Ariel Castro faced
his second arraignment on July 17 in Cleveland, Ohio. He appeared to have difficulty keeping his
head up and his eyes open, and the judge had to ask him repeatedly to look up
and confirm he understood charges against him.
Castrowill be facing 512 counts of kidnapping, 446 counts of rape, seven counts
of sexual abuse and two counts of aggravated murder. This is the second round of charges, up from
the 329 charges against him at his arraignment in June. Jury selection will begin in August.
In early May, three
women were rescued from Castro’s home in Cleveland after one of the women,
Amanda Berry, screamed and called for help at the front door. A neighbor heard her crying to help and broke
down the door. Berry had been missing
since April of 2003 and mothered a child by Castro, now six years old. Michelle Knight, abducted in August 2002, had
been assumed an adult runaway and was not considered a missing person. The third woman, Gina DeJesus, was 14 when
she was taken captive by Ariel Castro.
All three women said they had accepted rides home from Castro and never
made it. Berry and DeJesus’s
disappearances had previously been linked on America’s Most Wanted.
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| Berry, DeJesus and Knight after their rescue |
Castro was arrested
shortly after the rescue. His head-down,
eyes closed behavior has been his norm in his multiple courtroom
appearances. A representative of MichelleKnight said the victims want the trial to happen as soon as possible so
that the tragic experience can be put behind them. Castro was put under a psychiatric evaluation
and deemed fit to stand trial. He is
being held at eight million dollars bail.
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