors for help. Castro was arrested within hours and has remained behind bars.

News that Amanda Berry, Gina Dejesus and Michelle Knight had been found alive electrified the Cleveland area, where two of them were household names after years of searches, publicity and vigils. But elation soon turned to shock as allegations about their treatment began to emerge.

Castro fathered a 6-year-old daughter with Berry, authorities said. They allege that on the day the child was born, Christmas 2006, Castro raped one of the other women, who had helped deliver the baby.

Berry told authorities that she, her child and the other women never saw a doctor during their captivity.

Knight said her five pregnancies ended after Castro starved and repeatedly punched her.

The Associated Press does not usually identify people who may be victims of sexual assault, but the names of the three women were widely circulated after they disappeared, and they appeared in an online video thanking the public for its support. They otherwise have sought to stay out of sight and have appealed for privacy.

 

[The Bobster]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/sentencing_set_in_cleveland_kidnapping_QwG1L3lWzIgWZEBdb06CkJ

FBI agent describes conditions in Cleveland house as kidnap fiend Ariel Castro set to speak at sentence
From ASSOCIATED PRESS
Last Updated: 11:19 AM, August 1, 2013
Posted: 9:56 AM, August 1, 2013

CLEVELAND — Three months after an Ohio woman kicked out part of a door to end nearly a decade of captivity, a former school bus driver who kidnapped three women and subjected them to years of sexual and physical abuse was being sentenced Thursday.

Prosecutors began detailing Ariel Castro's daily assaults on the women, recounted in diaries that compared the women's experience to that of prisoners of war. With the possibility of the death penalty for a forced miscarriage taken off the table, Castro stands to get life in prison plus 1,000 years.

Early in the hearing, Castro tried to apologize to the victims, but after speaking with the judge said he would do that later in the proceeding.

An FBI agent has described some of the conditions found inside a Cleveland house where three women were imprisoned for a decade, include a makeshift front-door alarm system and a heavy curtain shielding the second floor.

Special Agent Andrew Burke testified at Ariel Castro's sentencing Thursday.

Burke says bedroom windows were boarded shut from the inside with heavy closet doors. Burke says a door to one bedroom was modified with locks on the outside and the doorknob removed.

He says the house was divided in ways to make it more secure and to hide the existence of rooms.

Burke says a series of alarm clocks were wired to the front door, and some rooms had ventilation only to the attic because of the boarded-up windows. There also were chains in the women's rooms.

A police officer who helped rescue the women said one was reluctant to come out of her room even when she saw the officers. They were scared even after they were taken out of the house and quickly began sharing details about the horrors they went through, saying that they had been starved and beaten.

"They were just shouting out a lot of things," said Cleveland police officer Barb Johnson. She described the women as thin, pale and scared.

Responding to questions from prosecutors, Cleveland police detective Andrew Harasimchuk said that the women all described a pattern of being physically, sexually and emotionally assaulted for years. He said all three women were abducted after Castro offered them a ride and that each was chained in his basement and sexually assaulted within a few hours of being kidnapped.

Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty said in a sentencing memorandum filed Wednesday that Castro, who chained his captives and fed them only one meal a day, "admits his disgusting and inhuman conduct" but "remains remorseless for his actions."

The memorandum says many of the specific charges in Castro's indictment reflect conduct documented by one of the women in her diary.

"The entries speak of forced sexual conduct, of being locked in a dark room, of anticipating the next session of abuse, of the dreams of someday escaping and being reunited with family, of being chained to a wall, of being held like a prisoner of war ... of being treated like an animal," it says.

The sentencing could take up to four hours, court officials said, with Castro, his attorneys, his victims and prosecutors getting a chance to speak. The legal team representing the women's interests declined to comment on whether they would testify or send statements to the court.

Prosecutors brought a model of the house where Castro, 53, imprisoned the women into the courtroom Thursday ahead of the sentencing.

In the court filing, McGinty said Castro chained his captives by their ankles, fed them only one meal a day and provided plastic toilets in their bedrooms that were infrequently emptied, the filing said. At one point, he locked all of them in a vehicle in his garage for three days while he had a visitor, according to McGinty's filing.

The women quickly escaped after Amanda Berry kicked out the door panel on May 6 and Castro was arrested within hours. The women disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16 and 20 years old.

Other horrific details of the women's ordeal had already emerged, including tales of being chained to poles in the basement or a bedroom heater or inside a van, with one woman forced to wear a motorcycle helmet while chained in the basement and, after she tried to escape, having a vacuum cord wrapped around her neck.

Castro repeatedly starved and beat one of the victims each time she was pregnant, forcing her to miscarry five times.

He forced the same woman on threat of death to safely deliver the child he fathered with another victim on Christmas Day 2006. The same day, prosecutors say, Castro raped the woman who helped deliver his daughter.

Ariel Castro, 53, walks into the courtroom last week.


Prosecutors will ask the judge to prohibit Castro from ever seeing his daughter, now 6.

As part of his plea deal, Castro received a sentence of life with no chance of parole for aggravated murder in the forced miscarriage. He then received 1,000 years for the kidnapping, rape, assault and other charges.

Berry, 27, made a surprise onstage appearance at a rap concert last weekend , and a second victim, Gina DeJesus, 23, has made a few televised comments. Knight, 32, appeared with Berry and DeJesus in a video in early July thanking the community for its support.

Knight, the first of three to disappear, also sent police a handwritten letter thanking them for their help collecting cards and gifts for the women. In the note, Knight told Second District Cmdr. Keith Sulzer, "Life is tough, but I'm tougher!"

 

[The Bobster]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/damn_you_forever_hHzPgooue6O7mFe6JllmpO

Damn you forever! Ohio captive rips fiend as he gets life
By LEONARD GREENE
Last Updated: 6:52 AM, August 2, 2013
Posted: 2:00 AM, August 2, 2013

Facing off against the sick fiend who held her captive for nearly a dozen years, Michelle Knight told a rapt Ohio courtroom yesterday about her nightmare of captivity.

“I spent 11 years in hell,” said Knight, 32, the first of three women former bus driver Ariel Castro abducted, raped and tortured for more than a decade.

“Your hell is just beginning. You will face hell for an eternity. You will die a little every day . . . You deserve to spend life in prison.”

The emotional appeal came as new gruesome details were revealed about the victims’ horrifying decade of captivity.

'I spent 11 years in hell. Your hell is just beginning. You will face hell for an eternity.' —Michelle Knight (above) to Ariel Castro, who was sentenced for the kidnap, rape and torture of Knight and two other women

TORTURE CHAMBER: Some of the 100 feet of chain Ariel Castro used to imprison three women for years in his Cleveland house of horrors.


Prosecutors said that Castro used 100-feet of heavy chain to hold Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus in his basement for long periods of time, and denied them food or fresh air.

The women used portable toilets in their bedrooms, windows were boarded shut and doorknobs were replaced with locks.

One captive was chained to a pole in the basement with a motorcycle helmet strapped to her head, prosecutors said. When she tried to escape, a vacuum cleaner cord was wrapped around her neck.

Knight — during a sentencing hearing for Castro, in which he received life in prison without parole, plus another 1,000 years — recalled the anguish she endured while she was separated from her son, who was 2 when she was snatched off the street at age 21, lured with the promise of a puppy for her little boy.

Knight held her tongue as her creepy captor pleaded for understanding and unlikely forgiveness.

“I’m just sick,” the lowlife kidnapper told Judge Michael Russo. “I have an addiction.”

Then Castro, 53, who pleaded guilty to abducting the women, who were beaten and raped for a decade while trapped in his home, had the nerve to tell the judge, his victims and their astonished families that life in the house of horrors was nothing out of the ordinary.

“You guys know all the harmony that went on in that home,” Castro said. “I was a good person. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me.”

The three escaped May 6 after Berry kicked out the bottom of a screen door and ran to safety.

 

[voiceofreason]

http://www.19actionnews.com/story/23331636/convicted-cleveland-kidnapper-hangs-himself

Ariel Castro hangs himself in cell
Posted: Sep 03, 2013 7:57 PM PST Updated: Sep 03, 2013 9:31 PM PST

Ariel Castro (Source: Ohio Department of Corrections)
(WOIO) -

52-year-old convicted kidnapper and rapist Ariel Castro was found hanging in his cell Tuesday.

Castro was being held at the Correction Reception Center in Orient, OH in Pickaway County.

He was sentenced August 1 to life in prison, plus 1,000 years, for kidnapping and sexually assaulting Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus while holding them captive in his Seymour Avenue house for over a decade.

Ohio State Police and the Department of Corrections are investigating the death.

JoEllen Smith, of the Ohio Department of Corrections, sent 19 Action News this statement:

Inmate Ariel Castro was found hanging in his cell this evening at 9:20 pm at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient. He was housed in protective custody which means he was in a cell by himself and rounds are required every 30 minutes at staggered intervals. Upon finding inmate Castro, prison medical staff began performing life saving measures. Shortly after he was transported to OSUMC where he was pronounced dead at 10:52 pm. A thorough review of this incident is underway and more information can be provided as it becomes available pending the status of the investigation.

 

[The Bobster]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57601231/ariel-castro-found-dead-in-prison-cell/#addcomm

Ariel Castro found hanging in prison cell

COLUMBUS, OHIO - Ariel Castro, the Cleveland man who kidnapped three women and sexually abused them while holding them captive in his home for the better part of a decade, was found dead in his prison cell late Tuesday evening.

The 53-year-old was believed to have committed suicide, officials said, having been found hanging in his cell. Prison medical staff performed CPR before he was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

So far, officials have not specified how the inmate, who had been under protective custody because of his notoriety, could have killed himself, reports CBS affiliate WOIO in Cleveland. Protective custody warrants checks on an inmate every 30 minutes.

Castro had been sentenced on August 1 to life in prison, plus 1,000 years, for kidnapping and sexually assaulting Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus while holding them captive in his house. He had entered a guilty plea to avoid trial.

The mindstate of the kidnapper prior to his alleged suicide is also not clear. Medical and psychological tests are typically conducted for someone who was in Castro's position, although officials haven't commented on their results yet.

When Castro was being held in Cuyahoga County Jail following his arrest in May, his activity had been logged every ten minutes. However, he was taken off the jail suicide watch in early June after authorities determined he was not a suicide risk.

Castro's attorneys tried unsuccessfully to have a psychological examination of Castro done at the Cuyahoga County Jail, where Castro was housed before he was turned over to state authorities following his conviction, his attorney, Jaye Schlachet, told The Associated Press early Wednesday. Schlachet said he could not immediately comment further.

In an interview last month after Castro's conviction, Schlachet and attorney Craig Weintraub said their client clearly fit the profile of sociopathic disorder and that they hoped researchers would study him for clues that could be used to stop other predators.

When investigators searched Castro's home following his arrest, they found a handwritten note he had apparently written in 2004 that not only confessed his crime, but also indicated he was contemplating suicide.

According to a law enforcement source, Castro wrote about his whole life in the note. It stated that he was abused by his parents as a child and that he was raped by an uncle. It detailed the abduction of each of the three women, and Castro even called himself a "sexual predator," CBS News correspondent Dead Reynolds reported at the time.

In addition to being confessional, the 2004 note was also delusional, blaming each of the women for their own abduction. However, it asked that whatever money he has be donated to his victims in the event of his death.

Castro's victims disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004. They were rescued from Castro's Cleveland home on May 6 when one of the victims, Amanda Berry, broke the front door and yelled for help.

"Help me," she said in a 911 call on a neighbor's phone. "I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for 10 years and I'm, I'm here, I'm free now."

The two other women were so scared of Castro that they held back initially even as police officers began to swarm the house. But quickly they realized they were free.

"You saved us! You saved us!" another of the captives, Michelle Knight, told an officer as she leaped into his arms.

Castro was arrested that evening.

It was later revealed that he had fathered a child with Berry.

At an August 1 hearing Castro gave an emotional defense to the court for his behavior.

"People are trying to paint me as a monster, and I'm not a monster," Castro said. "I'm sick."

 

[voiceofreason]

http://www.19actionnews.com/story/2...yxiation-possibility-in-death-of-ariel-castro

Report: Auto-erotic asphyxiation possibility in death of Ariel Castro
Posted: Oct 10, 2013 7:27 AM PST Updated: Oct 10, 2013 11:14 AM PST

(WOIO) -

The Ohio Prison Systems just released their internal findings on convicted kidnapper and rapist Ariel Castro's suicide.

The report states Castro hanged himself with sheet attached to hinge of window of his cell last month at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Pickaway County. No suicide note was left. He also had the Bible open and had pictures of his family laid out in a poster board format on the floor.

The report also revealed Castro's pants and underwear were pulled down to his ankles. It's unclear what he was doing at the time. These facts, however, were relayed to the Ohio State Highway Patrol for consideration of the possibility of auto-erotic asphyxiation, strangling or suffocating self to heighten sexual arousal and orgasm.

 

[Arheel's Uncle]

January 2014, Castro's nephew, Jeremi J. Alicea, was arrested for and charged with 22 counts related to child pornography, including 21 counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor and one count of possessing a criminal tool.

Cleveland Kidnapper Ariel Castro's Nephew Charged With Child Porn

The nephew of Ariel Castro, the Cleveland man who kidnapped three young women and held them in his house for about a decade, has been charged with child porn.

www.businessinsider.com

Cleveland Kidnapper Ariel Castro's Nephew Charged With Child Porn

The nephew of Ariel Castro, the Cleveland man who kidnapped three young women and held them in his house for about a decade, has been charged with child porn.

web.archive.org

The nephew of Ariel Castro, the Cleveland man who kidnapped three young women and held them in his house for about a decade, has been charged with 22 counts related to child pornography, according to WKYC.

Jeremi J. Alicea, 26, has been charged with 21 counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor and one count of possessing a criminal tool.
The charges span a period of time from September to October.

The investigation was not related to Castro, who killed himself in his jail cell in September after pleading guilty to charges including kidnapping and rape. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.During his sentencing hearing, Castro insisted that he's "sick" and suffered from an "addiction" that he could not control. The three women he kidnapped escaped his house last year.

[/B]

Jeremi J. Alicea, 26




January 30, 2014

Ariel Castro's nephew charged with 22 child porn counts

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor says the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force led the investigation

www.wkyc.com

https://web.archive.org/web/20240507174448/https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/crime/ariel-castros-nephew-charged-with-22-child-porn-counts/95-241877983

January 30, 2014

https://fox8.com/news/ariel-castros-nephew-indicted-on-child-porn-charges/

Ariel Castro’s Nephew Indicted on Child Porn Charges

CLEVELAND– The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office tells FOX 8 that Ariel Castro’s nephew has been indicted by the Cuyahoga County grand jury for child porn. According to the indi…

web.archive.org

January 31, 2014

Ariel Castro's nephew indicted on child porn charges

Court records reveal Alicia, who turns 27 today, faces 21 counts of pandering sexually-oriented matter involving a minor and one count of possessing a criminal tool, which the news station reports was a laptop.

www.al.com

Ariel Castro's nephew indicted on child porn charges

Court records reveal Alicia, who turns 27 today, faces 21 counts of pandering sexually-oriented matter involving a minor and one count of possessing a criminal tool, which the news station reports was a laptop.

web.archive.org