Cleveland (CNN) — Barbara Johnson, the Cleveland police officer who first responded to kidnapper Ariel Castro’s home, recalled Thursday finding Michelle Knight and Georgina DeJesus after hearing the pitter-patter of footsteps in a dark room.
Knight “literally launched herself” into another officer’s arms,” Johnson said, “legs, arms, just choking him. She just kept repeating, ‘You saved us! You saved us!’ “
Johnson, the first witness in Castro’s sentencing hearing, said the kidnapping victims were scared, pale, talkative and didn’t want to be left alone.
Gerald Maloney, the emergency room doctor on duty when the three victims were taken to the hospital, described them as “very much emotionally fragile at the time” and said Knight requested that no male physicians attend to her.
The women told Maloney that they had been sexually and physically abused and, at times, deprived of food during their years of captivity.
Castro lured DeJesus into his car in 2004 by asking her for help locating his daughter, said Det. Andrew Harasimchuk, recalling DeJesus’ statement to him. Castro then told DeJesus he had to go home for money before asking her for help moving a speaker, the detective said.
She became uncomfortable, and Castro told her she had to leave through a different door than the one she entered through. When she walked through that door, she found herself in the basement of his home, Harasimchuk said. Castro then chained her to a center support pole in the basement, bound her hands with plastic ties and sexually assaulted her, the detective said.
All three women told Harasimchuk that they had been repeatedly raped “vaginally, orally and anally” during their captivity, he said.
Castro pleaded guilty last week to 937 counts, including murder and kidnapping, in a deal that dropped a possible death penalty in exchange for life in prison plus 1,000 years.
At the beginning of his hearing, a shackled Castro, flanked by his lawyers and wearing an orange prison uniform and eyeglasses, quietly told the judge he understood the reporting requirements of his sex-offender status, should he ever be released, which is unlikely given the plea deal.
Defense attorney Craig Weintraub told the court that his client accepts “full responsibility” for his conduct. Noting that Castro promptly took responsibility for his crimes, Judge Michael Russo said that given the scope of the crimes, “I don’t know that this could’ve been any more dignified.”
With a model of Castro’s home in the courtroom, another defense attorney, Jaye Schlachet, said he did not approve of anything but the victims’ impact statements being introduced during the sentencing hearing. He also mentioned doctors’ reports and photos as other examples of things he felt shouldn’t be presented in court.
Russo later responded that he wanted to see records pertaining to the case and hear testimony to ensure that “the court can reach and appropriate sentence.”
Castro is expected to speak at length during his sentencing, delivering a statement that his sister promises will allow people to see “the other side of Ariel Castro.”
He’ll give a rather lengthy statement, explaining his life and who he really is, his sister, Marisol Alicea, told CNN on Wednesday night.
“(People will) see the other side of Ariel Castro … not the monster that everyone thinks he is,” she said, adding that she was in no way defending her brother.
“He must pay for what he did.”
Amanda Berry speaks in a video released on YouTube on Monday, July 8, thanking people for support and privacy. Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight escaped from a Cleveland home on May 6 after being held captive for nearly a decade.
Amanda Berry vanished a few blocks from her Cleveland home on April 21, 2003. She was 16.
Gina DeJesus speaks in the YouTube video.
Georgina “Gina” DeJesus was last seen in Cleveland on April 2, 2004, on her way home from school. She was 14 when she went missing.
Michelle Knight speaks in the YouTube video.
Knight was last seen on August 22, 2002, when she was 21.
In a handwritten note, Knight thanked Cleveland police for their efforts, saying she was overwhelmed with the support she had received from “complete strangers.” The note was posted Wednesday, July 31, on the police’s Second District Community Relations Committee Facebook page.
Residents gather outside a community meeting at Immanuel Lutheran Church on Thursday, May 9, to talk about the kidnapping case in Cleveland. Balloons were released as part of the ceremony.
FBI agents and other law enforcement officers stand outside suspect Ariel Castro’s home in Cleveland on May 9. Castro, a former school bus driver, has been accused of holding three women captive for a decade in his house. He has also been charged with rape.
Castro hangs his head low while talking with his public defender, Kathleen DeMetz, during his arraignment on May 9.
Ada Colon prays during a vigil held in honor of the kidnapping victims in Cleveland on Wednesday, May 8.
Relatives of kidnapping victim Georgina “Gina” DeJesus hug after she returned to her parents’ home in Cleveland on May 8.
Friends and neighbors cheer as a car carrying Amanda Berry arrives at her sister’s house in Cleveland on May 8.
Gina DeJesus gives a thumbs up as she arrives at her family’s house in Cleveland on May 8.
Ariel Castro was charged on May 8 with kidnapping the three women.
The family house of Gina DeJesus has been decorated by well-wishers on Tuesday, May 7.
Friends and relatives gather in front of the family house of DeJesus on May 7.
Well-wishers visit the home of the sister of Amanda Berry on Monday, May 6.
Investigators remove evidence from the house on Seymour Avenue in Cleveland where the three women were held.
An FBI forensics team meets outside the house where three women were held as they investigate the property.
An FBI forensics team member removes evidence from the house.
A relative of DeJesus brings balloons to the home of Amanda Berry’s sister in Cleveland on May 7.
Children hold a sign and balloons in the yard of Gina DeJesus’ family home in Cleveland on May 7.
Bystanders and media gather on May 7 along Seymour Avenue in Cleveland near the house where the three women were held captive.
A bystander shows the front page of The Plain Dealer newspaper to a friend outside of the house on Seymour Avenue on May 7.
Cleveland Deputy Chief of Police Ed Tomba, center, speaks at a news conference to address details of the developments.
The house where the three women were held captive in Cleveland was the home of Ariel Castro, who was arrested and is being held pending charges in the case.
FBI agents remove evidence from the house May 7.
A police officer stands in front of the broken front door of the house on May 7, where the kidnapped women escaped.
Neighbor Charles Ramsey talks to media as people congratulate him on helping the kidnapped women escape on Monday, May 6. He helped knock down the door after he heard screaming inside.
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Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued
New details on Castro hearing
Rape victims forced to fight for custody
Deborah Knight, the grandmother of kidnapping victim Michelle Knight, participates in a community balloon-release service in Michelle’s honor on Thursday, May 9, in Cleveland. Four females were found in a home on Seymour Avenue in the Clark Fulton neighborhood on Monday. Since then, the neighborhood and the nation have wondered how they were held captive without anyone noticing sooner.
Authorities say Ariel Castro held three women — Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight. DNA tests confirmed that he fathered a girl born to Berry, who was among those rescued, the Ohio attorney general’s office said Friday. His house, third from left, is now a crime scene.
57-year-old Ronice Dunn moved into the neighborhood in 1984. For years after Berry and DeJesus disappeared, she joined in neighborhood vigils and prayer groups for their safe return.
A building sits boarded up on Seymour Avenue. The Clark Fulton neighborhood is beset by nearly double-digit unemployment, and one in every five houses is in foreclosure.
The media set up tents near Castro’s home.
Kinkel Avenue is a few blocks from Castro’s home.
The house of Onil Castro’s two sons, where he was staying when he was arrested on Kinkel Avenue. He and his brother Pedro were arrested along with Ariel Castro, but later were released and not charged.
“Why didn’t I notice anything? What should I have been looking for?” asked Mickie Wodgik, who spent years living across the street from Castro and, it turns out, the three missing women.
Around the corner from Seymour Avenue, graffiti is written on an abandoned building.
A street view shows West 25th Street, which runs perpendicular to Seymour Avenue.
Cynthia Conor, who has lived in the same house for 38 years, often drank with Castro and and his brother Pedro, she said. Her father trained Castro for his school bus job.
A man stands on Clark Avenue in front of painted buildings.
This boarded-up building sits across the street from Castro’s house.
Pastor Joe Abraham has ministered to many in this neighborhood for more than 25 years, including as the leader of Scranton Road Bible Church.
People hold balloons during a community balloon-release service in kidnapping victim Michelle Knight’s honor.
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The Clark Fulton neighborhood
Alicea said she doesn’t plan on attending the sentencing with others in her family, fearing the evidence will be too graphic.
Hearing to last hours
The sentencing hearing is expected to last hours and include witness testimony and evidence, a Cuyahoga County court source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told CNN.
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Prosecutors want to make sure there’s a record going forward in case of a future appeal, should Castro want to try to get out of prison, said the source who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Prosecutors also want the court and the public to understand the impact Castro’s actions had on his victims and the community.
At least one of Castro’s victims, Knight, will likely make an impact statement during the hearing, Alicea said. An official with direct knowledge of the investigation also said Knight intends to speak.
In a handwritten note, posted Wednesday on the Cleveland Police Community Relations Facebook page, Knight said she was overwhelmed with the support she has received from “complete strangers.”
“It is comforting. Life is tough, but I’m tougher,” she wrote. “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, she became a butterfly. Thanks.”
The other two women — Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry — will not be present in the court, according to the attorney representing the three women. They could make a videotaped statement, or a family member could talk on their behalf.
Ariel Castro’s son: I won’t visit dad in prison
Evaluating a kidnapper
Prosecutors also have submitted an evaluation of Castro’s confinement and abuse of Knight, DeJesus and Berry that was compiled by acclaimed psychiatrist Frank Ochberg, considered a pioneer in trauma science.
Son: Castro belongs in prison for life
On July 21, Cleveland authorities announced they had discovered the bodies of three women, later identified as Angela Deskins, from left, Shirellda Terry and Shetisha Sheeley. All three women had been reported missing.
Michael Madison, 35, a registered sex offender, was charged in the deaths of the three women. He was arrested after investigators noticed a foul odor coming from a garage he leased and found a body inside. Police believe he killed the women over a 10-day period.
Posters for missing women and girls can been seen all over metropolitan Cleveland’s impoverished neighborhoods. The Cleveland police website lists 54 women as missing within its city limits, but a community leader said he thinks that number is actually in the hundreds.
Christina Kleckner, 24, was last seen in Cleveland in October 2011 after an argument with her parents, according to CNN affiliate WEWS. Her father reported her missing the next day. Kleckner, a recovering drug addict with mental disabilities, was being treated for bipolar disorder and had been involved in prostitution.
Cleveland resident Minerva Tripp vanished last year at age 41.
A photo of Ashley Summers, who was last seen in the Cleveland area on July 9, 2007, beside an age-progressed rendering of her.
Christina Adkins was last seen in Cleveland in January 1995. She was 18 years old and five months pregnant when she disappeared.
Amanda Berry emerged from captivity in May, leading to the freedom of two other missing Cleveland women: Michelle Knight, left, was abducted at age 21 in August 2002, and Gina DeJesus, center, was 14 when she disappeared in 2004. Berry, right, had gone missing at age 16 in 2003.
Ariel Castro was charged May 8 with kidnapping the three women. He has pleaded not guilty to the 977 counts against him.
In 2009, Cleveland police found the remains of 11 women at the home of Anthony Sowell. All had disappeared from across the city over a two-year period. Sowell is on death row.
The Cleveland home of convicted serial killer Anthony Sowell — dubbed the “house of horrors” — was demolished in December 2011.
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Photos: Cleveland’s missing women
Nelly: I was inspired by Berry’s courage
Neighbor kicked in door to rescue women
The evaluation was part of the prosecution’s pre-sentencing report, which has been submitted to the court.
The evaluation — using statements, medical records, videotaped interviews and transcripts — painted a horrifying picture of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of Castro that included brutal beatings and repeated rapes that resulted in pregnancies that he would end by punching the women in the stomach.
“He appeared to be evolving in an ever more dangerous direction, capturing younger and younger women, telling his captives he was hunting for replacements,” Ochberg wrote.
Castro abducted Knight, Berry and DeJesus separately over a two-year period between 2002 and 2004, according to investigators.
Promise of a ride
In each case, Castro lured the women into his car with the promise of a ride, according to court documents submitted by Timothy McGinty, Cuyahoga County prosecuting attorney.
Castro “enticed” Knight to go inside the house, where she would be held captive in the next 11 years, with “promises of a puppy for her son.”
The documents also say that Castro “serially abused (Knight, Berry and DeJesus) physically, emotionally, and sexually on a daily basis.”
All three women kept diaries, with Castro’s permission, providing many of the details used in the case.
Knight suffered “the longest”
The women and Berry’s 6-year-old daughter were held in Castro’s 1,400-square-foot home. DNA tests have confirmed that Castro is the child’s father.
In the evaluation, Ochberg wrote that Knight, who was kidnapped first, suffered “the longest and most severely.”
“But it was Michelle who served as doctor, nurse, midwife and pediatrician during the birth (of Berry’s child). She breathed life into that infant when she wasn’t breathing,” he wrote.
“At other times, she interceded when Castro sought to abuse Gina, interposing herself and absorbing physical and sexual trauma. But each survivor had a will to prevail and used that will to live through the ordeal.”
When freedom came
The women were freed in May after Berry shouted for help while Castro was away.
Neighbor Charles Ramsey said he heard their cries as he was sitting down to eat.
“I see this girl going nuts trying to get out of a house,” he told CNN affiliate WEWS. “I go on the porch and she says, ‘Help me get out. I’ve been in here a long time.’”
Finally free, Berry pleaded for a phone.
“Help me, I am Amanda Berry,” she frantically told a 911 operator. “I’ve been kidnapped, and I’ve been missing for 10 years. And I’m here, I’m free now.”
In early July, Berry, DeJesus and Knight released a YouTube video offering their thanks to all those who have helped them since they were freed. They have not faced their captor and tormentor since their rescue.
“I want to thank everyone who has helped me and my family through this entire ordeal. Everyone who has been there to support us has been a blessing,” Berry said in the video. “I’m getting stronger each day.”
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CNN’s Eliott C. McLaughlin wrote from Atlanta, and Pamela Brown reported from Cleveland. CNN’s Chelsea J. Carter, Chris Boyette, Ronni Berke, Ashley Fantz and Martin Savidge contributed to this report.
Source Article from http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/01/justice/ohio-castro/index.html