Amanda Berry disappeared in Cleveland in April 2003, and was found alive ten years later on May 6, 2013 just miles from where she lived. This is her phone call to 911.
What the neighbors saw
What the neighbors saw
Ohio prosecutors have said they plan
to seek aggravated murder charges that could carry the death penalty, against
the man suspected of imprisoning three women for about a decade. The charges relate to alleged forced miscarriages suffered by one victim. Ariel Castro, 52, was arraigned in court earlier for the kidnap and rape of
Amanda Berry, 27, Gina DeJesus, 23 and Michelle Knight, 32. Ms Berry escaped on Monday and was able to raise the alarm.
Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty said the murder charges were based on
evidence from one of the women held captive in Mr Castro's house that he had
impregnated her, then physically abused and starved her in order to induce
miscarriages.
"I fully intend to seek charges for each and every act of sexual violence,
rape, each day of kidnapping, every felonious assault, all his attempted
murders, and each act of aggravated murder he committed by terminating
pregnancies that the offender perpetuated against the hostages during this
decade-long ordeal," Mr McGinty told a news conference.
"This child kidnapper operated a torture chamber and private prison in the
heart of our city," he added.
Earlier on Thursday, Mr Castro appeared in court in Cleveland, handcuffed and
dressed in blue overalls. He did not enter a plea. He is charged with four counts of kidnapping, covering the three initial
abduction victims and Jocelyn, Ms Berry's six-year-old daughter, who was
apparently conceived and born in captivity.
The former school bus driver also faces three counts of rape, one against
each woman. Bail was set at $8m (£5.1m), meaning he will remain in custody.
He has been placed on suicide watch and will be kept in isolation, his
court-appointed lawyer Kathleen DeMetz told reporters. Mr Castro confessed to his crimes in a long, hand-written
letter, apparently a suicide note that was found in the house. In the letter he said he had been raped as a child by a relative, a law
enforcement source told the US network.
Ariel Castro's two brothers, Pedro and Onil, also appeared in court on
unrelated charges. They had been arrested, but police found no evidence linking
them to the crime. Pedro Castro was fined $100 for public drinking, while two minor counts
against Onil Castro were dropped.
On Thursday, Mr Castro's daughter, Arlene, who was one of the last people to
see Gina DeJesus before she disappeared in 2004 aged 14, wept during a TV
interview. Describing herself as "disappointed, embarrassed, mainly devastated", she
apologised to Ms DeJesus.
The three women were all abducted after accepting rides from Mr Castro,
according to a leaked police report. They told officials they could only remember being outside twice during their
time in captivity.
Cleveland City Councilman Brian Cummins said the women had told police they
had only gone as far as a garage on the property, disguised in wigs and
hats. Mr Cummins, citing police information, said the victims had been kept apart
inside the house until their captor felt he had enough control to allow them to
mingle.
Ms Berry, whose disappearance in 2003 the day before her 17th birthday was
widely publicized in the local media, returned to her sister's home on
Wednesday. A few hours later, Gina DeJesus, who went missing in 2004 at the age of 14,
was also brought home.
Ms Knight, who was 20 when she disappeared in 2002, remains in hospital in
good condition.
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