Real Crime/Paranormal/Conspiracy Theories Book III

The Cleveland Abductions: Ariel Castro

The Ariel Castro kidnappingstook place between 2002 and 2004, when Ariel Castro kidnappedMichelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Georgina "Gina"DeJesus and held them captive in his home in the Tremont neighborhoodof Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The three girls were imprisoneduntil May 6, 2013, when Berry escaped with her six-year-old daughter,to whom she had given birth while imprisoned, and contacted thepolice. Police rescued Knight and DeJesus and arrested Castro withinhours.

On May 8, 2013, Castro was charged withfour counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape. He pleadedguilty to 937 criminal counts of rape, kidnapping, and aggravatedmurder, as part of a plea bargain. He was sentenced to life plus1,000 years in prison without the possibility of parole. OnSeptember 3, 2013, one month into his sentence, Castro died bysuicide after hanging himself with bed sheets in his prison cell.

Perpetrator background

Ariel Castro (July 10, 1960 –September 3, 2013) was born in Duey, Yauco, Puerto Rico, the son ofPedro Castro (1938–2004) and Lillian Rodriguez (born 1942). Castro's parents divorced when he was a child, and he moved tomainland United States with his mother and three full siblings. Theysettled in Reading, Pennsylvania, and then moved to Cleveland, Ohio,where Castro's father and other family members were living. Castrohad nine siblings (both full and half) and graduated from Cleveland'sLincoln-West High School in 1979.

Castro met his girlfriend GrimildaFigueroa when his family moved into a house across the street fromhers in the 1980s. They lived with both sets of parents, but movedinto their own home at 2207 Seymour Avenue in 1992. Their home was atwo-story, 1,400-square-foot (130 m2), four-bedroom, one-bathroomhouse with a 760-square-foot (71 m2) unfinished basement built in1890 and remodeled in 1956. Figueroa's sister Elida Caraballo saidthat "all hell started breaking loose" when thecouple moved into their new home. Caraballo and her husband Frankclaim that Castro beat Figueroa, breaking her nose, ribs, and armsand causing a blood clot on her brain that resulted in an inoperabletumor. He also threw her down a flight of stairs, cracking herskull. In 1993, Castro was arrested for domestic violence but wasnot indicted by a grand jury.

Figueroa moved out of the home in 1996and secured custody of her four children. Police assisted in the moveand detained Castro, but they did not press charges. Castrocontinued to threaten and attack Figueroa after she left him,according to Caraballo. Figueroa filed charges in 2005 in CuyahogaCounty Domestic Relations Court accusing him of inflicting multiplesevere injuries on her and of "frequently" abductingtheir daughters. The court granted her a temporary restraining orderagainst Castro, but it was dismissed a few months later. Figueroadied in April 2012 due to complications from her brain tumor. Friends and relatives gathered on Denison Avenue on April 29, 2012,for memorial services in her honor.

Before his arrest at age 52, Castroworked as a bus driver for the Cleveland Metropolitan School Districtuntil he was fired for "bad judgment", includingmaking an illegal U-turn with children on his bus, using his bus togo grocery shopping, leaving a child on the bus while he went forlunch, and leaving the bus unattended while he took a nap at home. Hewas earning $18.91 per hour when he was discharged. At the time ofhis arrest, Castro's home was in foreclosure after three years ofunpaid real estate taxes.

Kidnappings

Castro kidnapped his victims byoffering them a ride; he drove each to his home, lured them inside,took them to the basement, and restrained them in his house at 2207Seymour Avenue, located in Cleveland's residential Tremontneighborhood. The house has since been demolished.