Ariel Castro charged with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape after he 'confesses' but his brothers WON'T face any charges

By Louise Boyle, Rachel Quigley and Paul Thompson
PUBLISHED: 21:08 GMT, 8 May 2013 | UPDATED: 22:37 GMT, 8 May 2013



Ariel Castro was today charged with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape after he allegedly confessed to abducting three young women and holding them captive in his home for ten years.

Police announced the charges today after arresting Castro and his two brothers Pedro and Onil on Monday. Ariel will make his first court appearance tomorrow amid tight security at Cleveland Municipal Court.

The Castro brothers will not be charged with anything in connection with the kidnapping of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, police said, as there is no evidence to connect them with these crimes.

....more at link
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... arges.html

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___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Cleveland kidnappings: Suspect Ariel Castro to appear in court after arrest for kidnapping, raping and imprisoning three women

Ariel Castro, 52, will make his first public appearance since his arrest after emerging as the lone suspect in a case that has shocked America

Rob Williams
Thursday 09 May 2013



An former Ohio bus driver accused of kidnapping three young women before raping and imprisoning them for over a decade will appear in court today.

Ariel Castro, 52, will make his first public appearance since his arrest after emerging as the lone suspect in a case that has shocked America.

The suspect's two brothers, Pedro, 54 and Onil, 50, were both taken into custody earlier this week but have not been charged.

Ariel Castro owned the house from which Amanda Berry, 27, Gina DeJesus, 23, and Michelle Knight, 32, were rescued by neighbours on Monday.

The three suspects are believed to have been abducted separately from the surrounding neighbourhood before allegedly being held in Mr Castro's home.

...more at link
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 08644.html

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Now HE'S in chains: Cleveland 'kidnapper' Ariel Castro appears in court for first time accused of abducting three women and raping and binding them 'in a self-serving and gratifying way'

• Ariel Castro pleaded not guilty to four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape
  
• Bail was set at $2million for each charge
  
• Stared at the floor throughout hearing
  
• Prosecutor said he made premeditated decision to abduct the girls
  
• Brothers appear on unrelated charges
  
• Police say there is no evidence they were connected to the crimes

By Rachel Quigley and Paul Thompson
PUBLISHED: 12:45 GMT, 9 May 2013 | UPDATED: 16:51 GMT, 9 May 2013



Cleveland kidnap suspect Ariel Castro hung his head in shame as he made his first court appearance on kidnap and rape charges.

The 52-year-old stared at the floor throughout the short hearing at Cleveland Municipal court.

Castro, who was charged with four counts of kidnap and three of rape, didn't once glance up to face the packed courtroom from the moment he entered.

Flanked by five guards and wearing a blue prison jump suit, he shuffled into the courtroom alongside his brothers Pedro and Onil.

Castro, who is alleged to have kept Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus captive for over a decade, refused to look up at judge Lauren Moore and face the bank of TV cameras inside courtroom three.

He did not speak or acknowledge the judge when she set bond at $8 million.

Prosecutor Brian Murphy told the court he had kidnapped three women for his 'self gratifying and self serving ways'.

He told the court Castro had made a 'premeditated decision to snatch three young ladies off the street for his self gratifying and self serving ways'.

He said their ordeal lasted for over a decade during which time they were beaten and sexually assaulted by Castro and never allowed to leave the residence where he held them captive.

'Inexplicably as they disappeared they reappeared this week,' Murphy told the hearing.

'Today the situation has turned, your honor. Mr Castro stands before you a captive, in captivity, a prisoner, and the women are free.

'Free to resume their lives with the promise that justice will be served to to protect the victims and the community he manipulated and deceived.'

Castro, a former school bus driver, showed no reaction during the prosecutor's statement, staring intently at the floor.

His public defender Kathleen DeMentz leaned towards him and spoke briefly.

Murphy asked the judge to set bond at $5 million and asked that he have no contact with any of the women involved in the case.

Judge Moore set bond at $2 million on each of the charges.

Two guards stood by Castro as he was led out of the small courtroom to the sound of multiple photographer's cameras motor drives whirring.

....more at link
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -them.html

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

"Castro will now go before a grand jury, at which point prosecutors say they will press the more serious death penalty charges relating to the multiple miscarriages that took place within the house."

Ohio prosecutors face hurdles in Ariel Castro death penalty pursuit
Experts say Ohio laws governing fetal homicides could be open to constitutional challenge as prosecutors look to press charges
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/ma ... th-penalty

Ariel Castro attorneys say Cleveland kidnap suspect will plead not guilty

Craig Weintraub tells local TV 'the media and the community want to demonize this man before they know the whole story'

Associated Press in Cleveland
The Guardian, Wednesday 15 May 2013

The man accused of keeping three women in captivity in his Ohio home for about a decade will plead not guilty, a member of his defence team said on Wednesday.

Craig Weintraub, a former prosecutor representing Ariel Castro, 52, on rape and kidnapping charges, said in an interview he was concerned his client would not be able to receive a fair trial anywhere, given the publicity surrounding the case.

The location of a trial is "always an issue when you have a case that has such fantastic notoriety," Weintraub said.

...more at link
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/ma ... not-guilty

_________________
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___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

This thread is for the the legal case and evidence as its released....

For general discussion on kidnappings and news there is still a thread under NEWS

viewtopic.php?f=31&t=921&p=36587#p36587

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Ariel Castro is no longer naked in jail, but he's still pacing a lot

Accused Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro remains on suicide watch during his confinement in the Cuyahoga County Jail, with his activities documented in writing every 10 minutes. So far his only communication has been asking for the time, thanking a guard for bringing him breakfast and wishing the man a good day. He reportedly cleans his cell, paces and stares at the ceiling. All this is apparently an upgrade from earlier in his confinement, when Castro was doing all of this naked. Thankfully, the logs indicate he's covered up. Castro's attorney says he'll plead not guilty to charges of kidnapping and rape for allegedly holding three women hostage for a decade.

...more at link
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -cell.html

_________________
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___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Jail logs show who has visited Cleveland kidnapping suspect Ariel Castro

Posted: 05/20/2013
By: Chris Flanagan, newsnet5.com

CLEVELAND - Jail logs show what life is like behind bars for the man accused of kidnapping Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight and holding them captive for more than a decade inside his Seymour Avenue home.

Everyone who visits Castro is required to sign in. The suspected abductor's legal team has been by several times, along with Castro's mother and sister. The family members visited him on Friday.

The only other two people on the list are reporters from New York, both were turned away.

Castro remains on suicide watch with a guard checking on him every 10 minutes. The guards watch what he's doing and said most of the time, Castro's just staring at the ceiling or at the floor.

...more at link
http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_ ... iel-castro

_________________
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___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

See Cleveland Kidnapper Ariel Castro’s Jailhouse Log! Plus, Fresh Criticism for Amanda Berry 911 Dispatcher

New details have emerged from inside the Cleveland jail where alleged kidnapper Ariel Castro is being held captive like the women he is charged with keeping in chains for years. A copy of a recent police log obtained exclusively by RadarOnline.com details Castro’s bizarre behavior and the talk among other inmates about his hideous crime.

The jail log from May 16 “shows [Castro] walking around naked,” investigative reporter Scott Taylor of 19 Action News, who viewed the log and took the photo shared with RadarOnline.com, explains. “Castro is still on suicide prevention watch and is asking guards what the temperature is outside.”

In just a short time, the jail’s most infamous inmate is already the talk of the cellblock. Another inmate had to be reassigned, Taylor reveals, because he was claiming to be the father of Michelle Knight, who was held captive with Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus in Castro’s house of horrors.

The man, however, is around the same age as Knight, police officials told Taylor, and is not her real father.

And in yet another shocking revelation from inside the investigation, Taylor tells RadarOnline.com that the police dispatcher who has come under fire for his apparently brusque behavior to Berry had instant access to a Cleveland Missing Persons Database that would have instantly highlighted the urgency of the call.

The dispatcher is under review for appearing not to treat the call with proper urgency, and for calling Berry something that sounds like “f*****g b***h” under his breath, as RadarOnline.com has reported.

...more at link
http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2013/ ... criticism/

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___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Ariel Castro jail logs: Nearby inmate howling like a dog

Posted: 05/24/2013
By: Cassandra Nist, newsnet5.com

CLEVELAND - NewsChannel5 has just received the latest jail logs on Ariel Castro.

Castro is accused in the kidnapping and rapes of Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight and Amanda Berry . He’s also charged with kidnapping his own daughter born to Amanda Berry.

According to Cuyahoga County jail logs, which are documented every ten minutes on Castro, an inmate near Castro has been howling like a dog.

The noise is so loud, it’s waking up other inmates.

Also, Castro has said to be polite to sheriff’s deputies when receiving his meals. For breakfast, it’s boiled eggs and grits along with Kool Aid.

The wild antics continue this week with records showing Castro continues to pace around his jail cell in the nude, staring out his window.

Castro remained in jailed on four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape, awaiting his arraignment date yet to be announced in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.

Editor's note: An initial version of this story said that Ariel Castro was howling like a dog. It has since been corrected to show that it was a nearby inmate who was howling.

...more at link
http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_ ... og-in-cell

_________________
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___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Experts question death penalty in Ohio missing women case
3:24 p.m. EDT May 26, 2013

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A prosecutor faces numerous obstacles as he weighs whether to bring death penalty charges against a man accused of kidnapping three women and forcing one of them into miscarriages through starvation and beatings, capital punishment experts say.

Most agree that such charges are possible against Ariel Castro, though not without legal fights starting with constitutional questions over the definition of a murder victim for the purposes of a death penalty case.

Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty said at a news conference on May 9, days after the women were rescued from Castro's run-down home, that capital punishment "must be reserved for those crimes that are truly the worst examples of human conduct."

"The law of Ohio calls for the death penalty for those most depraved criminals, who commit aggravated murder during the course of a kidnapping," he added.

...more at link
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nati ... p/2362045/

_________________
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___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Ariel Castro moved to different jail floor, asks when he can leave cell

Posted: Jun 04, 2013 2:48 AM Updated: Jun 04, 2013 8:21 AM

CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) -Jail logs are shedding more light onto Ariel Castro's prison life.

19 Action News has learned Castro was moved to a different floor of the jail, but not because of any incident. The decision to move the suspected kidnapper was simply a jail decision.

Castro has also been removed from his "suicide precaution" status, however he remains in his own cell alone.

Logs show Castro has also asked when he could leave his cell. And, at times, he was seen reading his inmate handbook.

Jail guards monitoring Castro have logged that he was once refused meds. What type of medication is unclear, as personal information from doctors and nurses is blacked out from the logs.

Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were rescued from Ariel Castro's Seymour Avenue home on May 6. The women had been held against their will and sexually assaulted for years.

Castro is currently jailed on $8M bond.


...more at link
http://www.14news.com/story/22485837/ar ... leave-cell

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Ariel Castro case: Was a fourth Ohio abduction planned?
Drew Thomas, USA TODAY 3:15 p.m. EDT June 4, 2013

Investigators question whether Ariel Castro was planning a fourth abduction after police found chains, tie-downs and padlocks in a third-floor room of the home where he is accused of holding three women captive.

The upstairs room was off-limits to Gina Dejesus, Michelle Knight and Amanda Berry, the women told police. Similar constraints were found in the lower rooms of the house where police say the women were held for multiple years.

When asked about the recent findings Castro's attorney declined to comment, but released a statement saying: "It is inappropriate for law enforcement … to disseminate information about this case."

Castro's home is still under heavy police surveillance a month after the women were rescued.

Ohio lawmakers are introducing legislation to help the three women and other victims. Democratic state Rep. John Barnes says the Survivors of Abduction Act would provide $25,000 a year for 10 years to each victim, free tuition to any state university in Ohio and free health care for life.


....more at link
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nati ... y/2389015/

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Cleveland kidnapping suspect Ariel Castro is taken off suicide watch as jail logs reveal he has been visited multiple times by relatives

By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 21:00 GMT, 5 June 2013 | UPDATED: 21:30 GMT, 5 June 2013

Ariel Castro, the man accused of kidnapping three women and holding them captive and sexually abusing them for a decade in his Cleveland house, is no longer deemed a suicide risk.

The suspect, 52, has been taken off 'suicide prevention' watch after being monitored for the past month, but Cuyahoga County jail spokesman John O'Brien did not provide further details about why the change had been granted.

Castro has been locked up since he was arrested May 6, shortly after three women - Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight - emerged from his house and said they had been held captive.

Jail logs released on Wednesday also show Castro has been visited multiple times by relatives, but did not list which family members paid a visit to the suspect, News Channel 5 reported.

...more at link
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ds-newsxml

_________________
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___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Cleveland kidnapping suspect Ariel Castro indicted on 329 charges including murder and multiple counts of rape, kidnap and assault

• Castro's indictment covers the period August 2002 to Feb 2007
  
• The murder charge relates to the unlawful termination of a pregnancy
  
• He will be arraigned next week and a trial judge will be assigned
  
• His attorneys have said he will plead not guilty

By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 22:52 GMT, 7 June 2013 | UPDATED: 13:05 GMT, 8 June 2013

Ariel Castro, the man accused of kidnapping three women and holding them captive and sexually abusing them for a decade, was indicted on 329 charges on Friday including kidnapping and rape.

The indictment covers the period from August of 2002, when the first of the three women discovered in his Cleveland home last month disappeared, until February of 2007.

Castro, 52, was indicted for one act of aggravated murder - for purposely and with prior calculation and design causing the unlawful termination of another's pregnancy.

He was also 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.

He will be arraigned on those charges next week and a trial judge will then be assigned.

‘Today's indictments represent a first major step in the criminal justice process,’ said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty.

....more at link
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... urder.html

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Ohio kidnapping and rape suspect Ariel Castro due in court
By Dana Ford and Michael Martinez, CNN
June 12, 2013 -- Updated 0414 GMT

(CNN) -- An Ohio man accused of murder, rape and holding three women against their will for close to a decade will be arraigned on Wednesday.

Ariel Castro, 52, was indicted last week on 329 counts. His case has attracted national attention because of the unusual length and depravity of the crimes of which he's accused.

"The horrific brutality and torture that the victims endured for a decade is beyond comprehension," said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty.

Two counts accuse Castro of aggravated murder for purposely causing the unlawful termination of a pregnancy.

One of the young women he's accused of holding was impregnated five times by Castro, and another bore a child fathered by him, according to police.

The indictment also charges Castro with 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, McGinty said in a statement last week.

The charges cover only half of the 10 years the three women were held captive -- from August 2002, when the first of the three disappeared off a Cleveland street, to February 2007.

....more at link
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/12/us/ohio-castro-case/

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Ariel Castro stares at the floor in court to plead not guilty to 329 counts including rape and murder as new photos show a DISCO BALL in the alleged kidnapper's house of horrors

By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 12:49 GMT, 12 June 2013 | UPDATED: 06:45 GMT, 13 June 2013



On the same day Cleveland House of Horror suspect Ariel Castro pleaded not guilty in court to 329 counts including rape and kidnapping, it has been revealed that he had a disco ball and garland hanging in his living room.

Shackled and dressed in an orange prison uniform, Castro hung his head throughout the brief hearing as the defense hinted a trial can be avoided with a plea if he escapes the death penalty.

His attorney Craig Weintraub said the defense was working to avoid an 'unnecessary trial' involving the death penalty.

Attorney Craig Weintraub addressed the death penalty issue after his client, 52-year-old Ariel Castro, pleaded not guilty to hundreds of charges including rape and kidnapping.

Castro kept his chin tucked on his chest through the brief court appearance. He didn't speak or glance at his two attorneys standing by his side.

19 Action News reported today their camera caught sight of a disco ball on a stand and garland hanging in his front room while the FBI were investigating inside.

....more at link
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... sault.html

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Accused Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro to appear today at pre-trial hearing
By Reuters
Wednesday, June 19, 2013 6:47 EDT

CLEVELAND (Reuters) – A former Cleveland school-bus driver accused of holding three women captive in his home and torturing them for a decade is scheduled to appear in court for a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday.

Ariel Castro, 52, pleaded not guilty last week to more than 300 charges and was scheduled for an initial hearing before Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Michael Russo. He is being held in a county jail on an $8 million bail.

....more at link
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/19/a ... l-hearing/

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Why prosecutors aren't done charging alleged Cleveland captor Ariel Castro

Earlier this month, a grand jury indicted Ariel Castro on 139 counts of rape and 177 counts of kidnapping. Prosecutors say they expect to add more charges within two weeks.

By Mark Guarino | Christian Science Monitor

[...]
The charges against Castro are coming in two installments to make the process easier for the three women, says Carmen Naso, an assistant professor of law at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Because of their fragile emotional state, he says, law enforcement would have been “reckless” in pushing them for everything immediately after their escape.

“This status is probably the result of [prosecutors] not getting all of the information in total at one time and then going to the grand jury, but them getting sufficient information and establishing a metric to account for how long they were captive,” Professor Naso says.

The indictment process can’t go on indefinitely, however: Speedy law provisions in Ohio give defendants the right to a trial within 90 days.


...more at link
http://news.yahoo.com/why-prosecutors-a ... 42222.html

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Prosecutors seek more charges against Ariel Castro
By CNN Staff
June 20, 2013 -- Updated 2102 GMT (0502 HKT)

(CNN) -- Prosecutors are seeking additional charges against the Cleveland man accused of keeping three women captive in his home for a decade, they told a judge.

At a eight-minute hearing Wednesday, Ariel Castro, 52, kept his head down, often closing his eyes and speaking only to answer "yes" or "no" to the judge's questions.

Prosecutor Timothy McGinty told Cuyahoga County Judge Michael Russo there is a possibility of more charges.

"We are presenting additional evidence to the grand jury next week and the week after. We expect we are going to request further indictments," he said.

Castro faces 329 counts, including one count of aggravated murder for allegedly causing the unlawful termination of a pregnancy.

....more at link
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/20/justi ... ro-hearing

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light