Life in jail for Ohio abductor Ariel Castro after plea deal
Ariel Castro, who raped three women in his home over decade, avoids death penalty
An American man who imprisoned three women in his Cleveland home, subjecting them to a decade of rapes and beatings, pleaded guilty yesterday in a deal to avoid the death penalty.
Ariel Castro, a 53-year-old Ohio bus driver, told a court in Cleveland he was addicted to pornography, had a "sexual problem" and had been a sexual abuse victim himself long ago.
In exchange, prosecutors recommended Castro be sentenced to life without parole plus 1,000 years.
Castro said he understood he would never get out of prison, saying he expected he was "going to get the book thrown at me". He later added: "I knew that when I first spoke to the FBI agent when I first got arrested."
Castro, who was born in Puerto Rico, said he could read and understand English well but had trouble with comprehension.
"My addiction to pornography and my sexual problem has really taken a toll on my mind."