The Cleveland man accused of kidnapping three women and holding them captive in his Cleveland home for a decade will plead “not guilty” to several hundred charges that also include rape and aggravated murder, his attorney said on Saturday.
Former school bus driver Ariel Castro was indicted on Friday on 329 criminal counts in connection with the imprisonment of Gina DeJesus, 23, Michelle Knight, 32, and Amanda Berry, 27. The women were freed from Castro’s house on May 6.He is charged with aggravated murder in the assault and impregnation of Knight between November 2006 and February 2007 and forcing her to miscarry, according to the indictment.Castro, 52, is being held in jail on an $8 million bond and is to be arraigned on the charges next week.”The indictment is being reviewed and a ‘not guilty’ plea will be entered at the scheduled arraignment,” attorney Jaye M. Schlachet told Reuters.The indictment issued by a Cuyahoga County grand jury includes 139 counts of rape and 177 counts of kidnapping. It includes some details on how the women were restrained during their ordeal, including that Castro at one point taped the legs and mouth of one of the victims and chained her to a pole in the basement, with a motorcycle helmet on her head. Read more at HuffPost
