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Tag: Ariel Castro

  • Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus Get Honorary Diplomas From High School Berry Attended Before Being Kidnapped By Ariel Castro

    Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus had 10 years of their lives stolen from them after they were kidnapped and tortured by Ariel Castro.

    Because they were being held captive and forced into the unspeakable for a decade, Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight, his three victims, missed out on several of life’s milestones.

    On Wednesday, at least one of those milestones was recaptured by Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus.

    Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus got to walk across the stage at the graduation ceremony for John Marshall High School in Cleveland. That is the high school that Amanda, 17 at the time of her abduction, attended and the one that Gina, just 14 at the time of her abduction, would have attended.

    Amanda Berry said after the ceremony, “It was awesome. I always wanted to grow up and be somebody and do something with my life, you know? I always planned to graduate, and my mom always wanted that for me, to see me cross the stage. So this means everything to me.”

    For Amanda Berry, graduation from high school was to be a step closer to her dream of being the first in her family to go to college.

    In the new memoir written by Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, with help from journalists Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan, Berry wrote in a journal-like entry that was dated for the morning she was kidnapped, “After I graduate from college I am going to earn enough money to buy my own house.”

    That dream is still attainable by Amanda Berry, and perhaps having her diploma will inspire her to go ahead with her plans.

    Congratulations to Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus!

    What do you think of these ladies finally being able to graduate?

  • Amanda Berry And Gina De Jesus Join John Marshall’s Class Of 2015, Receive Honorary Diplomas

    Amanda Berry and Gina De Jesus, along with Michelle Knight, suffered unimaginable horrors during the years they were kept captive at Ariel Castro’s house before escaping on May 6, 2013.

    And now that they’re free from their decade long ordeal, the two kidnapping victims are reclaiming parts of their lives back.

    They’ve already taken one step forward when they received honorary high school diplomas from Cleveland’s John Marshall High School.

    Berry was attending John Marshall when she was abducted by Castro on April 21, 2003, a day shy of her 17th birthday.

    De Jesus was only 14 when she was kidnapped a year later, but she too would have attended John Marshall if she hadn’t crossed paths with Castro.


    Education was very important to Berry, who dreamt of being the first person in her family to attend university.

    “After I graduate from college I am going to earn enough money to buy my own house,” Berry wrote in her journal on the day she was kidnapped.

    But despite the horrible situation she found herself in, Berry made sure that Jocelyn, her daughter by Castro, also received an education.

    The 29-year-old Berry created a makeshift classroom in the small bedroom she shared with her daughter and taught her as best as she could. She even made sure that her daughter had a small kindergarten graduation ceremony.

    On Wednesday, it was Berry and the 25-year-old de Jesus’ turn to graduate, along with the rest of the John Marshall Class of 2015.

    Marshall principal Tiffany James introduced them, telling the audience that “although their journey may have been interrupted, it’s never too late to finish the race.”

    “I always planned to graduate, and my mom always wanted that for me, to see me cross the stage,” Berry said after the ceremony. “So this means everything to me.”

    Now that she has her diploma, Berry is more determined to focus on her daughter while De Jesus plans to run her own business.

  • Michelle Knight Says She Forgives Ariel Castro ‘In Every Sense of the Way’ Despite 11 Years of Captivity, Rape and Abuse

    Michelle Knight, one of three girls kidnapped, raped and abused for 11 years at the hands of their captor, Ariel Castro, said she forgives the man who put her through years of unimaginable torture.

    On Beyond Candid Thursday, Michelle Knight told Giuliana Rancic that she has forgiven her captor.

    After describing the countless horrors she experienced during her 11 years in captivity, Michelle Knight told Rancic she has learned to forgive Castro.

    “So you can honestly say that you forgive Ariel Castro?” asked Giuliana Rancic on Beyond Candid With Giuliana.

    “Yes, in every sense of the way. Even though other people may not feel like I should, but I feel like I should. It’s like turning dirt into gold,” said Michelle Knight.

    According to Michelle Knight, Ariel Castro tortured her, made her miscarry five times, forced her to eat food she was allergic to and left her to die. And yet, she still has forgiveness in her heart for the man who so mistreated her.

    Michelle Knight conceded that it took a very long time before she was able to arrive at a place of forgiveness, but said it was liberating. She wants others to know of the power of forgiveness and that it is possible to move on despite unimaginable pain.

    Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus escaped in May 2013 after Castro forgot to lock their door when he went out of the home where he held them captive.

    Castro was sentenced to life in prison plus 1,000 years, but committed suicide by hanging in September 2013.

    Despite her ability to forgive, there are lingering physical and emotional effects of her ordeal. She continues to struggle with eating, suffers headaches and gets sick easily.

    Michelle Knight legally changed her name, and looks forward to a normal future with plans for a home, marriage and children.

    Do you think you could forgive Ariel Castro like Michelle Knight has been able to do?

  • Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry Talk Kidnapping And 10 Year Captivity Two Years Later

    Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry were freed almost two years ago from a hell-on-earth captivity, which included abuse, chains, and rape.

    Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry, and Michelle Knight were all kidnapped between 2002 and 2004 by Ariel Castro and held captive for 10 years.

    That is, until one day when Castro forgot to lock the door. It was then that Amanda Berry, after grabbing her 6-year-old daughter who was fathered by Castro, kicked in the front door and called 911.

    Ariel Castro was quickly arrested. He confessed to the crime and was sentenced to life in prison plus 1,000 years for his guilty plea to 937 counts including kidnapping and rape. He committed suicide shortly after.

    Now, Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry have a memoir coming out on Tuesday the 28th detailing their horrific life together under the watch of Ariel Castro.

    “He was always watching us,” Gina DeJesus, now 25, said about Castro. “Before the door opened, your heart was just beating real fast. You didn’t know why he was coming up the stairs or what was going to happen.”

    Though their lives were a living nightmare, Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry, and Michelle Knight did have sweet moments of normalcy every once in a while.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSCxzkHBmrQ

    Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry told of their love for the show, The Vampire Diaries, which they watched every Thursday night.

    “We would watch the show and then for two hours afterward, we would talk about what’s going to happen next week,” said Berry. But, the joy that The Vampire Diaries brought them didn’t last too long.

    Gina DeJesus added, “He would walk up the stairs and just ruin our whole day.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8JOXUhQ6DE

    Such a harrowing experience for Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry. It was also extremely difficult for Michelle Knight, but she has chosen to part from her fellow captives and deal with the tragedy in her own way.

    Knight’s book, Finding Me, was released last year. In it, she said that Gina DeJesus was like a “sister,” but everyone needed to go thier own way to heal from the nightmare they endured.

    What do you think? Will you be reading the books written by Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry, and Michelle Knight?

  • Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry Share Their Story Of 10 Years of Captivity, Rape, Abuse and Survival

    Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry Share Their Story Of 10 Years of Captivity, Rape, Abuse and Survival

    Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry broke their silence recently about their 10-year ordeal of being kidnapped, chained, raped, physically and emotionally abused by their captor Ariel Castro.

    After 10 long years of unimaginable torture, Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry and Michelle Knight, along with Berry’s six-year-old daughter, managed to escape nearly two years ago when Castro forgot to lock them inside their rooms when he left the home. The girls fled the only home they had known for 10 years, called 911 and were free.

    “Sometimes, there are days that I just can’t believe it,” Amanda Berry, now 29, told People magazine exclusively. “I just feel like I can’t believe that this happened to me.”

    Gina DeJesus and her co-captees released a book chronicling their ordeal, Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland, written with Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan.

    “He was always watching us,” Gina DeJesus, 25, said about Castro. “Before the door opened, your heart was just beating real fast.”

    Amanda Berry said their days were filled with uncertainty and constant fear.

    “You didn’t know why he was coming up the stairs or what was going to happen.”

    Despite horrific circumstances, Gina DeJesus and the girls spent their evenings when Castro went to work like many other girls their age by dancing and singing and watching their favorite show, The Vampire Diaries, every Thursday night.

    “We would watch the show and then for two hours afterward, we would talk about what’s going to happen next week,” said Berry.

    The fun would be broken the moment Castro returned home.

    “He would walk up the stairs and just ruin our whole day,” said Gina DeJesus.

    Some days were more difficult than others.

    “At the time, I thought I was going to be there forever so I didn’t care if I died,” said Gina DeJesus.

    However, a deep-rooted hope is what kept them going, said the women, who still live in Cleveland with their families.

    “You had to stay positive because if you didn’t, there was no reason to try and survive it,” said Amanda Berry.

    As for Castro, he was sentenced to life without parole and took his own life by hanging the next month.

  • Michelle Knight Played by Taryn Manning in Lifetime’s Portrayal of Ariel Castro Kidnappings

    MIchelle Knight, one of Ariel Castro’s kidnapping victims, will be portrayed by Orange is the New Black star Taryn Manning when Lifetime brings her ordeal to life in Cleveland Abduction.

    Michelle Knight was one of three women kidnapped by Ariel Castro. Knight was held captive for a decade. Castro’s other victims, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, will be played by Samantha Droke and Katie Sarife, respectively. Breaking Bad star Raymond Cruz plays the late Ariel Castro. The movie is based on the book by Michelle Knight, titled Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed.

    Taryn Manning is best known for her portrayal of Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett on the Netflix series Orange is the New Black. She is the vocalist for Boomkat and co-owns a clothing line called Born Uniqorn.

    Ariel Castro committed suicide in prison just one month into his life sentence. He hanged himself with a bed sheet in his cell.

    Michelle Knight was a 21-year-old single mom when she was abducted by Ariel Castro back in August of 2002. She was impregnated at least five times by her abductor. She was beaten and starved during her time in captivity, and was the first of the young women kidnapped by Castro.

    Cleveland Abduction was filmed in Cleveland. It is set to air on the Lifetime network next month, on April 25th at 8:00 PM ET. Will you be tuning in to see Taryn Manning in this role?

  • Joan Rivers Makes Jokes About Lohan, Hostage Victims

    Comedienne Joan Rivers is in hot water after making a few controversial comments about Lindsey Lohan, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus.

    When asked by a reporter about Lohan’s recent revelation that she suffered a miscarriage, Rivers didn’t hold back.

    “I hope she kept it,” Rivers stated. After Rivers’ daughter Melissa showed her disapproval towards the comment, Rivers kept going.

    “Excuse me, who do you think I am,” Rivers quipped. “I was born with a coat hanger in my ear.”

    When asked if she thought Lohan would make a good mother, the 80-year-old continued with the harsh comments.

    “She would have been diapering the wrong end,” she said laughing.

    Lohan wasn’t the only person Rivers had some insensitive words for. During a recent trip to the Today show, Rivers spoke about Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, the two Cleveland women who were held captive in the basement of Ariel Castro’s house for ten years.

    When speaking about staying in her daughter’s guest room, Rivers said the two tortured women had it better.

    “Those women in the basement in Cleveland had more space,” she joked.

    Lawyers of Berry and DeJesus came out and deemed the comments as hurtful, but Rivers didn’t feel the need to apologize.

    “They got to live rent free for more than a decade,” she said. “One of them has a book deal. Neither are in a psych ward. They’re OK. I bet you within three years one of them will be on Dancing With the Stars.”

    When asked about her comments regarding the women who endured brutal and inhumane conditions, Rivers didn’t back down.

    “There is nothing to apologize for,” she said defending herself. “I know what those girls went through. It was a little stupid joke. Nothing to apologize for. I made a joke. That’s what I do. Calm down. Calm f***ing down. I’m a comedienne. They’re free, so let’s move on.”

    Here’s what Twitter had to say about the comments:

    Do you think Rivers’ comments were inappropriate? Leave your comments below!

    Image via Joan Rivers, Twitter

  • Amanda Berry and Fellow Captives Receive Awards

    Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight received Ohio Governor John Kasich’s annual courage awards during a ceremony on Monday night. The three women survived at least a decade of captivity at the hands of Ariel Castro, who kidnapped the three at separate times.

    Governor Kasich called the story of these three women one of “hurt beyond imagination.” He also said it wasn’t a story that ended with their kidnapping and abuse.

    “It is also a story of three women who found an inner strength and a courage that brought them through and sustained them,” Kasich said near the end of his annual State of the State speech. “No one rescued them, they rescued themselves_first by staying strong and by sticking together, and then by literally breaking out into freedom.”

    The three women were finally rescued when Amanda Berry pushed her way through a door and screamed for help. She and her 6-year-old daughter were helped to freedom by a neighbor who heard her screams.

    Amanda Berry was just 16 years old when she was kidnapped. Her 6-year-old is the biological daughter of Ariel Castro. He kept all three women chained in separate rooms, often without access to food or a toilet. He pleaded guilty in August 2013 to hundreds of charges. He told a judge at his sentencing that he suffered from addictions to both sex and pornography.

    “I’m not a monster. I’m sick,” he said.

    In September of 2103, Ariel Castro hanged himself in his prison cell after he was sentenced to life in prison, plus 1,000 years.

    Governor Kasich hugged all three women Monday night before entering the hall to give his speech. As he announced the awards he called Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight “three extraordinary women, who despite having the worst in this world thrown at them, rose above it and emerged not as victims, but as victors.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Amanda Berry Receives Courage Award With Fellow Captives

    Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight–the women who were rescued last year from Ariel Castro’s home after more than ten years in captivity–were given courage awards by Ohio Governor John Kasich on Monday night, and also received a standing ovation that lasted two minutes.

    The women suffered unspeakable pain and suffering at the hands of Castro, who kidnapped them at different times over the years and threatened them with violence if they tried to leave. Michelle Knight, who was held the longest, reportedly suffered repeated rapes and five miscarriages after Castro starved her and beat her in the stomach. Berry delivered a child during her time in the home, a little girl who was confirmed to be Castro’s daughter. The women were saved after Berry got up the courage to push through a door and run out of the house while Castro was away; neighbor Charles Ramsey said he was the first person to see Berry as she escaped.

    “I’m eating my McDonald’s; I come outside; I see this girl going nuts,” he said. “I knew something was wrong when a little pretty white girl ran into a black man’s arms. Something is wrong here. Dead giveaway!”

    Ramsey and others in the neighborhood said they had no idea of the horrors that went on inside the house, and had even barbecued with Castro and his family over the years, all while the three women were hidden inside.

    “No one rescued them, they rescued themselves-first by staying strong and by sticking together, and then by literally breaking out into freedom,” said Kasich on Monday.

    Castro hanged himself in his jail cell last September after receiving a life sentence for his crimes. All three of his captives have recovered and are doing well.

    Image via YouTube

  • Ariel Castro’s Death Determined Suicide After All

    Ariel Castro, who was convicted of the kidnapping, rapes, and imprisonment of three young women for over a decade, died as a result of suicide, officials say.

    The cause of Castro’s September death was put into question due to conflicting stories about how he was found in his cell; one nurse said he was found completely naked, but another staff member said he was found hanging with his pants around his ankles, suggesting a possible accidental auto-erotic asphyxiation. A new report released by the Ohio prison system says he did indeed die from suicide, however, and notes the way Castro arranged photos of his family and a Bible in his cell.

    “In conclusion, based upon the fact that this inmate was going to remain in prison for the rest of his natural life under the probability of continued perceived harassment and threats to his safety, his death was not predictable on September 3, 2013, but his suicide was not surprising and perhaps inevitable,” the report says.

    Castro abducted Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight when they were teens and kept them locked in his home for over ten years, forcing horrific abuse upon each of them, including rapes and forced miscarriages. Berry gave birth to a daughter, now six; all four captives were rescued over the summer when Berry escaped and ran to a neighbor’s house to call for help.

    Image: Wikimedia Commons

  • Michelle Knight Speaks Out About Castro’s Abuses

    For those who may have forgotten or who need a quick refresher on the terrible things that have happened this year, despicable, disgusting human being Ariel Castro held three women captive in his house, where he did unspeakable, horrible things to them for ten years. They were finally freed after one of the women, Amanda Barry, made a daring escape and was rescued by a charming fellow named Charles Ramsey, who briefly captured the internet’s attention with his off beat charm and mannerisms. Castro was arrested and charged, but died (either due to suicide or auto erotic asphyxiation) before he could face his sentence.

    Michelle Knight, the first of Castro’s kidnapped victims, had previously gained attention via her request that her family not visit her during her hospital stay, shortly after being rescued. This request stemmed from her family not looking for her after her disappearance. Michelle later spoke out in court and boldly told Castro that his hell was “just beginning.” Now, Knight is making her voice heard by speaking out about the details of what happened to her and the other women during their ten year stay in the hell hole that was Castro’s home.

    Michelle will be sitting down for an in-depth interview with Dr. Phil, and her story will be broken up into two parts. The first part aired on Tuesday, and the second part has aired today. Both parts can be found below, but they come with a content warning; Michelle’s experience, and her way of describing it, is obviously very disturbing, and caution should be taken when approaching it.

    Among the horrible things Michelle described, some of the more disturbing are how she was tied up and hung on the wall, “like a fish.” She would be left like this for days, and she stills suffers from nerve damage as a result of the torture. She was also forced to help prepare one of the other torture rooms for one of the other victims. Michelle went on to describe other abuses, including rape, multiple beatings, and other horrors she suffered at the hands of Castro.

    Despite her horrifying story, Michelle seems to maintain a sense of positivity and hope as she speaks out about the abuse she faced for so long. Dr. Phil hits it spot on when he describes Michelle as “very bright, well-spoken and eager, after all of these horrific years, to have her own voice.” This writer wishes her the best of luck as she continues her journey towards healing, and commends her on her bravery in speaking out about the terrible things that happened to her during her stint in Castro’s hell.

    [Image courtesy of this video from Dr. Phil’s youtube channel.]

  • Ariel Castro: Auto-Erotic Asphyxiation, Not Suicide, Likely Cause Of Death

    Ariel Castro told the court earlier this year that although he was being “painted as a monster” by his accusers and the media, he was actually sick with a sexual addiction, which led to his kidnapping of three young women who were kept chained in his basement for a decade while he repeatedly raped, beat, and tortured them. Now, officials think he may not have committed suicide in his jail cell in September, but rather accidentally hanged himself while achieving sexual satisfaction with a sheet tied around his neck.

    Authorities say no suicide note was left, and he had recently asked to be put in a cell away from the other prisoners after complaining of verbal abuse, two things which lead investigators to believe the death was an accident. Security guards on duty at the time didn’t perform the required checks of Castro in his cell beforehand, which is also being investigated according to a statement from Ohio Prison Systems.

    “Director Mohr has reviewed and accepted the recommendations made by the after action review team, and acknowledges immediate steps taken by the Correctional Reception Center to address issues of security rounds being conducted according to policy.”

    Castro had been sentenced to life in prison plus 1,000 years for the imprisonment, rapes, and beatings forced upon Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight over the last ten years. He also fathered a child with Berry, who is now six years old.

    Image: Screenshot via 19 Action News

  • Ariel Castro FBI Tapes Reveal Close Calls

    The FBI has released some interrogation tapes taken of Ariel Castro, the Ohio man who was found guilty of holding three women captive in his home for nearly a decade. In the tapes Castro describes instances of a few close calls he had that he thinks should have gotten him caught. The footage was released just days after Castro used bed sheets to commit suicide in his jail cell. The videos have been edited to protect the families involved.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0SQPuZ4ybA

    In the interrogation that took place hours after Castro was arrested, he says his first close call was shortly after he kidnapped his first victim in 2002, Michelle Knight. Castro says a girlfriend who was visiting his home questioned him about a TV in the room where he held Knight. “She seen that I had a TV on in the upstairs room. And she says, ‘What is that? You have a TV on up there?’ And my heart started beating, and I was like, ‘OK, she’s probably catching onto something.’”

    Castro’s girlfriend didn’t pursue the matter further, and Castro kidnapped his next victim, Amanda Berry, the following year. Berry, who was almost 17 at the time of her abduction, is the woman who got a neighbor’s attention in 2013, which led to the women’s rescue.

    The former school bus driver got brave after kidnapping Berry, and described a time he used the girl’s own cell phone to place a phone call to her mother. Castro says that he told her mother that she was safe. “I think I said something…that I have her daughter and that she’s OK and that she’s my wife now–something like that, you know, probably not the exact words,” Castro said. Castro was never investigated after placing the phone call.

    A final time Castro says he should have been caught was after kidnapping Gina DeJesus in 2004. DeJesus was abducted on the way home from school when she was 14. Castro says that the surveillance cameras at the school should have caught him on video prior to the kidnapping. “You could have broke the case right then and there,” Castro told the investigator.

    After being sentenced to life plus 1000 years in prison, which was pleaded down from capital punishment, Castro was found hanged in his cell on Wednesday. The prosecutor of the case, Timothy J. McGinty, called the convicted rapist, kidnapper and murderer a “coward” after learning of his suicide. “This man couldn’t take, for even a month, a small portion of what he had dished out for more than a decade,” McGinty.

    Image via YouTube

  • Ariel Castro Is Dead, And Twitter Thinks It Somehow Effects Cuba

    The nation was rocked today at the startling news that Ariel Castro was found dead in his jail cell, hanging from the ceiling in a successful suicide attempt. For those unfamiliar with Ariel Castro, he is the despicable human who held three girls captive in his home for ten years, where he proceeded to wreak unspeakable horrors upon them. When one of the girls managed to escape by gaining the attention of a neighborhood man, the women were freed and Castro quickly arrested, tried, and sent to jail for life plus 1,000 years on 937 counts, including rape and kidnapping.

    In retrospect, Castro’s suicide is not particularly surprising; a suicide note was recovered in his home earlier this year, and he had previously contemplated committing suicide for “the sake of his victims.” The death of such a terrible person is also not particularly upsetting, although the justice lost on account of his premature departure from Earth is somewhat upsetting. (This writer is particularly hopeful that his spot in Hell is a particularly warm one.)

    What is much more surprising and upsetting about this story is the twitter reactions that came from the story’s breaking. Much to many a person’s displeasure (and inevitable face-palm), the folks of Twitter repeatedly confused Ariel Castro with Fidel Castro. (You know, the Cuban dictator.) The disturbingly wide-spread mistake resulted in some cringe-worthy tweets, some of which have been compiled below.

    As the folks at College Humor put it in their cleverly-named “Twidiots” section, “Look, guys. Let’s break it down. Fidel Castro was the leader of Cuba for almost fifty years. Ariel Castro was the creep who kept three women as prisoners in his house in Cleveland for a decade. Very, very different fellas. Still confused? Then we cannot help you.”

    As time has passed, some of the tweets have come to light as jokes. However, that is not the case for all, and it leaves one wondering just how serious some of them are.

    Image courtesy of the official Twitter website.

  • Ariel Castro Commits Suicide in Cell

    Ariel Castro Commits Suicide in Cell

    According to spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Corrections, JoEllen Smith, 53-year-old, Ariel Castro, was found hanging in his cell at the Correctional Reception Centre in Orient Ohio, at approximately 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday.

    Castro had been sentenced to life in prison plus 1,000 years after pleading guilty to 937 counts. The many charges against him included rape and kidnapping.

    Castro kidnapped three girls, Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry and Michelle Knight between the years of 2002 and 2004 and held them captive for 10 years. On May 6, one of the women found a way to escape and managed to yell for the neighbors help. They were 14, 16 and 20 years old at the time of the kidnappings. Castro was arrested later that night.

    http://youtu.be/qEPWQUtKBp8

    Smith issued a statement saying, “Inmate Ariel Castro was found hanging in his cell this evening at 9:20 p.m. at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient (Ohio). 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 (Ohio State University Medical Center), where he was pronounced dead at 10:52 p.m. A thorough review of this incident is under way, and more information can be provided as it becomes available pending the status of the investigation.”

  • Michelle Knight Speaks In Court, Tells Castro His Hell Is “Just Beginning”

    Michelle Knight hasn’t wanted to be in the public eye much since her dramatic rescue from the torment of Ariel Castro; as one of three women who endured severe physical abuse, multiple rapes, and forced miscarriages at the hands of Castro, she is thought to have received the worst of his punishments and reportedly needed surgery to repair the damage he did to her face. She also took the brunt of his abuse so that the other two women–Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus–didn’t have to. When she stood before a courtroom this week to tell her story, there was an almost palpable feeling of both grief and relief that these women found the strength to survive…and escape.

    “…I worried about what would happen to me and the other girls every day,” Knight said. “Days never got shorter. Days turned into nights. Nights turned into days. Years turned into eternity.”

    Knight, who was kidnapped in 2002, was thought by her family to have left voluntarily because she was angry over losing custody of her 2-year old son. Although her mother says she never stopped looking for her daughter, her disappearance wasn’t as talked about in the media. Knight was reportedly upset with her family and asked not to see them once she and the other women made their escape.

    Besides the fear that she might not survive to ever see her son again, Knight suffered repeated rapes by Castro which resulted in pregnancies that he would terminate by throwing her down the stairs, punching her in the stomach, or feeding her rotten food. If that wasn’t horrifying enough, she was also forced to deliver Amanda Berry’s baby in the home and was told if the baby died, she would die as well.

    “She served as doctor, nurse, pediatrician, midwife. She did the delivery. She did it under primitive conditions. When that little baby wasn’t breathing, she breathed into the baby. She breathed life into that child,” said Frank Ochberg, who examined and evaluated the women and their level of trauma.

    Knight, speaking courageously to Castro during the hearing, said that the death penalty is too good for him.

    “Ariel Castro, I remember all the times that you came home talking about what everybody else did wrong and act like you wasn’t doing the same thing. You said, ‘At least I didn’t kill you,’” she said. “You took 11 years of my life away, and now I’ve got it back. I spent 11 years in hell, and now your hell is just beginning. I will overcome all this that happened. But you’ll face hell for eternity. From this moment on, I will not let you define me or effect who I am. I will live on, you will die a little every day as you think about the 11 years and atrocities you inflicted on us.”

    Castro has been sentenced to live in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 1,000 years. He pleaded guilty in exchange for avoidance of the death penalty.

  • Amanda Berry Surprises Nelly Fans At Cleveland Show

    Amanda Berry, one of three women who were kidnapped, tortured, and held captive for ten years by Ariel Castro, made a surprise visit to a Nelly concert in Cleveland on Saturday night and even walked up onstage.

    Berry was invited to the show by radio host Shane French, but he says he was shocked when she actually showed up. Apparently, she and her family are longtime listeners of his show.

    “I just said that she had 10 years of partying to make up for and she should come…I figured that when she wants to tell her story, she’ll make the arrangements, and it would have been pointless to even ask,” French said.

    Berry was accompanied by two other women onstage, who broke down crying at the outpouring of support and love she received from the crowd. The concert was held on a day charged with emotion for Berry–and for Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, who were held with her for a decade inside Castro’s Cleveland home–as it came just a day after Castro’s guilty plea. Castro will do life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 1,000 years for the kidnapping, repeated rape, and abuse of the women. His indictment included two counts of aggravated murder for the forced miscarriages that Michelle Knight suffered after he punched her in the stomach and starved her while she was pregnant.

    The women haven’t made many public appearances since their dramatic rescue in May, after Berry kicked out a door panel at the front of the home and ran for help. However, they did post thank-you videos online for the support and financial donations the public has given them since they were released from the hospital.

  • 3 Bodies Found In Cleveland Suburb

    Three bodies, all of which are reported to be female, have been found in a suburb of Cleveland, OH. The bodies were wrapped in several layers of trash bags and were found in various locations around an abandoned house in the area.

    A 35-year-old man from the area has been arrested in connection with the deaths, but has not yet been charged. The man is a registered sex-offender and has served prison time in the past. He was arrested in a standoff with police and is being held in the East Cleveland area.

    The news of the probable murders is just the most recent in a long line of terrible events in the Cleveland area. In May, Ariel Castro was arrested after it was discovered that he had been keeping three women captive in his home. He was charged with numerous counts of rape, kidnapping, and related crimes that he allegedly committed over the course of several years. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is awaiting trial.

    In 2011, Anthony Sowell was convicted of murdering and hiding the remains of 11 women in the Cleveland area and was sentenced to death. While the details remain foggy, it is believed that the suspect being held in relation to these latest deaths may have been influenced by Sowell.

    Police are continuing to search the area around where the bodies were found, an area that has many abandoned houses and area with little to no regular traffic. East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton is attempting to remain optimistic that no more bodies will be found. In relation to that possibility he responded “Hopefully, we pray to God, this is it.”

    [Thanks to WEWS-TV for the video]

  • Cleveland: Suicide Note Found in Castro’s House

    Earlier this week, three women held against their will for years were rescued when a local man heard one of them screaming and came to the rescue. The women were later revealed to be Michelle Knight, Gina DeJesus, and Amanda Berry, who had been missing for ten years.

    Their captor has since been identified as Ariel Castro, who kept the women for his own dark desires. Castro has now been arrested and charged with kidnapping and rape. The Cleveland community is beginning to come to terms with how the seemingly boring man could have been a torturer.

    According to a report from local Cleveland news station 19 Action News, a letter written in 2004 has been found at the suspect’s house. In the letter, Castro reportedly blames his victims for being caught, and colors himself as a “sexual predator.” Castro goes as far as to admit that he needs help, and even contemplates suicide for the sake of his victims.

    19 Action News reporter Scott Taylor has been tweeting details from the letter:

    Taylor has promised that he and the news station will be revealing further details on the letter on Thursday.

  • Ariel Castro Arraigned, Charged With 4 Counts Of Kidnapping, 3 Counts Of Rape

    Ariel Castro was arraigned on Thursday, appearing in court for the first time since he and his two brothers were arrested in the case of the three kidnapped women in Cleveland. The brothers were not charged, but Ariel was arraigned on four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape.

    Castro reportedly spent the majority of the hearing looking down at his feet. USA Today reports:

    In a brief explanation of the charges, prosecutor Brian Murphy alleged that Castro had “snatched three young ladies from the streets” and forced them to endure a “horrifying ordeal for more than a decade.”

    He said the victims had been “bound, restrained and sexually assaulted.”

    “They were never free to leave this residence,” he said, referring to Castro’s home on Seymour Avenue.

    Bail was set at $8 million. Judge Lauren Moore ordered that he have no contact with the victims or their families, should he post bond.

    Two of the three women – Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus – returned home on Wednesday. The third, Michelle Knight, remains in a hospital in Cleveland.