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Ariel Castro agrees to plead guilty over Cleveland abductions Ariel Castro agrees to plead guilty over Cleveland abductions
(35 minutes later)
A Cleveland man accused of abducting three woman and holding them captive at his home for a decade has agreed to plead guilty, in a move that will spare him from a death sentence. A man accused of abducting three woman and holding them captive at his Ohio home for a decade has agreed to plead guilty, in a move that will spare him from a death sentence.
Ariel Castro – charged with 977 counts over the kidnap, rape and brutal treatment of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight – has agreed a deal with prosecutors under which he will serve life without parole, plus 1,000 years.Ariel Castro – charged with 977 counts over the kidnap, rape and brutal treatment of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight – has agreed a deal with prosecutors under which he will serve life without parole, plus 1,000 years.
Asked in court Friday if he understood that he would spend the rest of his days behind bars, the 53-year-old replied: "I do understand that, your honour". He added: "I knew I was pretty much going to get the book thrown at me." Asked in court in Cleveland, Ohio on Friday if he understood that he would spend the rest of his days behind bars, he replied: "I do understand that, your honour". He added: "I knew I was pretty much going to get the book thrown at me."
Castro had been due to stand trial over an indictment sheet that included two counts of aggravated murder over allegations that he punched and starved one of his captives until she miscarried. Castro, 53, had been due to stand trial over an indictment sheet that included two counts of aggravated murder over allegations that he punched and starved one of his captives until she miscarried.
The three victims – all of whom disappeared between 2002 and 2004 – escaped on 6 May, when one of them kicked out part of a door whilst being aided by a neighbour alerted to her screams for help.The three victims – all of whom disappeared between 2002 and 2004 – escaped on 6 May, when one of them kicked out part of a door whilst being aided by a neighbour alerted to her screams for help.
The women were 14, 16, and 20 when they were abducted by Castro, a former school bus driver. Relief over their escape earlier this year, quickly turned to horror as details emerged of their ordeal at his home in Cleveland.
For around a decade, Castro repeatedly abused them and kept them hidden from the world, often chaining them to a bedroom heater or a pole in his basement, prosecutors said.
Berry gave birth to a child – now six years old – whilst being held. On the day that the daughter was born, Castro raped one of the other women, who had helped deliver the baby.
Other pregnancies never went to full term. Knight told prosecutors that she became pregnant five times but was starved and beaten up by Castro, so that she would miscarry.
Earlier this month, the three victims posted a video on YouTube, to thank the public for the support they had received since escaping Castro's house. "I may have been through hell and back, but I am strong enough to walk through hell with a smile on my face and my head held high," Knight said.
She added: "I will not let the situation define who I am, I will define the situation. I don't want to be consumed by hatred."
Castro, who was picked up by police soon after Berry escaped the home, had initially intended to plead not guilty. If the case had gone to trial, the victims would probably have had to testify in court about their ordeal.
Prosecutors had the option of pursuing the death penalty in the case. But under the plea agreement announced on Friday, that option was ruled out.
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