Ariel Castro: Difference between revisions
imported>Rangerkid51 No edit summary |
imported>FinnXMarcy No edit summary |
||
| Line 9: | Line 9: | ||
|goals =Get away with his crimes. (partially succeeded; arrested 11 years later) | |goals =Get away with his crimes. (partially succeeded; arrested 11 years later) | ||
|crimes = Rape<br>[[Kidnapping]]<br>Assault<br>[[Domestic Abuse|Domestic abuse]]<br>[[Child Abuse|Child abuse]]<br>[[Torture]]<br>Psychological abuse<br>Starvation<br>[[Animal cruelty]]<br>Attempted [[murder]] | |crimes = Rape<br>[[Kidnapping]]<br>Assault<br>[[Domestic Abuse|Domestic abuse]]<br>[[Child Abuse|Child abuse]]<br>[[Torture]]<br>Psychological abuse<br>Starvation<br>[[Animal cruelty]]<br>Attempted [[murder]] | ||
|hobby = Abusing the girls (before his arrest in 2013)}}'''Ariel Castro''' (July 11, 1960 - September 3, 2013) was a Puerto Rican man who kidnapped, raped, and held local women Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight in his Cleveland, Ohio home for 10, 9, and 11 years, respectively. On May 6th, 2013, the three women whom he abducted escaped their confinement with the help of neighbor Charles Ramsey and police officers. He was ultimately sentenced to life in prison. His house was demolished on August 7, 2013. | |hobby = Abusing the girls (before his arrest in 2013)}} | ||
'''Ariel Castro''' (July 11<sup>th</sup>, 1960 - September 3<sup>rd</sup>, 2013) was a Puerto Rican man who kidnapped, raped, and held local women Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight in his Cleveland, Ohio home for 10, 9, and 11 years, respectively. On May 6th, 2013, the three women whom he abducted escaped their confinement with the help of neighbor Charles Ramsey and police officers. He was ultimately sentenced to life in prison. His house was demolished on August 7<sup>th</sup>, 2013. | |||
On September 3<sup>rd</sup>, 2013, he was found dead having hung himself in his cell at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, 15 miles away from Columbus. | |||
==Biography== | ==Biography== | ||
===Early life=== | ===Early life=== | ||
| Line 21: | Line 24: | ||
Before his arrest at age 52, Castro worked as a bus driver for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District until he was fired for "bad judgment", including making an illegal U-turn with children on his bus, using his bus to go grocery shopping, leaving a child on the bus while he went for lunch, and leaving the bus unattended while he took a nap at home. He was earning $18.91 per hour when he was discharged. At the time of his arrest, Castro's home was in foreclosure after three years of unpaid real estate taxes. | Before his arrest at age 52, Castro worked as a bus driver for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District until he was fired for "bad judgment", including making an illegal U-turn with children on his bus, using his bus to go grocery shopping, leaving a child on the bus while he went for lunch, and leaving the bus unattended while he took a nap at home. He was earning $18.91 per hour when he was discharged. At the time of his arrest, Castro's home was in foreclosure after three years of unpaid real estate taxes. | ||
===Kidnappings=== | ===Kidnappings=== | ||
[[File:220px-Cleveland_Kidnapping_Victims.jpg|thumb|left|Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight, from left to right.]]Castro kidnapped his victims by offering them a ride; he drove each to his home, lured them inside, took them to the basement, and restrained them in his house at 2207 Seymour Avenue, located in Cleveland's residential Tremont neighborhood. The house has since been demolished. | [[File:220px-Cleveland_Kidnapping_Victims.jpg|thumb|left|Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight, from left to right.]] | ||
Castro kidnapped his victims by offering them a ride; he drove each to his home, lured them inside, took them to the basement, and restrained them in his house at 2207 Seymour Avenue, located in Cleveland's residential Tremont neighborhood. The house has since been demolished. | |||
Castro kidnapped Knight, took her upstairs, tied her hands and feet together, and pulled her up using her hands, feet, and neck. He left her there for three days without food. Prosecutors at Castro's sentencing wrote that diaries kept by the women "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 missing the lives they once enjoyed, of emotional abuse, of his threats to kill, of being treated like an animal, of continuous abuse, and of desiring freedom". The women were kept in locked upstairs bedrooms, where they were forced to use plastic toilets that were "emptied infrequently". They were fed one meal a day and allowed to shower twice a week at most. | Castro kidnapped Knight, took her upstairs, tied her hands and feet together, and pulled her up using her hands, feet, and neck. He left her there for three days without food. Prosecutors at Castro's sentencing wrote that diaries kept by the women "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 missing the lives they once enjoyed, of emotional abuse, of his threats to kill, of being treated like an animal, of continuous abuse, and of desiring freedom". The women were kept in locked upstairs bedrooms, where they were forced to use plastic toilets that were "emptied infrequently". They were fed one meal a day and allowed to shower twice a week at most. | ||
| Line 33: | Line 39: | ||
NBC affiliate WKYC reported that Castro recalled each of the three abductions in great detail during his interrogation and indicated that they were unplanned crimes of opportunity. According to WKYC's sources, Castro did not have an "exit plan" and believed that he would eventually be caught. He referred to himself as "coldblooded" and a sex addict. Police found a suicide note in his home in which he discussed the abductions and wrote that his money and possessions should be given to the kidnapped women if he were caught. | NBC affiliate WKYC reported that Castro recalled each of the three abductions in great detail during his interrogation and indicated that they were unplanned crimes of opportunity. According to WKYC's sources, Castro did not have an "exit plan" and believed that he would eventually be caught. He referred to himself as "coldblooded" and a sex addict. Police found a suicide note in his home in which he discussed the abductions and wrote that his money and possessions should be given to the kidnapped women if he were caught. | ||
===Escape=== | ===Escape=== | ||
On May 6, 2013, Berry was finally able to make contact with Castro's neighbors, leading to her escape with her 6-year-old daughter and the rescue of DeJesus and Knight by authorities. According to police, Castro left the house that day and Berry realized that he failed to lock the "big inside door", although the exterior storm door was bolted. She did not attempt to break through the outer door because she thought that Castro "was testing her", according to the police report. Previously, Castro had tested the women by leaving the house partially unlocked and exits unsecured. If they attempted to escape, he beat them. Instead, Berry screamed for help when she saw neighbors through the screen. | On May 6<sup>th</sup>, 2013, Berry was finally able to make contact with Castro's neighbors, leading to her escape with her 6-year-old daughter and the rescue of DeJesus and Knight by authorities. According to police, Castro left the house that day and Berry realized that he failed to lock the "big inside door", although the exterior storm door was bolted. She did not attempt to break through the outer door because she thought that Castro "was testing her", according to the police report. Previously, Castro had tested the women by leaving the house partially unlocked and exits unsecured. If they attempted to escape, he beat them. Instead, Berry screamed for help when she saw neighbors through the screen. | ||
Neighbor Angel Cordero responded to the screaming but was unable to communicate with Berry because he spoke little English. Neighbor Charles Ramsey joined Cordero at the house's front door during the rescue. They kicked a hole through the bottom of the storm door and Berry crawled through, carrying her daughter. Ramsey said that Berry told him that she and her child were being kept inside the house against her will. Upon being freed, she went to the house of another Spanish-speaking neighbor and called 9-1-1, saying "Help me, I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for ten years. And I'm here. I'm free now!" | Neighbor Angel Cordero responded to the screaming but was unable to communicate with Berry because he spoke little English. Neighbor Charles Ramsey joined Cordero at the house's front door during the rescue. They kicked a hole through the bottom of the storm door and Berry crawled through, carrying her daughter. Ramsey said that Berry told him that she and her child were being kept inside the house against her will. Upon being freed, she went to the house of another Spanish-speaking neighbor and called 9-1-1, saying "Help me, I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for ten years. And I'm here. I'm free now!" | ||
Responding police officers entered Castro's house. They walked through an upstairs hallway with guns drawn, announcing themselves as Cleveland Police. After peeking out from a slightly opened bedroom door, Knight entered the hallway and leaped into an officer's arms, repeatedly saying, "You saved me." Soon afterward, DeJesus entered the hallway from another room. Knight and DeJesus walked out of the home, and all three women, plus the child, were taken to MetroHealth Medical Center. Berry and DeJesus were released from the hospital the next day, and Knight was discharged four days later on May 10. | Responding police officers entered Castro's house. They walked through an upstairs hallway with guns drawn, announcing themselves as Cleveland Police. After peeking out from a slightly opened bedroom door, Knight entered the hallway and leaped into an officer's arms, repeatedly saying, "You saved me." Soon afterward, DeJesus entered the hallway from another room. Knight and DeJesus walked out of the home, and all three women, plus the child, were taken to MetroHealth Medical Center. Berry and DeJesus were released from the hospital the next day, and Knight was discharged four days later on May 10<sup>th</sup>. | ||
===Arrest and trial=== | ===Arrest and trial=== | ||
Castro was arrested on May 6, 2013. He was charged with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape on May 8, which carry prison sentences of ten years to life in Ohio. Two of Castro's brothers were also initially taken into custody, but were released on May 9 after police announced that they had no involvement in the kidnappings. | Castro was arrested on May 6<sup>th</sup>, 2013. He was charged with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape on May 8<sup>th</sup>, which carry prison sentences of ten years to life in Ohio. Two of Castro's brothers were also initially taken into custody, but were released on May 9 after police announced that they had no involvement in the kidnappings. | ||
Castro made his first court appearance at the Cleveland Municipal Court on May 9, where bail was set at $2 million per kidnapping charge, adding to a total of $8 million. Additional charges were reported to be pending, including aggravated murder (for intentional induction of miscarriages), attempted murder, assault, a charge for each instance of rape, and a kidnapping charge for each day each captive was held. On May 14, Castro's attorneys said he would plead "not guilty" to all charges if indicted for kidnapping and rape. | Castro made his first court appearance at the Cleveland Municipal Court on May 9<sup>th</sup>, where bail was set at $2 million per kidnapping charge, adding to a total of $8 million. Additional charges were reported to be pending, including aggravated murder (for intentional induction of miscarriages), attempted murder, assault, a charge for each instance of rape, and a kidnapping charge for each day each captive was held. On May 14<sup>th</sup>, Castro's attorneys said he would plead "not guilty" to all charges if indicted for kidnapping and rape. | ||
On August 1<sup>st</sup>, Castro was sentenced to life in prison, plus 1,000 years, all without any possibility of parole. | |||
===Suicide=== | ===Suicide=== | ||
Castro was found hanging from a bed sheet in his detention cell at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, on the evening of September 3, 2013, one month into his life sentence. He was 53 at the time of his death. Prison staff performed CPR on him before he was taken to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, where he was pronounced dead shortly after. The following day, Franklin County coroner Jan Gorniak announced that a preliminary autopsy had found the cause of Castro's death to be suicide by hanging. | Castro was found hanging from a bed sheet in his detention cell at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, on the evening of September 3<sup>rd</sup>, 2013, one month into his life sentence. He was 53 at the time of his death. Prison staff performed CPR on him before he was taken to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, where he was pronounced dead shortly after. The following day, Franklin County coroner Jan Gorniak announced that a preliminary autopsy had found the cause of Castro's death to be suicide by hanging. | ||
[[Category:List]] | [[Category:List]] | ||
[[Category:Male]] | |||
[[Category:Deceased]] | |||
[[Category:Kidnapper]] | [[Category:Kidnapper]] | ||
[[Category:Control Freaks]] | [[Category:Control Freaks]] | ||
| Line 60: | Line 71: | ||
[[Category:Emotionless Villains]] | [[Category:Emotionless Villains]] | ||
[[Category:Misogynists]] | [[Category:Misogynists]] | ||
[[Category:Destroyer of Innocence]] | [[Category:Destroyer of Innocence]] | ||
[[Category:Imprisoned]] | [[Category:Imprisoned]] | ||
[[Category:Attempted Murderer]] | [[Category:Attempted Murderer]] | ||