Cleveland kidnapper sentenced to 1,000 years

AUGUST 2, 2013 

Ariel Castro (second left) listens to his sentencing in Cleveland, Ohio, US... on Thursday.
| credits: AFP

Cleveland Kidnapper, Ariel Castro, was on Thursday, sentenced to life in prison plus a 1000 years by a Cuyahoga County court.

Castro had for over a decade, held three women, captive in his home at Cleveland. His victims were said to have been sexually and physically abused during their captivity.

“A person can only die in prison once,” Judge Michael Russo told Castro while handing down a sentence of life in prison plus 1,000 years. The judge called the sentence “commensurate with the harm you’ve done.”

Russo, noting that Castro treated his victims as “slaves,” said consecutive sentences rendered in his case must be “imposed” to protect the public and “to punish you.”

“You don’t deserve to be out in our community,” he said. “You’re too dangerous.”

 Russo also added that there was no place in the city, country, or world for those who enslaved others, CNN reports.

The court in Cuyahoga County is seizing the property of Castro and imposing a fine of $100,000 on him, in addition to his massive sentence.

Though the lengthy sentencing process is still ongoing, Russo has already sentenced kidnapper Castro to hundreds of years in prison, mostly in eight- to 10-year consecutive blocks. Russo said Castro “will never be released from incarceration during the period of his remaining natural life for any reason.”

Castro took issue with the aggravated murder charge related to the allegation that his abuse terminated the pregnancy of one of his victims, saying there was no evidence the incident occurred. Russo reminded him that he pleaded guilty, and Castro said he did so only to save his victims further psychological trauma.

Russo said children of Ariel Castro were acquainted with the kidnap victims and that was a factor in Castro’s abduction “strategy.”

“That was your entree,” he told Castro.

Noting that Ariel Castro had an “outwardly” normal relationship with a girlfriend, Russo told the kidnapper during his sentencing hearing it’s clear “you are able to choose who you wish to victimize.”

“In your mind, there was harmony and a happy household,” Russo said. “I’m not sure there’s anyone else in America who would agree with you.”

He called Castro’s behavior “anti-social personality disorder” and told him “you have extreme narcissism and it seems rather pervasive.”

Russo finds that Castro fits the definition of a “violent sexual predator.” Castro tried to argue with the terminology, but Russo tells Castro he has already admitted to being one by “virtue of your plea.”