Thursday 9 May 2013

Cleveland kidnap accused Ariel Castro in court



Prosecutor Brian Murphy: "Mr Castro stands before you a captive... the women are free to resume their lives"
The man accused of imprisoning three women for about a decade in the US city of Cleveland has made his first court appearance.
Ariel Castro, 52, is charged with kidnap and rape. He did not enter a plea.
Bail was set at $8m (£5.1m), meaning in effect that he will remain in custody.
The women were abducted at different times and held in Mr Castro's house. One of those held, Amanda Berry, 27, escaped on Monday and raised the alarm.
The other women freed soon afterwards were Gina DeJesus, 23, and Michelle Knight, 32.
Suicide watch
Mr Castro, handcuffed and dressed in blue overalls, remained silent and looked down while lawyers spoke to the judge.
Ariel Castro's daughter breaks down as she apologises to the victims
The police detained two of Mr Castro's brothers, Pedro and Onil, but later said they appeared to have no involvement in the crime.
On Thursday they appeared in court on unrelated charges. Pedro Castro pleaded no contest to a public drinking charge and was fined $100, while two charges against Onil Castro, including a drug charge, were dropped.
Ariel Castro has been put on suicide watch and will be kept in isolation, his court-appointed lawyer Kathleen DeMetz told reporters.
Police said the women could only remember being outside twice during their time in captivity, and were then only allowed into the garage.
Deputy police chief Ed Tomba said the women were not held in one room "but they did know each other and they did know each other was there".
Ms Berry escaped with her six-year-old daughter Jocelyn, who was born in captivity.
A source told the BBC that one of the women was forced to help Ms Berry deliver her daughter, and was threatened with death if the child did not survive.
Mr Castro is charged with four counts of kidnapping, covering the three initial abduction victims and Jocelyn.
Mr Castro also faces three counts of rape, one against each woman.
Police said more than 200 pieces of evidence had been taken from the home where the three women were held captive.
They said interviews with the women had yielded enough information to charge Mr Castro, and that further charges could be added.
Police said Mr Castro had been co-operating with them, waiving his right to silence and agreeing to a test to establish Jocelyn's paternity.
Ms Knight remains in hospital, while the other two women have been reunited with their families.
Listen to the moment an officer radioed "we found them, we found them" from the house in Cleveland
On Wednesday hundreds of people gathered around the DeJesus family home, cheering as Gina DeJesus was brought from hospital.
Ms DeJesus, wearing a bright yellow hooded shirt, was escorted into her home by a woman with her arm around her, giving the well-wishers a brief wave.
Ms Berry and her daughter arrived at her sister's home shortly before midday on Wednesday.
She disappeared in 2003 aged 16, but escaped with the help of a neighbour who heard her screaming and kicking a door while her alleged captor was out of the house.
When police arrived, they also found Ms DeJesus and Ms Knight in the house.
Ms DeJesus had gone missing aged 14 in 2004, while Ms Knight had disappeared in 2002, aged 20.
Ariel Castro reportedly fled the neighbourhood and was arrested at a nearby McDonald's restaurant, according to local media.
Map of Cleveland showing location of last sightings and house that the women were rescued from

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