Cleveland Kidnapping Victims will Write Book about Harrowing Ordeal with Ariel Castro
In a statement released through The Associated Press, James Wooley, attorney for Ms Berry and Ms de Jesus, said that his clients agreed to collaborate with the Post in writing a book about their ordeal with Ariel Castro.
The Post's Mary Jordan, a Cleveland native, and her husband, Kevin Sullivan will be the writers collaborating with Ms Berry and Ms de Jesus.
"Many have told, and continue to tell, this story in ways that are both inaccurate and beyond the control of these young women. Our clients have a strong desire for privacy, but it is a reality that confronts them every day. Gina, Amanda and their families have decided to take control and are now interested in telling the story of what happened to them." said Mr Wooley.
The lawyer added that he had known Ms Jordan for years and had personally contacted her for the project.
Ms Jordan on the other hand told AP that she was drawn towards Ms Berry and Ms de Jesus' "resilience". She said she is very much willing to help them speak of their "amazing story of overcoming adversity."
Ms Jordan and her husband won a Pulitzer for their series about the Mexican criminal justice system in 2003.
Washington-based attorney Robert Barnett, whose clients include President Barack Obama, was chosen to handle the negotiations for the book.
The book will likely include harrowing details of the kidnapping as written in the diaries of each victim.
In July, a day before Ariel Castro's sentencing, prosecutors had compiled a memorandum which included diaries kept by Ms Berry, Ms de Jesus and Michelle Knight.
The diaries, as the prosecutors stated in the memorandum, "document abuse and life as a captive. The entries speak of forced sexual conduct, of being locked in a dark room, of anticipating the next session of abuse, of the dreams of someday escaping and being reunited with family, of being chained to a wall, of being held like a prisoner of war."
"The diaries show how the victims had to watch the rest of the world turn as they were held in captivity. Holidays, world events, and even the passing of Ms Berry's mother were observed by them, removed from the outside world," as stated in the memorandum.
Ms Berry's diary was particularly addressed to her mother. When her mother died, Ms Berry then "wrote to her mother in heaven, seeking to soothe her mother." Ms Berry was also praying for her daughter's health that Mr Castro had fathered.
The diaries also revealed detail on how Ms Knight was forced to abort her pregnancy by drinking tea and doing strenuous exercise for days. However, she was threatened to be killed by Mr Castro if she failed to deliver and resuscitate Ms Berry's baby.
The three women were not allowed to get out of their room even to use the bathroom. Each time they disobey Mr Castro, he will make the attic unbearably hot or the basement freezing cold as form of punishment.
For three days, the three women were locked inside a car in his garage to keep them being discovered by Mr Castro's friend who visited him for three days.
And as always, to inflict fear to Ms Berry, de Jesus and Knight, Mr Castro told them he was "hunting for replacements", implying that he will just kill them if they continue to disobey him.