Kidnap suspect pleads not guilty
Source: Agencies |
July 19, 2013, Friday
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A Cleveland, Ohio, man accused of holding three women captive for a decade was told repeatedly by a judge to raise his head and open his eyes in a court appearance where he pleaded not guilty to nearly 1,000 counts of kidnap, rape and other crimes.
Ariel Castro, 53, has been jailed since his arrest on May 6, shortly after the women escaped to freedom.
For the most part at Wednesday's court appearance, Castro responded to the judge's questions with one-word answers as he faced charges that included 512 counts of kidnapping and 446 counts of rape.
Judge Pamela Barker repeatedly told him to raise his head and keep his eyes open so "I make sure that you are listening to me and understanding what I'm saying, OK?"
"I'm trying," said Castro.
The judge continued his bond at US$8 million.
Castro is accused of restraining the women, sometimes chaining them to a pole in a basement, to a bedroom heater or inside a van. The charges say one woman tried to escape and he assaulted her with a vacuum cord around her neck.
The charges returned last Friday by a grand jury against Castro expanded on a 329-count indictment filed earlier that covered only part of the time frame of the alleged crimes. He previously pleaded not guilty to that indictment.
Besides kidnapping and rape, the new 977-count indictment also charges him with seven counts of gross sexual imposition, six counts of felonious assault, three counts of child endangerment and one count of possessing criminal tools.
He previously was charged with two counts of aggravated murder related to one act, charges alleging that he purposely caused the unlawful termination of the pregnancy of one of the women.
Castro is scheduled for trial on August 5.
His lawyers hinted Castro would plead guilty if the death penalty was off the table.
Amanda Berry, Gina Dejesus and Michelle Knight disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004. Berry has a six-year-old daughter fathered by Castro, authorities said.
Ariel Castro, 53, has been jailed since his arrest on May 6, shortly after the women escaped to freedom.
For the most part at Wednesday's court appearance, Castro responded to the judge's questions with one-word answers as he faced charges that included 512 counts of kidnapping and 446 counts of rape.
Judge Pamela Barker repeatedly told him to raise his head and keep his eyes open so "I make sure that you are listening to me and understanding what I'm saying, OK?"
"I'm trying," said Castro.
The judge continued his bond at US$8 million.
Castro is accused of restraining the women, sometimes chaining them to a pole in a basement, to a bedroom heater or inside a van. The charges say one woman tried to escape and he assaulted her with a vacuum cord around her neck.
The charges returned last Friday by a grand jury against Castro expanded on a 329-count indictment filed earlier that covered only part of the time frame of the alleged crimes. He previously pleaded not guilty to that indictment.
Besides kidnapping and rape, the new 977-count indictment also charges him with seven counts of gross sexual imposition, six counts of felonious assault, three counts of child endangerment and one count of possessing criminal tools.
He previously was charged with two counts of aggravated murder related to one act, charges alleging that he purposely caused the unlawful termination of the pregnancy of one of the women.
Castro is scheduled for trial on August 5.
His lawyers hinted Castro would plead guilty if the death penalty was off the table.
Amanda Berry, Gina Dejesus and Michelle Knight disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004. Berry has a six-year-old daughter fathered by Castro, authorities said.
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