TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Ariel Castro, a Cleveland man who kidnapped and imprisoned three women in his home for 10 years pleaded guilty on Friday to avoid the death penalty.
In exchange for his plea, prosecutors recommended Castro be sentenced to life without parole plus 1,000 years.
Castro appeared in court, accompanied by his lawyer. He looked far more interactive than in previous court appearances when he mostly kept his head down and eyes closed.
Castro said that his addiction to pornography and sexual problems had really taken a toll on his mind. He later said of having been a sexual abuse victim as a child.
Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were kidnapped between 2002 and 2004 when they were in their 20s. Berry even gave birth to a baby girl when she was imprisoned. The daughter is now 6 years old.
The women escaped Castro's house on May 6 when one of them kicked out part of a door and called to neighbors for help. Police then came and helped open the front door of the house.
AP | TRIP B
