Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, Ashley Summers Missing In Cleveland Ohio~ Berry, DeJesus and Michelle Knight Found Alive~ Ariel Castro Indicted On 977 Counts!~ Castro Accepts Plea Deal/Castro Kills Himself!!!!!!!

I love this guy!

raine1953 wrote:

Nama wrote:McDonalds Big Mac and whatever else they sell........
Basically this is how I feel about all fast food and I haven't eaten it for 20 years or more.
I hope some of the restaurants in the area that serve healthy food have donated to his cause.

Nama, good for you not eating fast food in 20 years!!!!! That probably has a lot to do with you not getting sick much. How I wish I were like you, or my Dad, he did the same thing and is 93!
As far as Ramsey goes, I get a kick out of him too and he looks like a McDee's man but agree it would be nice if some of the restaurants in the area that serve healthy food have donated to his cause!

I think The City of Cleveland should give this man anything legal he wants. MOO.

raine1953 wrote:I love this guy!

Following her escape from Ariel Castro’s house of torture, a new report says that Gina DeJesus made the difficult decision to adopt one of his dogs.
Gina DeJesus reportedly formed “an unbelievable bond” with a mix terrier pup named Lola during her decade long captivity, and following Ariel Castro‘s arrest, she chose to adopt the dog. How truly selfless!

One month after escaping from Ariel’s home in Cleveland, Ohio, Gina adopted one of his dogs, reports 19 Action News. Three small dogs were taken from the home on May 6, and have been kept in a shelter since.

Once the dogs were ready for adoption, Gina and her fellow captives Amanda Berry and Michelle Knight were offered first claim, and Gina’s attorney collected Lola for her on May 31.

This is so sweet of Gina, especially since seeing the dogs could bring back bad memories from her time in the house of hell. Hopefully being with Lola will help her heal.

Ariel had allegedly let the girls play with the dogs while in captivity, and often took them away as one of his many forms of punishment.

Michelle Knight & Gina DeJesus Treated ‘Like Prisoners Of War’
Gina and Michelle were kept in horrific conditions in the Cleveland house.

Ariel’s basement was allegedly equipped with chains coming from the walls and dog leashes hanging from the ceiling. Michelle and Gina spent most of their time in the basement, and were held in the chains in “stress positions.”

“One of the girls has difficulty moving her head around from being chained up,” a source said. ”It was like they were POWs,” another insider revealed. “They had bed sores from being left in positions for extended lengths of time.”

To further demonstrate how evil Ariel was, he would reportedly use duct tape to restrain his captives when he left the house.

“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.”

Thankfully, Gina’s horrific experience is over, and she can move on with her life and focus on caring for her new dog.
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OMG!!!!!

Am just happy she adopted Lola and that she w/help her heal. At least they were found ALIVE which is truly mind boggling...gives us Hope for other missing children and adults.

6:00 PM, Jun 7, 2013

Ariel Castro, 52, the man accused of kidnapping three women and holding them captive and sexually abusing them for a decade in his Cleveland house, was indicted late Friday afternoon.

The 142-page indictment is out.

A Cuyahoga County Grand Jury has returned a 329-count indictment against Ariel Castro, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty confirmed.

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, 7 counts of gross sexual imposition, 3 counts of felonious assault and 1 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 protocol for making that evaluation was posted on the web site of this office on May 21, 2013.

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

It's been one month and a day since Amanda Berry, Berry's daughter, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight escaped from his Seymour Avenue home, saying that they had been kept there.

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June 10, 2013

The Cleveland man charged with holding three women captive in his home for a decade and raping them has another court date.

Court officials have scheduled a Wednesday arraignment for 52-year-old Ariel Castro on more than 300 charges including murder, kidnapping and rape.

An indictment returned Friday charges Castro with aggravated murder in a miscarriage that allegedly resulted from a captive woman being starved and punched in the stomach.

Castro 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.

Castro's attorneys say he will plead not guilty.

Castro, who is being held on $8 million bond, made a brief court appearance three days after his May 6 arrest.

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329 counts is truly mind boggling....

CLEVELAND–  Is it possible Ariel Castro victimized other young women, in addition to thethree victims rescued from his Seymour Avenue home in May?
Jennifer Summers, whose 14-year-old daughter Ashley vanished in 2007 from the same general neighborhood as the three victims, said, “I guess that’s everyone’s question right now is, only three girls in all these years; is that possible?”

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Video at link

Would bet there are Plenty more..just like Garrido....

Published On: Jul 03 2013 09:50:53 AM EDT   Updated On: Jul 03 2013 10:50:42 AM EDT

(CNN) -- A competency evaluation on accused kidnapper Ariel Castro determined he is capable of standing trial, a judge said Wednesday. Castro is accused of holding three women captive for around 10 years at his Cleveland home.

Ariel Castro, 52, was arrested and charged with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape after one of the women, Amanda Berry, escaped from the home with the aid of neighbors on May 6.

He's accused of abducting Michelle Knight, now 32, in August 2002 when she was 21; Berry, now 27, a day before her 17th birthday in April 2003; and Gina DeJesus, now 23, in April 2004, when she was 14. DNA tests revealed a daughter born to Berry six years ago was fathered by Castro.

Castro has pleaded not guilty.

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CLEVELAND, OH -- A grand jury has issued a fresh indictment against the man accused of holding three women captive for years in his Cleveland home.

Ariel Castro now faces 977 counts and these new indictments include all the years the women were held against their will according to court records.

Authorities say Castro abducted Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Georgina "Gina" DeJesus over a two-year period starting in 2002.

Castro is charged with kidnapping, rape and aggravated murder for allegedly causing the termination of a pregnancy.

Castro will be indicted on July 17th.
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07/17/13

CLEVELAND — A man accused of holding three women captive for a decade was scolded repeatedly by a judge to raise his head and open his eyes in a brief court appearance where he pleaded not guilty Wednesday to nearly 1,000 counts of kidnap, rape and other crimes.

For the most part, Ariel Castro, 53, responded to the judge's questions with one-word answers as he faced charges that included 512 counts of kidnapping and 446 counts of rape.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Pamela Barker repeatedly told him to raise his head and keep his eyes open so "I make sure that you are listening to me and understanding what I'm saying, OK?"

"I'm trying," said Castro, who in past court appearances had kept his head down and his chin tucked on his chest.

One of his attorneys, Craig Weintraub, declined later to discuss Castro's courtroom demeanor. "I'm not going to comment on that," he said.

The charges returned Friday by a grand jury against Castro expanded on a 329-count indictment filed earlier that covered only part of the time frame of the alleged crimes. He previously pleaded not guilty to that indictment.

Castro has been jailed since his arrest on May 6 shortly after the women escaped to freedom.
The judge 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 previously 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.

Castro is scheduled for trial on Aug. 5, a date that could be delayed if the defense requests more preparation time. His legal team has hinted Castro would plead guilty if the death penalty was off the table.

Weintraub said after the arraignment that he didn't expect a trial postponement.

"We have a trial date of Aug. 5, so either we're going to have a plea or we're going to trial Aug. 5," he said.
The prosecution has said it would be ready for that date.

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 after they disappeared, and the women appeared on a video last week to thank the public for its support.

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July 24, 2013
Prosecutors and lawyers for a Cleveland man accused of holding three women captive in his home for more than a decade signaled Wednesday that they are talking about a possible plea deal.

With a trial less than two weeks away, there was no mention of whether the prosecutor will seek the death penalty. Attorneys for Ariel Castro, 53, say a deal is dependent on taking the death penalty off the table.

“My understanding is that the parties have discussed possible pleas and that you're working to see if that would be an effective resolution, is that correct?” Judge Michael Russo asked.

Both sides responded “yes” without elaboration and left the courtroom without commenting. Last month, the judge had mentioned the possibility of a plea deal raised by the defense.

Castro mostly kept his head down during the brief hearing and quietly answered “yes” to routine questions from the judge.

The hearing focused on the trial date, Aug. 5, and whether the prosecution had provided its evidence to the defense in a timely fashion, as required.

The defense attorneys have been given more discovery evidence “in a shorter period of time than any case in the history of this county,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Tim McGinty said.

But Castro's defense team said the prosecution had missed the deadline for sharing its evidence three weeks before a trial.

Prosecutors said they would share forensic evidence from a state crime laboratory as soon as they receive it. The evidence wasn't specified in court.

McGinty acknowledged the time demands to review evidence and prepare for trial and added, “We've got nearly 1,000 counts in a period of 10 years of solid crime — never stopped, day after day after day.”

The judge cut McGinty off, saying it wasn't time for speeches.

As in previous court appearances, Castro was dressed in an orange jail outfit and kept his chin tucked to his chest for most of the hearing. He has pleaded not guilty.

The 977-count indictment charges him with two counts of aggravated murder related to one act: accusations that he punched and starved one woman until she miscarried. He also is charged with hundreds of counts of kidnapping and rape, plus assault and other counts.

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 that one of the women tried to escape and that he assaulted her with a vacuum cord around her neck.

The three disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16 and 20 years old. Each said they had accepted a ride from Castro.

They escaped to freedom May 6, when one kicked out part of a door and called to neighbors for help. Castro was arrested within hours.

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Why on earth are they considering offering this guy a plea deal? He'd still be committing rapes today if Amanda Berry had not escaped! Who cares if he pleads guilty or not? He did what he did and should be tried and punished accordingly.

I could NOT agree MORE!!! This is unbelievable!

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ariel Castro, who is accused of keeping Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight captive for a decade was in court for another pre-trial hearing before Judge Michael Russo.

Discovery of evidence was the main topic as both sides continue to prepare for the August 5 trial date.  A plea deal is also being discussed to avoid trial.  One of Castro's attorneys, Craig Weintraub has said that a deal could be reached if the state does not include the death penalty.

Castro plead not guilty last week to a 977-count indictment that included several hundred counts of kidnapping and rape and two counts aggravated murder.

The three women escaped from Castro's Seymour Avenue house on May 6 while he was away from his home.

Castro is being held on an $8 million bond.
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By Ashley Fantz and Ronni Berke, CNN
updated 11:53 AM EDT, Fri July 26, 2013

(CNN) -- Ariel Castro agreed Friday in an Ohio courtroom to a plea deal in one of the most sensational kidnapping cases in recent memory. The deal, reached with prosecutors, would let him avoid the possibility of a death sentence and spare his alleged victims from having to testify at a trial.
The plea deal recommends that he be sentenced to life in prison without parole -- that he never get a parole hearing. It could also mean that a trial Castro was facing on August 5 will not happen and he will not face the possibility of being sentenced to death. Judge Michael J. Russo went over the deal with Castro, and told him that he would be labeled as a sexual predator.
Castro replied that he understood. At one point, he interjected that he was "also a victim as a child ..." to which Russo responded that he could make whatever statement he wanted during a sentencing hearing. Russo also said that victims would be notified of the hearing and would then have a chance to say what they liked.
Russo went through charges Castro faced and asked him how he pleaded.
Over and over, Casto replied: "Guilty."

An attorney for three women had told CNN that they were hoping for a plea deal because they do not want to take the stand at Castro's trial.
Castro was charged with 977 counts, including aggravated murder on suspicion of ending the pregnancy of one of his alleged captives. Under the deal, he agreed to plead guilty to 937 counts.
Russo told Castro that the deal would mean he would go to prison for life, plus at least 1,000 years.
Earlier this month, the former bus driver pleaded not guilty to the 977 charges, and he was being held on $8 million bail.
Castro's defense attorneys had previously said they wanted a deal that would take capital punishment out of the equation.
Castro abducted Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Georgina "Gina" DeJesus separately in a two-year period starting in 2002, according to authorities.

The women and Berry's 6-year-old daughter were freed in May after one of the women shouted for help while Castro was away from his 1,400-square-foot home. DNA tests have confirmed that Castro is the rescued child's father.
Their cries for help were heard by neighbor Charles Ramsey, who was sitting down to eat at his home nearby.
"I see this girl going nuts trying to get out of a house," he told CNN affiliate WEWS. "I go on the porch and she says, 'help me get out. I've been in here a long time.'"
Figuring it was a domestic dispute, Riley kicked in the bottom of a door and the woman came out with a little girl and said, "Call 911. My name is Amanda Berry," according to Riley, who said he didn't recognize the name or know she was missing.

Finally free, Berry pleaded for a phone.
"Help me, I am Amanda Berry," she told police in a frantic 911 call from a neighbor's house. "I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for 10 years. And I'm here, I'm free now."
Read more: Freed women reunite with families
Under the plea deal, the house where the women were confined will be demolished, Russo said.
Berry was last seen after finishing her shift at a Burger King in Cleveland in 2003. It was the eve of her 17th birthday.
DeJesus disappeared nearly a year later, in April 2004. She was 14.
Knight vanished in 2002, at age 21, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper.
In early July, Berry, DeJesus and Knight released a YouTube video offering their thanks to all those who have helped them since they were freed.
"I want to thank everyone who has helped me and my family through this entire ordeal. Everyone who has been there to support us has been a blessing," Berry said in the video. "I'm getting stronger each day."

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I guess life without parole is ok, as long as that is what the victims want. Still think the DP should have applied here though.

I agree but if the girls are happy, I am happy for them.

Me too. Plus those poor girls won't have to testify.

In this Saturday, July 27, 2013, photo provided by Brian Harrell, Amanda Berry, one of three women held captive in a Cleveland home for a decade, makes a surprise appearance at the RoverFest concert in Cleveland. Berry appeared at a public event for the first time since her rescue, a day after her abductor pleaded guilty in the case. The rapper Nelly called Berry back to the stage after his music set.

CLEVELAND (KABC) -- Amanda Berry, one of the women held captive for a decade in Cleveland, made her first public appearance at a concert featuring the rapper Nelly.

The rapper took the stage Saturday night at the daylong RoverFest concert in downtown Cleveland and introduced Berry. He later dedicated a song for her.
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Joey Jackson Fans
****SENTENCING HEARING FOR CASTRO BEING TELEVISED NOW******

Ariel Castro is being sentenced to life in prison + 1,000 years. He will be giving a statement. It has been reported that one or more of his victims may be in the courtroom.

Admin/Sharon

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LiveSTREAM above!

By Gary Strauss | FILED UNDER - Local News / Nation/World | 9:56 AM, Aug. 1, 2013 |

CLEVELAND — The sentencing hearing for the Cleveland man responsible for the kidnapping and rape of three women for more than a decade has gotten underway.

Watch live: Ariel Castro sentencing (WKYC - Cleveland)

Heavily shackled and wearing his orange jail jumpsuit, Ariel Castro was led into the courtroom at 9:23 a.m. He's expected to give a statement explaining his life, which he said previously had been impacted by being sexually abused as a child and a long-time addiction to pornography.

"I want to apologize to the victims,'' Castro said at the outset.

His attorney, Craig Weintraub, said Castro has "significant undisclosed mental illness."

Castro, 53, pleaded guilty to 937 charges last week, including aggravated murder, rape and kidnapping, to avoid the death penalty conviction. Under terms of the plea deal, he'll get life imprisonment, plus 1,000 years, with no chance for parole.

Still, the sentencing hearing "is about making clear this man's acts had on his victims and this community,'' says Joseph Frolik, a spokesman for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's office.

Prosecutors plan to lay out a compelling case on how the former school bus driver's actions impacted his victims' lives for more than a decade.

Before the hearing, which was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., but delayed 25 minutes, prosecutors set up a model of Castro's house, which was expected to show where and how Castro held and tormented his victims.

Castro kidnapped Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight between 2002 and 2004, fathering a Christmas Day child with Berry, now 6, He also beat and starved Knight when she became pregnant, forcing her to miscarry five times.

The three have rarely been seen in public since they were rescued from Castro's home in May. Berry, 27, appeared on stage at a Nelly concert two days after Castro's plea, while DeJesus was seen as a tall privacy fence was built around her home last weekend.

Neither Frolik or Jones Day, the law firm representing the victims, would confirm if they'll testify.

"We've got a list of potential witnesses, but we're still working on our game plan,'' Frolik says. "We understand we're not putting on a criminal trial. But we're glad at the prospect of closure for the victims and the community."

CNN reported that Knight would speak, citing Castro's sister and an unnamed official.

In a memorandum filed Wednesday night, prosecutors say they intend to detail how Castro lured the three women to his house, then used physical and mental restraints to control them for a decade.

The three women held captive in the run-down home kept diaries documenting the physical and sexual abuse they suffered on a daily basis, prosecutors said.

Each of the victims was lured to the house, either with a promise of a ride, a visit with Castro's daughter or, in Knight's case, a puppy for her son.

Once in the house, Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty says in the sentencing memorandum, Castro would keep them chained and locked in the upstairs rooms or subjected them to "the cold of the basement and the heat of the attic as punishment techniques."

McGinty said Castro kept a gun "and threatened to shoot the captives if they ever tried to escape."

One of the women broke free in May and called for help.

According to the memo, Castro told his captives that "he had other victims and that some of them made it home but that others had not."

The document states that "the victims of the defendant's heinous crimes did everything humanly possible to retain a sense of normalcy. They were able to mark the passage of time through the maintenance of diaries. Several diary entries document abuse and life as a captive."

At the time of his plea, Castro told Judge Michael Russo that he was addicted to pornography, had long-running sexual problems and had been sexually abused as a child. But Castro offered no remorse for the kidnappings and no apologies to the victims.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Tim McGinty has said he'll ask Russo to prohibit Castro from ever seeing the daughter he fathered with Berry. Anthony Castro, a 31-year-old son from Castro's first marriage, has said he won't visit his father in prison.

McGinty also discounted Castro's courtroom statements.

"He's a thespian playing a contrite act,'' McGinty said after hearing Castro's courtroom comments. "I think he's a coward. He's in his own world, and it's not a world of remorse or regret."

As part of the plea agreement, Castro will give up his Seymour Avenue home, which will be demolished.

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This is ON as I type...a MUST SEE!!

LIVE Stream here as well:
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Since this started at 9:30 CST or is it EST, I'm watching it on CNN, right now is a forensic psycho something testifying about Castro. Is that what's on your TV? Just trying to see if I'm seeing it in real time.
It really bothers me he said there were more victims and some met a different fate. I sure hope LE has some ideas on that one.l

Yes..the Same..talking about the Stockholm Syndrome. VERY Interesting!Those poor girls. They are allegedly in court and w/testify.

And, it's EST..Cleveland, Ohio time.

This guy IS interesting. He explained more that I didn't know about Stockholm Syndrome, I sure do believe in that. I heard Michelle Night is to testify, did you hear about Amanda Berry? I would be surprised if she didn't testify.
Thank you: re: Cleveland, Ohio time.

Ya, it's extremely interesting. Once he is sentenced they w/give their impact statements..or maybe before. I don't know how they do it in Ohio.

HLN News Now
Ariel Castro kidnapping victim Michelle Knight about to address him and the court at his sentencing hearing. Watch it live on HLN

Lawyer and cousin for Gina de Jesus speaking now.

OMG!!!!!!

The cousin was awesome!! I want to know what she said to him in Spanish.

Wonder if the guy who got them out of there is in the courtroom.

Michelle Knight up NOW!

Love this Little Girl!! Love every word she said!        

    

LOVE Anna Faraglia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is that who is up now? Who is she?

Haven't heard or read that Ramsey is or would be in the courtroom. But who knows?

raine1953 wrote:Is that who is up now? Who is she?

One of the State Prosecutors. She ROCKED!