Ariel Castro, the man charged with holding Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight in captivity and raping them for almost a decade, is to be held on $8m bond, after appearing in court.
Castro, 52, appeared briefly at the court in Cleveland. Bail was set at $8 million (£3.85 million) - $2 million for each case, effectively ensuring that he will remain in detention. He did not enter a plea as he stood with his head bowed.
The case now heads to the grand jury in Cuyahoga County where they will consider more charges.
He was presented to the court by public defender Kathleen DeMetz, who said he was "charged with kidnapping and rape on one charge, kidnapping and rape on the second, kidnapping and rape on the third, and kidnapping on the fourth."
"With respect to bond on Mr Castro," she said. "Mr Castro is 52 years old.
"He has lived in the area for 39 years. He is on unemployment compensation and to the best of my knowledge, he has no convictions for felonies or serious misdemeanors," she said.
County prosecutor Brian Murphy said: "I would like to say that the charges against Mr Castro are based on premeditated decisions to snatch three young women from Cleveland's South Side streets.
"Two of the victims incurred a horrifying ordeal for more than a decade, a third for close to a decade, and the ordeal eventually resulted in a little girl believed to have been born to one of the women while in captivity.
"And also, along with captivity, there were repeated beatings. They were bound and restrained and sexually assaulted, basically never freed to leave this residence," he said.
His brothers Pedro, 54 and Onil, 50, also appeared in the court facing minor misdemeanour charges. They pleaded no contest and were sentenced to time served. They were detained on Monday when Ariel was arrested, but have not been charged in connection with the kidnapping.
One of the captives gave birth to a daughter during the years they spent confined in Castro's home. The trio escaped on Monday, when Ms Berry managed to scream for help.
Two of the Ohio women were reunited with their families on Wednesday, while the third received medical treatment. Police interrogated their alleged captor and searched another house on the same Cleveland street.
The women are believed to have only been allowed to leave the home briefly on two occasions, both times to go into the house's garage "in disguise," Deputy Police Chief Ed Tomba earlier said.
"They don't believe they've been outside of the home for the last 10 years," he said. "They were not in one room, but they did know each other and they did know each other was there."
He confirmed that FBI investigators had searched another house on the same street, without providing further details.
He refused to comment on reports that Castro had impregnated Knight at least five times and would punch her in the stomach until she miscarried.
Castro, a former school bus driver whose family hails from Puerto Rico, has been described as a friendly neighbour who raised few suspicions but who also kept to himself, rarely if ever allowing anyone inside his home.
"Ariel kept everybody at a distance," Dep Chief Tomba said. "He ran the show."
Castro was accused in a 2005 family court filing of beating his ex-wife Grimilda Figueroa, who passed away last year, and of "frequently" abducting their two daughters, but he was never charged.
Shocking details emerged on Wednesday about how the trio lived in a "sexual torture chamber", during a decade of abuse and beatings.
In a remarkable development, investigators also reportedly found a “suicide note” written by Mr Castro, law enforcement sources told 19 Action News.
In the note, apparently written several years ago, he apparently writes about needing help for sex addiction and blames his victims for getting into a car with him. The note also refers to family problems and a poor childhood.
Ms Berry arrived on Wednesday at her sister's home escorted by police motorcycles and FBI agents. The porch was bedecked with balloons and messages of support. Well-wishers - and a phalanx of news reporters - were waiting.
Later, Ms DeJesus was escorted into her family home by relatives, sheltering under a yellow hooded top but managing to give a weak wave to supporters, who were chanting "Gina, Gina, Gina."
Castro, 52, appeared briefly at the court in Cleveland. Bail was set at $8 million (£3.85 million) - $2 million for each case, effectively ensuring that he will remain in detention. He did not enter a plea as he stood with his head bowed.
The case now heads to the grand jury in Cuyahoga County where they will consider more charges.
He was presented to the court by public defender Kathleen DeMetz, who said he was "charged with kidnapping and rape on one charge, kidnapping and rape on the second, kidnapping and rape on the third, and kidnapping on the fourth."
"With respect to bond on Mr Castro," she said. "Mr Castro is 52 years old.
"He has lived in the area for 39 years. He is on unemployment compensation and to the best of my knowledge, he has no convictions for felonies or serious misdemeanors," she said.
County prosecutor Brian Murphy said: "I would like to say that the charges against Mr Castro are based on premeditated decisions to snatch three young women from Cleveland's South Side streets.
"Two of the victims incurred a horrifying ordeal for more than a decade, a third for close to a decade, and the ordeal eventually resulted in a little girl believed to have been born to one of the women while in captivity.
"And also, along with captivity, there were repeated beatings. They were bound and restrained and sexually assaulted, basically never freed to leave this residence," he said.
His brothers Pedro, 54 and Onil, 50, also appeared in the court facing minor misdemeanour charges. They pleaded no contest and were sentenced to time served. They were detained on Monday when Ariel was arrested, but have not been charged in connection with the kidnapping.
One of the captives gave birth to a daughter during the years they spent confined in Castro's home. The trio escaped on Monday, when Ms Berry managed to scream for help.
Two of the Ohio women were reunited with their families on Wednesday, while the third received medical treatment. Police interrogated their alleged captor and searched another house on the same Cleveland street.
The women are believed to have only been allowed to leave the home briefly on two occasions, both times to go into the house's garage "in disguise," Deputy Police Chief Ed Tomba earlier said.
"They don't believe they've been outside of the home for the last 10 years," he said. "They were not in one room, but they did know each other and they did know each other was there."
He confirmed that FBI investigators had searched another house on the same street, without providing further details.
He refused to comment on reports that Castro had impregnated Knight at least five times and would punch her in the stomach until she miscarried.
Castro, a former school bus driver whose family hails from Puerto Rico, has been described as a friendly neighbour who raised few suspicions but who also kept to himself, rarely if ever allowing anyone inside his home.
"Ariel kept everybody at a distance," Dep Chief Tomba said. "He ran the show."
Castro was accused in a 2005 family court filing of beating his ex-wife Grimilda Figueroa, who passed away last year, and of "frequently" abducting their two daughters, but he was never charged.
Shocking details emerged on Wednesday about how the trio lived in a "sexual torture chamber", during a decade of abuse and beatings.
In a remarkable development, investigators also reportedly found a “suicide note” written by Mr Castro, law enforcement sources told 19 Action News.
In the note, apparently written several years ago, he apparently writes about needing help for sex addiction and blames his victims for getting into a car with him. The note also refers to family problems and a poor childhood.
Ms Berry arrived on Wednesday at her sister's home escorted by police motorcycles and FBI agents. The porch was bedecked with balloons and messages of support. Well-wishers - and a phalanx of news reporters - were waiting.
Later, Ms DeJesus was escorted into her family home by relatives, sheltering under a yellow hooded top but managing to give a weak wave to supporters, who were chanting "Gina, Gina, Gina."
Source: Telegraph
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