Hi there,

It is the job of the press to cover power, not cover for power—to hold those in power accountable by documenting what's happening on the ground and amplifying voices at the grassroots. In this critical moment, as attacks on the media escalate, we must continue to cover crackdowns on dissent, immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community, public health and academic freedom. Thanks to a group of generous donors, all donations made today will be DOUBLED, which means your $15 gift is worth $30. If our journalism is important to you, please donate today. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much.

Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

Ohio Kidnapping Survivor Confronts Ariel Castro in Court

HeadlineAug 02, 2013

An Ohio man who held three women captive for a decade while repeatedly raping them has been officially sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Ariel Castro pleaded guilty last week to hundreds of kidnapping and rape charges in the forced imprisonment of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, who all escaped in May. On Thursday, Castro delivered a rambling statement before his sentencing, apologizing to his victims but also claiming they consented to sex with him. Survivor Michelle Knight confronted him in court.

Michelle Knight: “Ariel Castro, I remember all the times that you came home talking about what everybody else did wrong, and acted like you wasn’t doing the same thing. You said, 'At least I didn't kill you.’ You took 11 years of my life away, and I have got it back. I spent 11 years in hell. Now your hell is just beginning. I will overcome all this that happened, but you will face hell for eternity.”

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top