Ariel Castro

For the 2015 film, see Cleveland Abduction.

Ariel Castro
Born Ariel Anthony Castro Sr.
(1960-07-10)July 10, 1960
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Died September 3, 2013(2013-09-03) (aged 53)
Pickaway Correctional Institution, Scioto Township, Pickaway County, Ohio, U.S.
Cause of death Suicide by hanging
Criminal penalty Life imprisonment without parole + 1,000 years
Spouse(s) Grimilda Figueroa (m. 1980s?–2012 (her death))
Conviction(s) Aggravated kidnapping
Aggravated murder
Rape
Attempted murder
Assault
Killings
Victims 3
Country United States
Date apprehended
 May 6, 2013

Ariel Anthony Castro Sr. (July 10, 1960 – September 3, 2013) was an American kidnapper and rapist who kidnapped, assaulted, raped and held captive three young women, Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Georgina "Gina" DeJesus between 2002 and 2004. He imprisoned them in his home subsequently in his Tremont neighborhood home in Cleveland, Ohio until May 6, 2013 when Berry escaped with her then 6-year-old daughter and contacted the police.[1][2][3][4] He was arrested within hours after both Knight and DeJesus were rescued by responding officers.

On May 8, 2013, Castro was charged with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape.[5][6] Castro pleaded guilty to 937 criminal counts of rape, kidnapping, and aggravated murder as part of a plea bargain. He was sentenced to life plus 1,000 years in prison without the chance of parole.[7][8]Castro committed suicide by hanging himself with bedsheets in his prison cell one month into his sentence.[9][10]

Early life

Castro was born on July 10, 1960, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Pedro Castro and Lillian Rodriguez. Shortly after his parents divorced, when he was a child, Castro moved to the mainland U.S. with his mother and three siblings. The family first settled in Reading, Pennsylvania before finally settling to Cleveland, where Castro's father and several other extended family members were living.[11][12][13][14] Castro had nine siblings in total.[15] According to Castro's uncle, the Castro family knew the DeJesus family and had lived in the same west Cleveland neighborhood.[16] Castro was a 1979 graduate of Cleveland's Lincoln-West High School.[17][18]




  1. REDIRECT Ariel Castro kidnappings
  1. ↑ Sheeran, Thomas; Coyne, John (May 7, 2013). "Police Facing Questions in 3 Women's Ohio Rescue". Associated Press. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Three US women missing for years rescued in Ohio". BBC. May 7, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  3. ↑ Almasy, Steve; Smith, Matt (May 7, 2013). "911 call – 'I've been kidnapped!' – cops find three women missing for year". CNN. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  4. ↑ Sherwell, Philip (May 7, 2013). "Ohio abductions: friendship between Ariel Castro's daughter and Gina DeJesus". The Daily Telegraph (London, England: Telegraph Media Group). Retrieved May 16, 2013.
  5. ↑ Caniglia, John; Blackwell, Brandon (May 9, 2013). "Cleveland city prosecutors charge Ariel Castro with kidnapping, rape in case of missing women" (news article posted to Cleveland.com). The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Live LLC, Advance Publications). Retrieved May 16, 2013.
  6. ↑ Perez, Alex (May 7, 2013). "Cleveland Kidnapping Suspect Ariel Castro Hid a Dark Side, His Uncle Says". ABC News. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  7. ↑ Stanglin, Doug (July 26, 2013). "Ariel Castro pleads guilty in Ohio abductions". USA Today. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  8. ↑ Muskal, Michael. "Ariel Castro gets life, no parole; victim says his hell awaits". latimes.com. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Cleveland Kidnapper Ariel Castro Dead After Found Hanging In Prison Cell". 10TV.com. September 4, 2013. Archived from the original on September 4, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  10. ↑ Welsh-Huggins, Andrew (December 3, 2013). "Consultants: Kidnapper Ariel Castro's death a suicide". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  11. ↑ Creitz, Charlie (May 15, 2013). "Ariel Castro Relatives In Puerto Rico Say He Is 'Evil' And There Is 'Demon' Inside Him". Latin Times. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  12. ↑ Kelly, Dan; Urban, Mike (May 10, 2013). "Cleveland kidnap suspect's Berks County cousins: 'This animal' shocked us". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Relatives Of Cleveland's Suspected Kidnappers Pioneered The City's Latino Community". Fox News Latino. May 8, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  14. ↑ O'Malley, Michael (May 8, 2013). "Castro family among first Hispanics to settle in Cleveland, coming from Puerto Rico just after World War II". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight in Cleveland: Frequently asked questions". The Plain Dealer. May 9, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  16. ↑ Smith, Matt; Botelho, Greg; Savidge, Martin (May 7, 2013). "'I never forgot about you': Families reunite with women held captive for years". CNN. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  17. ↑ Leger, Donna Leinwand (May 13, 2013). "Details emerge on Cleveland kidnap suspect's history". USA Today. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  18. ↑ Hui, Ann (May 9, 2013). "Who are the Castro brothers?". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
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