In 2013, the quiet town of Cleveland (Ohio, USA) shuddered at the terrible news. It turned out that one of the local residents had held three young women in captivity in the basement of their own home for more than ten years. The unremarkable Ariel Castro turned out to be a criminal, at the time of detention he was 52 years old.
A Brief Biography of the Cleveland Savings
The arrest of Castro impressed all his friends and neighbors. Ariel never aroused suspicion from others, he is like the personification of a portrait of an average American. By the age of fifty, this man had experienced several divorces. The last wife divorced him in 1996, as is later recognized, due to regular beatings. Ariel has grown children. Several times he attracted the attention of the police with minor offenses, but escaped with verbal warnings. In recent years, Castro worked as a school bus driver. According to the reviews of neighbors and acquaintances, the man was seriously fond of Christianity and took care of the environment.
Ariel Castro led a double life. Its second side was just awful. Over the years, he abducted three young girls (including two minors). Then he converted his house into a real prison, where he kept them for many years. The captives were regularly subjected to various bullying, sexual abuse, and Castro also beat and starved them.
First Victim - Michelle Knight
This terrible story began on August 2, 2002. Twenty-one-year-old Michelle Knight left the house of her close relative and disappeared. On this day, a trial was held to deprive a woman of her parental rights to her son. Michelle's absence at this meeting did not surprise anyone. Close women and the police concluded that she simply escaped, fearing responsibility. In fact, Knight abducted Ariel Castro and brought to his home prison. In total, Michelle spent more than 10 years in prison. At the time of her release, the woman was 32 years old.
During his time in captivity, Knight was regularly subjected to physical and sexual abuse, systematic beatings. It was possible to establish that over the years the woman managed to get pregnant 5 times. All her children were killed by Ariel Castro, who brutally beat pregnant Michelle to provoke miscarriages. After being released from prison, the woman was taken to hospital. Over the years of captivity, serious harm has been done to the victim’s health. Doctors noted severe exhaustion and partial hearing loss. Michelle needed surgery on his face to recover from his injuries.
Amanda Maria Berry - the second victim of the Cleveland maniac
On April 21, 2003, Amanda Maria Berry disappeared without a trace. It happened on the eve of the girl’s birthday, on April 22, 2003 she was 17 years old. And in this case, the police did not give the missing person due attention. A version was put forward that Amanda herself escaped from home. However, a week later, the search nevertheless began after a mysterious call. A stranger called the mother of the missing girl and advised her not to worry. The call was made from Amanda's mobile.
The girl was searched for three years, her relatives even turned to television. All this time, Amanda was forcibly kept in his own house by Ariel Castro. The maniac beat and raped the girl. When she became pregnant, the offender behaved unexpectedly. He not only improved his attitude towards the captive, but also allowed her to give birth. The role of the midwife was performed by the first slave - Michelle. Ariel immediately warned Knight that if the child died or something happened to his mother, he would kill her herself. Despite the disgusting conditions, on December 25, 2006, Amanda gave birth to a healthy girl named Jocelyn. The child considers Castro his father, a genetic examination confirmed their relationship.
Georgina "Gina" Lynn Digizus - Ariel's third slave
Having kidnapped two girls and remained unpunished, Ariel Castro felt omnipotent. His third victim was a fourteen-year-old schoolgirl. Georgina “Gina” Lynn Digisus was friends with Castro’s daughter, she was only 14 years old at the time of the abduction. Ariel tricked a schoolgirl into his home on April 2, 2004. The search for Georgina was very active. Police collaborated with the FBI, witness polls were conducted, and an identikit of the alleged offender was even compiled. But, despite all efforts, the girl was discovered by accident only after 9 years.
Unexpected rescue
On May 6, 2013, Ariel Castro’s neighbors heard suspicious sounds coming from his house. Having quickly consulted, doy men from neighboring houses broke open the door and experienced a real shock. Amanda Berry came to them with her six-year-old daughter and said that the owner of the house forcibly holds her, a child and two more women in her home. One of the men took the frightened woman with her young daughter to his house, from where they called the police together. Arriving staff released the two captives remaining inside Castro's home. In the house more than 200 evidence of the guilt of its owner in the crimes committed was discovered. All rooms were locked, captives most of the time the criminal kept in the basement on chains. The police went in search of Ariel Castro himself, and he was soon detained at McDonald's restaurant during dinner.
The trial of the Cleveland maniac
Soon a trial was held in the case, the main accused of which was Ariel Castro. Cleveland is a relatively small city, and all its inhabitants were very outraged and shocked by the story. According to local laws, the murder of an unborn child is one of the most serious crimes punishable by death. Castro killed at least five of his own children, provoking miscarriages from his captive Michelle Knight. However, the offender himself agreed to cooperate with the investigation only if the death penalty was replaced by imprisonment.
Remarkably, the victims also expressed the view that death is too soft a punishment for their offender. In court, the Cleveland maniac showed remorse and asked for forgiveness from his captives. However, Castro emphasized that, probably, he was not fully aware of the committed acts. He said that for many years he was fond of watching porn films and could well "confuse reality with adult movies."
Sentence for Cleveland Slave Owner
When considering this scandalous case, the court took into account all the crimes committed. Castro was convicted of abduction, murder, rape and harm to the health of each of the victims. The offender was sentenced to life imprisonment and another 1000 years in prison without the right to parole. Remarkably, the house of Ariel Castro was also the residence of his two brothers. A popular version is that they are involved in the crimes committed. However, this fact could not be proved, and the Ariel brothers acted in the trial solely as witnesses. The house, which served as a prison for three women for many years, it was decided to demolish immediately after the announcement of the sentence. Ariel Castro hanged himself in prison shortly after the end of the trial and sentencing.
Life after captivity
Over the years of prolonged imprisonment, A. Castro has done serious damage to the physical and mental health of his slaves. Women underwent rehabilitation and gradually began to return to normal. Hundreds of caring Americans from all over the country sent financial aid and wrote comforting letters to the victims of this heinous crime. Residents of other states also responded. Relatives were found, and very soon the victims returned to their families. It is unlikely that these women will be able to forget everything that Ariel Castro did to them. Victims of such crimes almost never forgive completely their offenders. But today, thanks to the support of others, Michelle, Amanda and Georgina have every chance to return to normal.