Wednesday May 08, 2013 3:38 PM PT
°F
Ohio man charged with kidnap, rape as women found
Associated Press|THOMAS J. SHEERAN, By MEGHAN BARR and THOMAS J. SHEERAN
Updated 2:55 pm, Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Gina DeJesus gives a thumbs-up as she is escorted toward her home Wednesday, May 8, 2013, in Cleveland. The three women held captive for about a decade at a run-down Cleveland house were apparently bound with ropes and chains, police said Wednesday, while charges were expected by the end of the day against the three brothers under arrest. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) Photo: Wire
 | |
Comments (
Printable Version
Email This
Font
CLEVELAND (AP) — A Cleveland man arrested after three women missing for a decade were found alive at his run-down home was charged Wednesday with kidnapping and raping them. Prosecutors brought no charges against his brothers, saying there was no evidence they had any part in the crime.
Ariel Castro, 52, was charged with four counts of kidnapping — covering all three captives and the daughter born to one of them while she was held — and three counts of rape against the three women.
The former school bus driver owns the peeling home where the women were rescued on Monday, after one of them broke through a screen door while Castro apparently was away.
At a news conference, authorities gave few details on the women's ordeal. But police said earlier in the day that they were apparently bound with ropes and chains, and a city councilman briefed on the case, Brian Cummins, said that they were subjected to prolonged sexual and psychological abuse and suffered miscarriages.
"We know that the victims have confirmed miscarriages, but with who, how many and what conditions we don't know," Cummins said. He added: "It sounds pretty gruesome."
Deputy Police Chief Ed Tomba said the women could remember being outside only twice during their entire time in captivity. "We were told they left the house and went into the garage in disguise," he said.
And their first opportunity to escape didn't come until Monday, he said. The women were not kept in the same room, but knew they were not alone, he said.
He also said a paternity test on Castro was being done to establish who fathered the now 6-year-old child of captive Amanda Berry.
Castro was in custody and couldn't be reached for comment. A brother-in-law has said the family was "shocked" after hearing about the women at the home.
Castro's brothers, Pedro, 54, and Onil, 50, were also arrested after the women were rescued, but there was no evidence they had any part in the crime, Cleveland Prosecutor Victor Perez said.
Earlier in the day, Berry and former captive Gina DeJesus were welcomed home by jubilant crowds of loved ones and neighbors with balloons and banners Wednesday. Family members protectively took them inside, past hundreds of reporters and onlookers.
Neither woman spoke, and their families pleaded for patience and time alone.
"Give us time and privacy to heal," said Sandra Ruiz, DeJesus' aunt. Ruiz thanked police for rescuing the women and urged the public not to retaliate against the suspects or their families.
The third captive, Michelle Knight, 32, was reported in good condition at Metro Health Medical Center, which a day earlier had reported that all three victims had been released. There was no immediate explanation from the hospital.
The Associated Press does not usually identify people who may be victims of sexual assault, but the names of the women were widely circulated by their families, friends and law enforcement authorities for years during their disappearance.
In a development that astonished and exhilarated much of Cleveland, the three women were rescued after Berry, 27, broke through a screen door at the Castro house and told a 911 dispatcher: "Help me. I'm Amanda Berry. I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for 10 years and I'm, I'm here, I'm free now."
Law enforcement officials left many questions unanswered, including how the women were taken captive.
Neighbors said that Ariel Castro took part in the search for one of the missing women, helped pass out fliers, performed music at a fundraiser for her and attended a candlelight vigil, where her comforted her mother. As recently as 2005, Castro was accused of repeated acts of violence against his children's mother.
On NBC's "Today" show, Police Chief Michael McGrath said he was "absolutely" sure police did everything they could to find the women over the years. He disputed claims by neighbors that officers had been called to the house before for suspicious circumstances.
Comments
Add Your Comment
New to the site?
To use commenting, you need to sign up.
Already a member?
(Forgot Password?)Please log in.
Most Popular Comments
- Rep. Jackie Speier outs obscene Marine Facebook page
- McDonald's reaching out to Ohio man
- Singer arrested in Calif. murder-for-hire plot
- Oakland police chief steps down
- In Ohio neighborhood, suspect was familiar figure
- Niners’ new stadium will carry Levi’s tag
- Cheers, tears at Arias 1st-degree murder verdict
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Ohio-man-charged-with-kidnap-rape-as-women-found-4499442.php#ixzz2SkAHqTki
No comments:
Post a Comment