Ariel Castro, the monster who kept three women captive for a decade, and who themselves have only recently been released, seems to have had some equivocations about his monstrous deeds. 19 Action News Scott Taylor sent some tweets excerpting an apparent suicide letter penned by Castro and found in his home.
“I am a sexual predator. I need help….They are here against their will because they made a mistake of getting in a car with a total stranger….I don’t know why I kept looking for another. I already had 2 in my possession… [I want to kill myself] and give all the money I saved to my victims,” as the Gawker reported. He expressed surprise at how young Gina Dejesus is. The letter also cites “family problems and a poor childhood,” as causing his behavior.
Some of his monstrous behavior included refusing medical attention to Amanda Berry, and having Michelle Knight, her fellow captive, aid her in giving birth in a plastic baby pool that would contain “the mess.” Knight was threatened with death if the baby stopped breathing.
While Berry’s child is 6 years old now, Knight’s five pregnancies ended in forced abortions. Knight explained to police that Castro “starved her for at least two weeks, then he repeatedly punched her in the stomach until she miscarried.”
The girls also recounted how they were abducted. He offered Berry a ride home when she was walking from Burger King; he instead brought her to his own house and locked her in the basement with Knight, whom he had offered a ride home to in 2002. DeJesus was tricked when Castro approached her with his daughter, and then later offered to pick her up to hang out with his daughter, who was waiting for her at his home. Instead he also took her to his home and locked her in the basement. That was in April 2004.