Ariel Castro: I’m Not A Monster; Claims Rape With Victims Was Consensual

Ariel Castro was unremorseful as he was handed his sentence for kidnapping, torturing, and raping Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina DeJesus for more than a decade. The infamous Cleveland, Ohio abductor has been handed a sentence of life in prison plus 1,000 years with no possibility of parole.

Castro, 53, previously pleaded guilty to 937 counts of criminal charges, including kidnapping, rape, and murder. He was given the opportunity to address the court and his victims before he was handed his sentence

In his speech, although he said he wanted to apologise, he claimed that contrary to what has been reported, there was “a lot of harmony going on” in his home where he kept his victims as prisons.

“People are trying to paint me as a monster. I’m not a monster. I’m sick,” Castro said, denying that he’s “not a violent person... I never beat the women like they say I did. I didn’t torture them. I simply kept them there without them being able to leave.”

He also denied abusing his ex-wife, who is now deceased, despite his son’s accusations.

Mr Castro continued with his incredulous speech, saying that the sexual acts between him and his captives were “consensual,” with the women even asking him for sex “many times.”

Although he alleged that he wasn’t making up excuses for his actions, he argued that none of the women he held imprisoned were virgins when he took them.

“As God is my witness, I never beat these women like they said. I never tortured them.”

As proof, he claimed that the victims seem normal now. If they had indeed tortured them, they wouldn’t look so happy, Mr Castro reasoned out.

He did offer his apology, though, saying, “I’m truly sorry for what happened,” before tearing up a little. “I just hope they find it in their hearts to forgive me.”

Judge Michael Russo wasn’t moved with Mr Castro’s lengthy speech. He told him that “there’s no place in this city, there’s no place in this country, there’s no place in this world” for him.

He dismissed Mr Castro’s claims that there were harmony in his house and that the women were happy with him, saying, “I’m not sure there’s anyone in America that would agree with you.”

Mr Russo told Mr Castro that he would never get out of prison, and that he would never be allowed to speak with the victims or with the daughter he fathered through rape with Ms Berry.

Earlier, Ms Knight, who was abducted by Mr Castro when she was just 21 in 2002, delivered a heart-wrenching testimony in the court, in which she detailed how Mr Castro made her life hell for more than ten years.

“I cried every night,” she said. “I worried about what would happen to me and the other girls every day. Days never got shorts. Days turned into nights. Nights turned into days. The years turned into eternity.”

Aside from the physical torture she received from Mr Castro, in which she was required to undergo facial reconstruction surgery after she was rescued, she also received emotional torture. Castro would often tell them that no one cared about them from the outside world, saying they should feel lucky he kept them alive.

“I spent 11 years in hell, and now your hell is just beginning,” Ms Knight said. “I will overcome all of this that happened. You will face hell for eternity. From this moment on, I won’t let you define me or affect who I am. You will live. I will live on. You will die a little everyday... The death penalty would be so much easier. You don’t deserve that. You deserve to spend life in prison.”

Ms Berry and Ms DeJesus did not appear in court

Ms Berry was kidnapped a day before her 17th birthday in 2003, while Ms DeJesus was just 14 when she was abducted in 2004.