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Ariel Castro told the judge he was addicted pornography, had a "sexual problem" and had been a sexual abuse victim himself long ago. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors recommended Castro be sentenced to life without parole plus 1,000 years. Castro, 53, said he understood that he would never get out of prison, saying he expected he was "going to get the book thrown at me." He later added, "I knew that when I first spoke to the FBI agent when I first got arrested."
Castro, wearing glasses for the first time in court, was far more interactive than in previous court appearances when he mostly kept his head down and eyes closed. He answered the judge's questions in a clear, intelligible voice, saying he understood the proceedings and that he would never be released from prison. Castro, who was born in Puerto Rico, said he could read and understand English well but had trouble with comprehension. "My addiction to pornography and my sexual problem has really taken a toll on my mind." He later said he had been a sexual abuse victim as a child, but the judge cut him off.
Near the end of the 2 1/2-hour hearing, the judge accepted the pleas and declared Castro guilty. Sentencing was set for Thursday. 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 had been scheduled for trial Aug. 5 on a 977-count indictment, but 40 counts were dropped as part of the plea deal. 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.
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And then one of the Victims would go and Visit him with his Kid, right?...
Watch it happen.
peace...
Michelle Knight, 32, wept as she delivered her victim impact statement before Ariel Castro. The 53-year-old former school bus driver, who was imprisoned for life without parole plus 1,000 years, told the court he was not a monster. The court heard he kept his victims chained up and repeatedly raped them. The captives, Ms Knight, 32, Amanda Berry, 27, and Gina DeJesus, 23, were rescued in May after one of them escaped from the Cleveland home.
'Happy person inside'
Passing sentence on Thursday, Judge Michael Russo told Castro there was no place in the world for people who enslave others. In her statement, Ms Knight told how their captor went to church every Sunday, before coming home to "torture" the women. "I spent 11 years in hell. Now your hell is just beginning," she said. "You will face hell for eternity. "From this moment on, I will not let you define me, or affect who I am. I will live on, you will die a little every day." She was the only victim to speak at the hearing.
A model of Ariel Castro's home is displayed in court
Castro then made a rambling statement to the court in which he blamed his sex addiction and the FBI for not properly investigating the kidnappings. "I believe I am addicted to porn to the point that it really makes me impulsive and I just don't realise what I'm doing is wrong," he said. The former bandsman continued: "To be a musician and to be a monster like you're trying to say that I am - I don't think I can handle that - I'm a happy person inside."
He told the court that he had been "driven by sex", adding: "I'm not a violent predator I'm not a monster, I'm a normal person. "I'm just sick. I have an addiction, just like an alcoholic has an addiction." He said he never planned to abduct the women, but acted on the spur of the moment when he kidnapped his first victim. Castro also turned to their families and to Ms Knight to say he was "truly sorry".
'You saved us'
The reactions to Ariel Castro's death have ranged from tears to calling him a coward to demands for an investigation. But the three women who suffered in his control for about decade remained silent. Michelle Knight, Georgina DeJesus and Amanda Berry have not said a word about Castro's death. The man who snatched them off the street, chained them in his house and raped them repeatedly, was found hanged in an Ohio prison Tuesday. While there were strong opinions about Castro from many, a spokeswoman said Wednesday the three women would not make a statement.
Maria Castro-Montes, Castro's cousin, said she cried when she heard the news and immediately thought of the victims. Would they be glad or angry about Castro's death? "I just hope these victims can move past this now. I know they wanted him to live out a life sentence, but really, was he suffering behind bars?" She said. "I mean, getting meals, sleeping in a nice, warm, soft bed. You know, those girls didn't even have that luxury when they were being held captive in his home. They were being raped. They were being tortured. They were being beaten."
Castro, 52, was found hanged with a bedsheet Tuesday night, Coroner Dr. Jan Gorniak said. He was being held at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient. Prison medical staff tried to revive him but failed. Castro was taken to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 10:52 p.m. The Cuyahoga County prosecutor had tough words in the wake of Castro's death. "These degenerate molesters are cowards," Timothy J. McGinty said. "... This man couldn't take, for even a month, a small portion of what he had dished out for more than a decade."
Attorney questions the suicide
