CLEVELAND: The three women who had been imprisoned in a Cleveland home for the past decade thanked their supporters in a statement yesterday and asked for privacy so they could reconnect with their families after their stunning captivity and rescue.
The victims may choose to tell their stories to the media after legal proceedings against suspect Ariel Castro conclude, said attorney James Wooley, who read the statement in downtown Cleveland.
Castro, 52, was arrested and held on $8m bail, charged with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape. Prosecutors said they intend to pursue a host of additional charges that could result in the death penalty.
“Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight are extremely grateful for the generous assistance and loving support of their families, friends and the community. They are also very grateful for the tireless efforts of numerous law enforcement officials,” the statement said.
Donations have poured in from Cleveland and around the world with offers cash, furniture and use of a vacation home to help them rebuild their lives.
A fund established by three members of the Cleveland City Council and administered by a non-profit group had raised more than $50,000 for the victims as of Saturday, said Cleveland Councilman Brian Cummins. The three women and Berry’s 6-year-old daughter, born in captivity, were rescued on Monday after having disappeared between 2002 and 2004 and held in Castro’s dungeon-like home.
Two of Castro’s brothers were also arrested but released when investigators determined they were unaware their brother had kept the three women inside his house for years, first chaining them in the basement and later locking them in upstairs quarters.
The two brothers told CNN in an interview they feared people would always believe they were involved. “I couldn’t never think of doing anything like that. If I knew that my brother was doing this ... I would not be, not — in a minute, I would call the cops because that ain’t right,” Pedro Castro, 54, said.
The brothers, each clean-shaven and wearing ties, sat side-by-side for the interview from a secret location, where they were in hiding to avoid reprisals. The image contrasted with the police mug shots that were issued to the public, showing dishevelled men in jail uniforms.
“The people out there that know me, they know that Onil Castro is not that person and has nothing to do with that. Would never even think of something like that,” Onil told CNN.
Reuters
