S. Samuel
The man responsible for keeping Amanda Berry and two other females held captive for ten years in his Ohio home has reportedly been discovered dead in his jail cell this week.
According to reports, 52-year-old Ariel Castro hung himself Tuesday (September 3) night.
Ariel Castro, who was sentenced to life plus 1,000 years for kidnapping and raping three women, as well as murder, was found hanging in his prison cell Tuesday night, the state’s Department of Corrections said. The cause of death was hanging with a bed sheet, Dr. Jan Gorniak of the Franklin County Coroner’s Office told CNN. Authorities found Castro, 52, hanging in his cell at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, about 9:20 p.m., the corrections agency said. Prison medical staff tried to revive him but failed. Castro was taken to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 10:52 p.m. (CNN)
Members of Castro’s family have spoken out in light of the news.
Another family member, Maria Castro-Montes, said she cried when she heard the news. Her first thoughts were with the three victims — Michelle Knight, Georgina DeJesus and Amanda Berry — and what they must be feeling. Would they be glad or angry at Castro’s death? The three women held captive by Castro are aware of his death, Knight’s attorney, Kathryn Joseph, told CNN. He said the women will not be making a statement. Castro-Montes said nearly everyone in the family had cut ties with Castro, and hopes that with his death, the tragic story can come to an end. “It was just shock and part of it was even relief in hopes that now this will just end all of it and that his name will not be out in the spotlight for years and years to come,” she told CNN. “I just hope the victims can move past this now.” (CNN)
Recently, rapper Nelly talked about bringing out Amanda Berry during a summer concert.
“I had a chance to meet and greet fans before the show and she was there with her family and friends,” Nelly explained. “After we took pictures we had a chance to sit down and talk, and I told her that she and her family were more than welcome to come up on the side of the stage and they did.” Concert footage shows the St. Louis rapper summoning Amanda to the stage and dedicating “Just a Dream” to her, as the crowd cheered on. “When we got to ‘Just a Dream,’ I wanted to make sure that we had a chance to acknowledge her,” he said. (MTV)
He also delved into how much of an inspiration Berry has been to him.
“When you meet someone who’s been through something as traumatic as that you really don’t know what to say or how to act. It’s one of those situations where you follow their lead with things — when she smiled, we smiled and when she didn’t smile, we calmed down a little bit. … I just wanted Cleveland to know that we were proud of her and that the strength and the pulse of the city is built around the people. … To see her survive that, I thought it was amazing and it inspired me to do almost anything.” (MTV)
Buzz behind the unexpected appearance surfaced online in late July.
The day after her captor was sentenced to life and 1,000 years in prison, Amanda Berry made her first appearance at a public event. Rapper Nelly introduced her onstage early Saturday evening during the day-long RoverFest concert at Voinovich Park. “He said, ‘Everyone, here’s Amanda Berry,’ and she came out with a friend, another young woman,” concertgoer Kayleigh Fladung said. “She didn’t say anything, but she was smiling and happy. “She waved to the crowd, everyone went crazy cheering, and she went backstage. Nelly did his set, 4 or 5 songs, and then he brought her out again and everyone cheered.” (Cleveland)
