Accused Cleveland kidnapper pleads not guilty
- 11 years ago
Ariel Castro hangs his head in a Cleveland courtroom on Wednesday.
Accused of kidnapping three young women, holding them captive in his Cleveland home for a decade, he faces hundreds of charges that include rape and aggravated murder.
SOUNDBITE (English) ATTORNEY FOR ARIEL CASTRO JAYE SCHLACHET SAYING:
"We would like to enter a plea of not guilty."
The indictment describes 329 criminal counts against Castro in connection with the imprisonment of 23-year-old Gina DeJesus, 32-year-old Michelle Knight, 27-year-old Amanda Berry...and includes details of how the women were restrained, one chained to a pole in the basement, her legs and mouth taped.
The former school bus driver is charged with aggravated murder in assaulting and impregnating Knight and forcing her to miscarry.
A not guilty plea is a starting point in the legal process, says Castro's attorney Craig Weintraub.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) ATTORNEY FOR ARIEL CASTRO, CRAIG WEINTRAUB, SAYING:
Accused of kidnapping three young women, holding them captive in his Cleveland home for a decade, he faces hundreds of charges that include rape and aggravated murder.
SOUNDBITE (English) ATTORNEY FOR ARIEL CASTRO JAYE SCHLACHET SAYING:
"We would like to enter a plea of not guilty."
The indictment describes 329 criminal counts against Castro in connection with the imprisonment of 23-year-old Gina DeJesus, 32-year-old Michelle Knight, 27-year-old Amanda Berry...and includes details of how the women were restrained, one chained to a pole in the basement, her legs and mouth taped.
The former school bus driver is charged with aggravated murder in assaulting and impregnating Knight and forcing her to miscarry.
A not guilty plea is a starting point in the legal process, says Castro's attorney Craig Weintraub.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) ATTORNEY FOR ARIEL CASTRO, CRAIG WEINTRAUB, SAYING: