Ariel Castro will never walk free again. The man that held Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus captive in his home for over 10 years has been officially sentenced today by the state of Ohio. Ariel Castro was indicted on over 900 counts of kidnapping and rape. He accepted a plea bargain of life in prison without parole plus an additional 1,000 years in order to avoid the death penalty.
RELATED: Amanda Berry, 2 Missing Women Found Alive After Vanishing More Than A Decade Ago [VIDEO]
At today's sentencing hearing the judge said there was no excuse for Castro to keep three women as slaves and sex objects, ripping them away from their families. The judge said Castro's claims of sexual abuse as a child do not justify his actions over the past decade.
RELATED: Who is Ariel Castro? 5 Things To Know About The Puerto Rican Accused In Cleveland Kidnapping Case [REPORT]
Everyone remembers Amanda Berry's emotional 911 call in which she told the dispatcher "I'm free now," today those words ring truer than when she was rescued on May 6, 2013. Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight are free of Ariel Castro. They will be able to grow, to move on and accomplish the life goals they set for themselves before being taken hostage. Ariel Castro will die in jail.
RELATED: Gina DeJesus: Son Of Kidnapper Ariel Castro Interviewed DeJesus' Mother After Girl's Disappearance
During the sentencing hearing the three Cleveland women were given the opportunity to speak before the court. DeJesus and Berry decided not to appear in court but did send representatives to speak on their behalf. Michelle Knight, the woman some would argue suffered the most at the hands of Castro did speak to the court.
Michelle Knight, a small statured young woman stood tall today as she described her feelings during her time held in captivity. Knight said she and DeJesus became "teammates" often leaning on each other for support.
Gina DeJesus' cousin, Sylvia Colon spoke on behalf of her family. Colon said Gina is doing well laughing, swimming and dancing. Colon said DeJesus "loves and she is loved," looking back at the other members of her family.
"She will finish school, go to college, fall in love, and if she chooses she will get married and have children. [Gina] is where we will continue to put our energy."
Colon also said she and the DeJesus family know what happened to Gina is not the fault of Castro's family. They understand that Castro acted alone and lied to them. Colon expressed sorrow that Castro's family will have to be tied to him for the rest of their days.
Before returning to her seat Sylvia Colon turned and spoke directly to Ariel Castro, in Spanish. "Que Dios se apiade de su alma," she said. It means May God have mercy on your soul.
Amanda Berry's sister Beth Serrano spoke on behalf of her family. She did not address Castro, nor did she look at him as she walked passed. Serrano did not talk about what happened to her sister but rather what impact her disappearance had on her family.
Serrano said she lost her sister and her best friend for years. She spoke about her mother, who never gave up the search for Amanda Berry even when presented with the possibility she was dead. Berry's mother died six-years before she was rescued.
Serrano asked that the media and others continue to respect her sister's privacy, not only for Amanda's sake but for her daughter Jocelyn as well. Serrano said Jocelyn does not yet understand what happened to her mother and the circumstances that surround her birth. Serrano said it is up to Amanda to tell the child in her own time.
The three victims were not the only voices heard in court today, Ariel Castro had the right to speak and made a speech attempting to explain away his actions. Castro said he is not a monster or an abuser, but a child victim of sexual abuse and a porn addict.
"What I'm getting at is these people try to paint me as a monster and I'm not a monster," Castro said. "I'm sick I think, I think my sexual problems have been so bad all my life that I'm impulsive."
"Eventually I married, had four children, lived a normal life," Castro continued. "But I still practiced the art of touching myself and pornography."
Castro said his porn addiction is so strong he did not realize what he did was wrong. He then went on to explain how he got each woman into his home claiming he was not blaming them, but reading between the lines Castro was saying it was their own fault for getting into his car.
The most disturbing part of Castro's speech was when he claimed the girls he held captive participated in consensual sex and even asked him for sex on occasion. He then claimed all three women were not virgins before meeting Castro and had what he described as "multiple partners" before him.
"That's basically it," Castro told the judge. "I just wanted to clear the record that I am not a monster. I did not prey on these women I just acted on my sexual instincts because of my sexual addiction. With God as my witness I never beat these women like they're trying to say that I did. Finally I would like to apologize to the victims. To Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight I am truly sorry for what happened."
Castro attempted to gain some sympathy from the judge by crying and saying he doesn't understand why he did what he did. Castro said he was a family man and a provider. He hoped the victims would be able to forgive him and remember the "harmony" they had together.
Despite his earlier statement suggesting he did not blame the three women for what happened Castro played the typical attack the victim game most sex offenders play. Amanda Berry was invited to a concert over the weekend in Cleveland and the video of the young woman laughing and smiling has gone viral. Castro said the video proves he did not torture her.
The judge did not buy Castro's excuses or attempts to show the victims as not credible. The judge told Castro he treated the women as slaves and as nonhuman. The judge told Castro he is banned from having any contact with the victims including Berry's daughter Jocelyn. Castro then stated he planned to file for parental rights to which the judge responded filing for rights and gaining those rights are two different things.
Ariel Castro was then sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison.
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
