Innocent or Guilty Time will tell or Was this Hell on earth

'It was like they were prisoners of war:' Gina DeJesus cannot move her head after being chained up with Michelle Knight in basement for years, say medics

• The basement where the women were held had chains coming from the wall, and dog leashes attached to the ceiling, according to police sources
• Description comes as lawyers for Castro announce that he will plead not guilty to kidnapping and rape charges
• The women were restrained with them and duct tape in 'stress positions' for long periods that left them with bed sores and other injuries
• Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were in worse condition than Amanda Berry with the source saying: 'There is a reason why you have only seen a picture of Amanda
• Abductor would duct tape the women over all parts of their faces, even their eyes, only leaving an opening so they could breathe
• Former daughter-in-law Monica Stephens says Castro always gave her 'the heebie-jeebies'
• The women, especially DeJesus and Knight, were now exhibiting signs of malnutrition as Ariel Castro used food as a means to torment them

By REUTERS REPORTER

PUBLISHED: 23:22 EST, 14 May 2013 | UPDATED: 10:22 EST, 15 May 2013

 Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, two of the women imprisoned in a Cleveland house in conditions described as similar to a prisoner of war camp, have suffered from severe malnutrition.

The women will require long-term therapy for injuries such as hearing loss and joint and muscle damage, two sources with direct knowledge said.

The harrowing details come as Castro's attorneys claim he's not the 'monster' depicted in news reports - and he will plead not guilty to kidnapping and rape charges.

Survivors: Michelle Knight, left,  and Gina DeJesus, right, were in worse condition then Amanda Berry when they emerged from at least nine years in captivity at the home of Ariel Castro

Freedom: Amanda Berry, right, hugs her sister Beth Serrano after being reunited in a Cleveland hospital after she was freed from captivity

Castro's lawyer, Craig Weintraub, told WKYC-TV: 'The initial portrayal by the media has been one of a 'monster' and that's not the impression that I got when I talked to him for three hours. 

'I know that family members who have been interviewed by the media have expressed that as well.'

 The basement where the women were held had chains coming from the wall, and dog leashes attached to the ceiling, the sources said. 

Man of 'monster'?: A report says that Castro had no interest in having children with Michelle Knight, because she was only 4-foot-7 and believed her to be 'mentally disabled'

The women were restrained with them and duct tape in 'stress positions' for long periods that left them with bed sores and other injuries, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the investigation, who asked not to be identified.

Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were in worse condition than Amanda Berry when they emerged from at least nine years in captivity at the home of Ariel Castro, accused of kidnapping and raping the women.

Castro appeared to treat Berry - his 'favorite' - better than the other two, the sources said.

'There is a reason why you have only seen a picture of Amanda,' said one of the sources, referring to the condition of DeJesus and Knight.

Knight told investigators she fell pregnant five times, but lost the baby each time. She said that Castro starved and repeatedly punched her in the stomach to force her to miscarry.

Police sources told the National Enquirer that Castro had no interest in having children with Knight, because she was only 4-foot-7 and believed her to be 'mentally disabled.'

The magazine's source added that he was grooming his 6-year-old daughter with Amanda, Joselyn, as another sex slave because the other captives 'were getting to old for him.'

Berry, who broke down a door to freedom a week ago with the help of a neighbor, and then told police of the other women, was photographed smiling immediately after the dramatic rescue. Berry has a six-year-old daughter fathered by Castro in captivity. 

 

Horrific crimes: Ariel Castro, 52, is charged with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape

In contrast, DeJesus wore a hooded sweat-shirt covering her head when she first went home last week, and Knight was hospitalized for days, and has stayed out of public view.

The sources said DeJesus and Knight were gaunt and had closely cropped hair when they were freed.

One of the sources, who has been in the house, said the basement had chains coming from the walls and 'dog leashes attached to the ceiling,' Knight and DeJesus told police they spent extensive time in the basement. 

A second source corroborated the details.

'One of the girls has difficulty moving her head around from being chained up,' said one of the sources. The second source identified DeJesus as the woman suffering this injury.

Scene: A 10-foot fence has been erected around Ariel Castro's now-boarded up house on Seymour Avenue

'It was like they were POWs (prisoners of war). They had bed sores from being left in positions for extended lengths of time,' a source said.

The details are the latest startling picture to emerge of Castro, whose own family has come forward to describe patterns of abuse and bizarre behavior.

Monica Stephens - who was at one point married to Castro's son, Anthony - told CNN's Piers Morgan that she once visited the home on Seymour Avenue, and was struck by how Castro would 'obsessively' keep things locked up.

She told Morgan: 'Ariel Castro always gave me the heebie-jeebies.'

All the bedroom doors in the house had padlocks on the outside and the rooms were spare with only a mattress on the floor. 

Their movement through the house was very restricted, the women have told authorities.

Discomfort: Ariel Castro's ex-daughter-in-law Monica Stephens says that the jailed kidnapping suspect always gave me the heebie-jeebies'

'If he left for long periods of time he would sometimes duct tape-up the women over all parts of their faces, even their eyes, only leaving an opening so they could breathe. Then he would just rip it off pulling off skin and hair,' one of the sources said.

A police report said Knight was starved for weeks at a time and punched in the stomach to induce several miscarriages. A county prosecutor intends to file fetal homicide charges against Castro in connection with the miscarriages.

The women, especially DeJesus and Knight, were now exhibiting signs of malnutrition as Castro used food as a means to torment them, one of the sources said.

'He would bring food to one or two of the girls and made the others watch as they or he would eat in front of them,' the source said.

Knight and DeJesus would sneak food to each other, this source said.

Castro generally kept one woman upstairs and the other two - usually Knight and DeJesus - in the basement, the source said.

Wasteland: Photos show the heaping pile of random items left in Ariel Castro's backyard

Blocked off: Police boarded up the door with the new piece of plywood but the older gray planks of wood were added to block the window panes by Castro himself

Despite their ordeal, a Cleveland city council member stressed that the women are reveling in their freedom.

'They are doing well, doing very well. They are thriving and enjoying their freedom,' City Councilman Brian Cummins said on Monday.

The sources asked to be anonymous because they were not authorized to speak on the record. They were discussing some of the details of the captivity because they felt tight information control had left the impression that authorities ignored calls and reports about Castro's house that could have freed the women sooner.

Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGrath on Monday issued a statement defending the police department's policy of restricting information on the crimes.

'The disclosure of sensitive information and details of these horrendous crimes only further victimize three young women. The criticism of law enforcement efforts is disheartening. The dissemination of misinformation erodes the critical relationship between law enforcement and community,' McGrath said.

Little is known about the relationship among the three women. Knight, who is now 32, Berry, 27 and DeJesus, 23, have not spoken publicly.

Home: The DeJesus family celebrates the homecoming of their daughter Gina

Recovery: The family of Amanda Berry celebrates the homecoming of their daughter after her painful captivity

Psychologists say the women, who did not know each other before they were abducted, likely formed a bond that may have been strengthened by the young girl born during their captivity.

Knight delivered Berry's daughter in a plastic children's swimming pool and gave the baby mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, the police report said.

'The closest parallel would be prisoners of war,' Sherry Hamby, a psychology professor at the University of South, Sewanee, said of the girl's possible relationship.

Berry and DeJesus, along with Berry's daughter, have since been reunited with their families. Knight, who is estranged from some of her family members, according to her grandmother, has gone into seclusion.

Terri Weaver, a professor of psychology at the St. Louis University, said although it remains unclear how regularly they interacted, the girls were likely helped by each other's presence.

'Having someone who has been a witness to those intimate details can really forge a powerful bond because there is a shared understanding,' she said.

It is unclear how the women's relationship may develop as they put their lives back together.

Psychologists said that as people who have suffered traumatic experiences rebuild their lives, the bond is frequently maintained

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2324731/It-like-prisoners-war-Cleveland-women-suffer-injuries-severe-malnutrition-including-hearing-loss-muscle-damage.html#ixzz2TOY5HIr7
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Investigator: Castro loves daughter, will plead 'not guilty'

9:13 PM, May 14, 2013 

Tom Meyer

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• Tom Meyer
• CLEVELAND -- Attorneys for Ariel Castro say he will plead "not guilty to all charges" if a Cuyahoga County grand jury indicts Castro on kidnapping and rape charges in connection with the decade-long disappearance of three women.
  
  
  Speaking exclusively to the Investigator Tom Meyer, attorneys Craig Weintraub and Jaye Schlachet say that Castro has been wrongly depicted in news accounts.
  The initial portrayal by the media has been one of a 'monster' and that's not the impression that I got when I talked to him for three hours," Weintraub said. "I know that family members who have been interviewed by the media have expressed that as well."
  Castro, 52, is currently in the Cuyahoga County Jail on charges of kidnapping and raping Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus in his Seymour Avenue house on Cleveland's near west side. Knight was reported missing in 2002, Berry in 2003 and DeJesus in 2004.
  Police sources told Channel 3 News last week that Castro led detectives with exacting detail through the abductions, from how he met them to what they were wearing that day.
  Castro also told police he was addicted to sex and could not control his impulses, the sources said.
  Weintraub said that Castro has not admitted anything to him, including the kidnappings.
  When asked how the three women ended up in Castro's home, Weintraub said: "That fact will be disclosed as the case progresses. I am aware of how he came into contact with them."
  DNA tests have also confirmed that Castro fathered a child with Berry, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has said.
  "I can tell you that Mr. Castro is extremely committed to the well being and positive future for his daughter, who he loves dearly," said Schlachet. "And if people find that to be a disconnect from what he's alleged to have done, then the people will just have to deal with it. We just know how he feels about his little girl."
  The attorneys say they plan to mount the "best defense we can."
  "I know the media wants to jump to conclusions and all the people in the community want to say terrible things about the person who's accused," Schlachet said. "We are not even at the beginning of the process. If this was a marathon race, we're not even at the starting line yet."
  They may also seek a change of venue in an effort to make sure Castro gets a fair trial, given that "this happened in Cuyahoga County, (and) it's on the heels of the (Anthony) Sowell case," said Weintraub. Sowell was convicted of murdering 11 women whose bodies were found inside his house in 2009.
  Both attorneys say they have taken the case to make sure Castro gets a fair trial.
  "We're here to make sure that people can exercise their constitutional rights to have an attorney and a fair trial," Weintraub said. "This is simply to ensure the integrity of the process, and if that means that you have to take on difficult or hard cases then so be it, and I've elected to do that."
  In the meantime, Castro is currently being held in isolation under suicide watch.
  "He's watched completely," said Schlachet said. "He has a window through his door. He doesn't have a television, doesn't have radio, doesn't have magazines, no access to newspapers. He's completely isolated from society."
  WKYC-TV