A former school bus driver being sentenced Thursday for kidnapping three women and subjecting them to years of sexual and physical abuse left behind a letter that said "I'm a sexual predator," an FBI agent testified. 
 
 Ariel Castro, center, listens in the courtroom during the sentencing phase Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, in Cleveland. Defense attorney's Craig Weintraub, left, and Jaye Schlachet sit beside Castro. Three... (Associated Press) 
 
 Ariel Castro listens in the courtroom during the sentencing phase Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, in Cleveland. Three months after an Ohio woman kicked out part of a door to end nearly a decade of captivity,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Ariel Castro sits close to a model of the house on Seymour Ave. , where three women were held in the courtroom during the sentencing phase Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, in Cleveland. Three months after an Ohio... (Associated Press) 
 
 Ariel Castro rubs his nose in the courtroom during the sentencing phase Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, in Cleveland. Three months after an Ohio woman kicked out part of a door to end nearly a decade of captivity,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Prosecutors detailed Ariel Castro's assaults and law enforcement witnesses described the jury-rigged prison he built in his ramshackle home. With the possibility of the death penalty for a forced miscarriage taken off the table, Castro stands to get life in prison plus 1,000 years. 
 
 FBI agent Andrew Burke said Castro turned his house into a prison by creating a makeshift alarm system and chaining them inside bolted bedrooms. 
 
 Bedroom windows were boarded shut from the inside with heavy closet doors and doorknobs had been removed and replaced with multiple locks, he said. The house was divided in ways to make it more secure and to hide the existence of rooms, he said. 
 
 Burke also testified that Castro would occasionally pay his victims after raping them. But he then would require them to pay him if they wanted something special from the store. 
 
 The letter written by Castro was found in his home and shown in court. It read "Confession and Details" at the top. 
 
 Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Detective Dave Jacobs said he talked with Castro a few days after the women escaped and that Castro said, "I knew what I did was wrong." 
 
 Early in the hearing, Castro tried to apologize to the victims, but after speaking with the judge said he would do that later in the proceeding. 
 
 A police officer who helped rescue the women said one was reluctant to come out of her room even when she saw the officers. They were scared even after they were taken out of the house and quickly began sharing details about the horrors they went through, saying that they had been starved and beaten. 
 
 "They were just shouting out a lot of things," said Cleveland police officer Barb Johnson. She described the women as thin, pale and scared. 
 
 Responding to questions from prosecutors, Cleveland police detective Andrew Harasimchuk said that the women all described a pattern of being physically, sexually and emotionally assaulted for years. He said all three women were abducted after Castro offered them a ride and that each was chained in his basement and sexually assaulted within a few hours of being kidnapped. 
 
 Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty said in a sentencing memorandum filed Wednesday that Castro, who fed his captives only one meal a day, "admits his disgusting and inhuman conduct" but "remains remorseless for his actions." 
 
 The memorandum described a diary kept by one of the women. 
 
 "The entries speak of forced sexual conduct, of being locked in a dark room, of anticipating the next session of abuse, of the dreams of someday escaping and being reunited with family, of being chained to a wall, of being held like a prisoner of war ... of being treated like an animal," it says. 
 
 The sentencing could take up to four hours, court officials said, with Castro, his attorneys, his victims and prosecution witnesses getting a chance to speak. The legal team representing the women's interests declined to comment on whether they would testify or send statements to the court. 
 
 Prosecutors used a model of the house where Castro, 53, imprisoned the women to present their case. They also showed photos taken from inside the disheveled home. 
 
 The women quickly escaped after Amanda Berry kicked out the door panel on May 6 and Castro was arrested within hours. The women disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16 and 20 years old. 
 
 Some horrific details of the women's ordeal had already emerged, including tales of being chained to poles in the basement or a bedroom heater or inside a van, with one woman forced to wear a motorcycle helmet while chained in the basement and, after she tried to escape, having a vacuum cord wrapped around her neck. 
 
 Castro repeatedly starved and beat one of the victims each time she was pregnant, forcing her to miscarry five times. 
 
 He forced the same woman on threat of death to safely deliver the child he fathered with another victim on Christmas Day 2006. The same day, prosecutors say, Castro raped the woman who helped deliver his daughter. 
 
 As part of his plea deal, Castro was to receive a sentence of life with no chance of parole for aggravated murder in the forced miscarriage. He would then receive 1,000 years for the kidnapping, rape, assault and other charges. 
 
 Berry, 27, made a surprise onstage appearance at a rap concert last weekend, and a second victim, Gina DeJesus, 23, has made a few televised comments. Knight, 32, appeared with Berry and DeJesus in a video in early July thanking the community for its support. 
 
 Knight, the first of three to disappear, also sent police a handwritten letter thanking them for their help collecting cards and gifts for the women. In the note, Knight told Second District Cmdr. Keith Sulzer, "Life is tough, but I'm tougher!" 
 
 ___ 
 
 Welsh-Huggins reported from Columbus, Ohio. ||||| Three months after an Ohio woman kicked out part of a door to end nearly a decade of captivity, a former school bus driver who kidnapped three women and subjected them to years of sexual and physical abuse was being sentenced Thursday. 
 
 Ariel Castro, center, listens in the courtroom during the sentencing phase Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, in Cleveland. Defense attorney's Craig Weintraub, left, and Jaye Schlachet sit beside Castro. Three... (Associated Press) 
 
 Ariel Castro listens in the courtroom during the sentencing phase Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, in Cleveland. Three months after an Ohio woman kicked out part of a door to end nearly a decade of captivity,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Ariel Castro enters the courtroom during the sentencing phase Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, in Cleveland. Three months after an Ohio woman kicked out part of a door to end nearly a decade of captivity, Castro,... (Associated Press) 
 
 A close-up of a model of the house on Seymour Ave. where Ariel Castro held three women is displayed in court Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, in Cleveland. Castro, a onetime school bus driver faces sentencing... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - File images from the video provided by Hennes Paynter Communications shows from left: Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight. The three women held captive in a Cleveland home for a decade... (Associated Press) 
 
 A close-up of a model of the house on Seymour Ave. where Ariel Castro held three women is displayed in court Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, in Cleveland. Castro, a onetime school bus driver faces sentencing... (Associated Press) 
 
 Sheriff's deputies set in place a model of the house on Seymour Ave. where Ariel Castro held three women Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, in Cleveland. Three months after an Ohio woman kicked out part of a door... (Associated Press) 
 
 Ariel Castro sits in the courtroom during the sentencing phase Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, in Cleveland. Three months after an Ohio woman kicked out part of a door to end nearly a decade of captivity, Castro,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Prosecutors began detailing Ariel Castro's daily assaults on the women, recounted in diaries that compared the women's experience to that of prisoners of war. With the possibility of the death penalty for a forced miscarriage taken off the table, Castro stands to get life in prison plus 1,000 years. 
 
 Early in the hearing, Castro tried to apologize to the victims, but after speaking with the judge said he would do that later in the proceeding. 
 
 A police officer who helped rescue the women said one was reluctant to come out of her room even when she saw the officers. They were scared even after they were taken out of the house and quickly began sharing details about the horrors they went through, saying that they had been starved and beaten. 
 
 "They were just shouting out a lot of things," said Cleveland police officer Barb Johnson. She described the women as thin, pale and scared. 
 
 Responding to questions from prosecutors, Cleveland police detective Andrew Harasimchuk said that the women all described a pattern of being physically, sexually and emotionally assaulted for years. He said all three women were abducted after Castro offered them a ride and that each was chained in his basement and sexually assaulted within a few hours of being kidnapped. 
 
 Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty said in a sentencing memorandum filed Wednesday that Castro, who chained his captives and fed them only one meal a day, "admits his disgusting and inhuman conduct" but "remains remorseless for his actions." 
 
 The memorandum says many of the specific charges in Castro's indictment reflect conduct documented by one of the women in her diary. 
 
 "The entries speak of forced sexual conduct, of being locked in a dark room, of anticipating the next session of abuse, of the dreams of someday escaping and being reunited with family, of being chained to a wall, of being held like a prisoner of war ... of being treated like an animal," it says. 
 
 The sentencing could take up to four hours, court officials said, with Castro, his attorneys, his victims and prosecutors getting a chance to speak. The legal team representing the women's interests declined to comment on whether they would testify or send statements to the court. 
 
 Prosecutors brought a model of the house where Castro, 53, imprisoned the women into the courtroom Thursday ahead of the sentencing. 
 
 In the court filing, McGinty said Castro chained his captives by their ankles, fed them only one meal a day and provided plastic toilets in their bedrooms that were infrequently emptied, the filing said. At one point, he locked all of them in a vehicle in his garage for three days while he had a visitor, according to McGinty's filing. 
 
 The women quickly escaped after Amanda Berry kicked out the door panel on May 6 and Castro was arrested within hours. The women disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16 and 20 years old. 
 
 Other horrific details of the women's ordeal had already emerged, including tales of being chained to poles in the basement or a bedroom heater or inside a van, with one woman forced to wear a motorcycle helmet while chained in the basement and, after she tried to escape, having a vacuum cord wrapped around her neck. 
 
 Castro repeatedly starved and beat one of the victims each time she was pregnant, forcing her to miscarry five times. 
 
 He forced the same woman on threat of death to safely deliver the child he fathered with another victim on Christmas Day 2006. The same day, prosecutors say, Castro raped the woman who helped deliver his daughter. 
 
 Prosecutors will ask the judge to prohibit Castro from ever seeing his daughter, now 6. 
 
 As part of his plea deal, Castro received a sentence of life with no chance of parole for aggravated murder in the forced miscarriage. He then received 1,000 years for the kidnapping, rape, assault and other charges. 
 
 Berry, 27, made a surprise onstage appearance at a rap concert last weekend, and a second victim, Gina DeJesus, 23, has made a few televised comments. Knight, 32, appeared with Berry and DeJesus in a video in early July thanking the community for its support. 
 
 Knight, the first of three to disappear, also sent police a handwritten letter thanking them for their help collecting cards and gifts for the women. In the note, Knight told Second District Cmdr. Keith Sulzer, "Life is tough, but I'm tougher!" 
 
 ___ 
 
 Welsh-Huggins reported from Columbus, Ohio. ||||| Story highlights Judge sentences Castro to life in prison, plus 1,000 years 
 
 Ariel Castro insists he's not a "violent sexual predator" 
 
 He swears he didn't beat the victims 
 
 Victim Michelle Knight reads impact statement to Castro 
 
 When her chance came, kidnapping victim Michelle Knight lit into Ariel Castro, the man who held her captive and raped her in his Cleveland home for a decade. 
 
 "You took 11 years of my life away," she said. "I spent 11 years in hell. Now, your hell is just beginning." 
 
 In handing down a sentence of life without parole plus 1,000 years in prison, Judge Michael Russo told the kidnapper there was no place in the world for his brand of criminal. 
 
 Castro's first stop after country jail will be the Lorain prison in Grafton, Ohio, where officials will evaluate him and decide where he will serve his sentence. 
 
 "You don't deserve to be out in our community," Russo told the defendant, explaining he would never leave prison. "You're too dangerous." 
 
 Castro pleaded guilty last week to 937 counts , including murder and kidnapping, in exchange for the death penalty being taken off the table. The charges stem from his kidnapping, rape and assault of three women: Knight, abducted in 2002; Georgina DeJesus, abducted in 2004; and Amanda Berry; abducted in 2003. 
 
 Castro is the father of Berry's 6-year-old girl, DNA tests confirmed. 
 
 All three women kept diaries with Castro's permission, providing many of the details of their abuse. 
 
 Berry and DeJesus, who did not attend the hearing, sent family members to deliver impact statements on their behalves, while Knight, 32, chose to address her abductor head-on. 
 
 Photos: Evidence photos from Castro's trial Photos: Evidence photos from Castro's trial Evidence photos from Castro's trial – Ariel Castro's sentencing for the kidnapping and rape of three women in Ohio will be issued Thursday, August 1. During the trial, the prosecution presented images from inside the house that reveal the disturbing conditions in which they were held. A model of the house was also included. Hide Caption 1 of 12 Photos: Evidence photos from Castro's trial Evidence photos from Castro's trial – Chains constrained the women in the basement. Hide Caption 2 of 12 Photos: Evidence photos from Castro's trial Evidence photos from Castro's trial – Castro had a gun in the home and told Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Detective David Jacobs he would "show to the girls as a form of control." Asked whether he had ever forced the girls to play Russian roulette, Castro told Jacobs that he didn't remember it, "but if the girls said it, it probably happened." Hide Caption 3 of 12 Photos: Evidence photos from Castro's trial Evidence photos from Castro's trial – Amanda Berry spent most of her time in this bathroom with her daughter. Hide Caption 4 of 12 Photos: Evidence photos from Castro's trial Evidence photos from Castro's trial – Stuffed animals lie on a bed in the house. Hide Caption 5 of 12 Photos: Evidence photos from Castro's trial Evidence photos from Castro's trial – Castro describes himself as a sexual predator in a letter. Hide Caption 6 of 12 Photos: Evidence photos from Castro's trial Evidence photos from Castro's trial – Berry and Michelle Knight were forced to wear a helmet the first time Castro sexually assaulted them, according to Andrew Harasimchuk, a detective with the sex crimes unit. Hide Caption 7 of 12 Photos: Evidence photos from Castro's trial Evidence photos from Castro's trial – Toys and other belongings are piled in a bedroom. Hide Caption 8 of 12 Photos: Evidence photos from Castro's trial Evidence photos from Castro's trial – The FBI agent interviewed on the stand said Castro would make the women wear a brown wig on the rare occasion he let them out of the home. Hide Caption 9 of 12 Photos: Evidence photos from Castro's trial Evidence photos from Castro's trial – Chains ran through the walls in the house, the prosecution said. Hide Caption 10 of 12 Photos: Evidence photos from Castro's trial Evidence photos from Castro's trial – The pole to which the women were chained in the basement is pictured running through an upstairs bedroom. Hide Caption 11 of 12 Photos: Evidence photos from Castro's trial Evidence photos from Castro's trial – Stairs led down to the basement. Hide Caption 12 of 12 
 
 JUST WATCHED See photos taken inside Castro's home Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH See photos taken inside Castro's home 02:02 
 
 JUST WATCHED Michelle Knight: 'I was so alone' Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Michelle Knight: 'I was so alone' 03:03 
 
 "I cried every night. I was so alone. I worried what would happen to me and the other girls every day," she said, promising to overcome the experience. "I will live on. You will die a little every day." 
 
 She said her friendship with DeJesus was the only positive element of her years in captivity and expressed gratitude that her "teammate" was there to save her when she was "dying from his abuse." 
 
 In a pre-sentencing evaluation , Dr. Frank Ochberg, a pioneer in trauma science, wrote that Knight suffered "the longest and most severely." 
 
 "It was Michelle who served as doctor, nurse, midwife and pediatrician during the birth (of Berry's child). She breathed life into that infant when she wasn't breathing," he wrote. "At other times, she interceded when Castro sought to abuse Gina, interposing herself and absorbing physical and sexual trauma. But each survivor had a will to prevail and used that will to live through the ordeal." 
 
 "Happy household" 
 
 Despite his repeated insistence that he wasn't making excuses for his conduct, Castro played the victim, saying he was addicted to porn and masturbation. In his oft-disjointed statement, he referred to himself as "very emotional" and "a happy person inside." 
 
 Castro appeared to blame the victims and accused them of lying about their treatment. He went on to say that none of the women was a virgin when he abducted them, that they wanted sex and there was "harmony" in the "happy household." 
 
 Castro even claimed that no one cared enough about Knight to search for her after her after she disappeared. 
 
 "I'm not a monster. I'm just sick. I have an addiction, just like an alcoholic has an addiction," he said. "God as my witness, I never beat these women like they're trying to say that I did. I never tortured them." 
 
 When Castro finished his statement, Russo dubbed him a "violent sexual predator" and thanked Knight for showing "remarkable restraint" during the hearing. 
 
 Wearing eyeglasses and an orange prison uniform, the shackled Castro characterized his crimes in a far gentler light than the book-length indictment handed down against him: "I'm not a violent person. I simply kept them there so they couldn't leave." 
 
 Testimony from authorities and mental health experts didn't jibe with Castro's recollection, however. Police recalled how the women were forced to play Russian roulette and how Castro would throw money at them after raping them. 
 
 Det. David Jacobs of the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office testified he'd also show a gun "to the girls as a form of control." 
 
 It was all to "purely satisfy his sexual needs," Jacobs said. " 'I knew what I did was wrong.' He said that more than once." 
 
 Castro's 1,400-square-foot home was reconfigured to keep their whereabouts a secret, FBI agent Andrew Burke testified. The back door was outfitted with an alarm, bedspreads and curtains obscured parts of them home and a porch swing was placed in front of the stairs leading to the rooms where Castro held the women and girl hostage. 
 
 Police also testified Castro would chain the women to objects, including a support pole in his basement. 
 
 In the room where Berry and her daughter were held, the doorknob was removed, a lock was affixed to the outside and a hole was cut through the door for ventilation because the windows had been boarded up from the inside, Burke said. 
 
 Burke also described a handwritten letter in which Castro claimed he had been sexually abused as a child and wrote, "I am a sexual predator." 
 
 "You saved us!" 
 
 The first police officer on the scene, Barbara Johnson, recalled for the court how she and another officer heard the pitter-patter of footsteps in a dark room where Knight and DeJesus were held. 
 
 When the captive women realized they were police, Knight "literally launched herself" onto an officer, "legs, arms, just choking him. She just kept repeating, 'You saved us! You saved us!' " Johnson said. 
 
 The women were described as scared, pale, malnourished and dehydrated when they were rescued. Dr. Gerald Maloney, who was in the emergency room when the victims arrived, said Knight requested that no male physicians attend to her. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Photos of Castro's victims after rescue Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Photos of Castro's victims after rescue 01:37 
 
 JUST WATCHED Officer recounts Castro victims' abuse Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Officer recounts Castro victims' abuse 02:42 
 
 Photos: The Clark Fulton neighborhood Photos: The Clark Fulton neighborhood The Clark Fulton neighborhood – Deborah Knight, the grandmother of kidnapping victim Michelle Knight, participates in a community balloon-release service in Michelle's honor on Thursday, May 9, in Cleveland. Four females were found in a home on Seymour Avenue in the Clark Fulton neighborhood on Monday. Since then, the neighborhood and the nation have wondered how they were held captive without anyone noticing sooner. Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos: The Clark Fulton neighborhood The Clark Fulton neighborhood – Authorities say Ariel Castro held three women -- Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight. DNA tests confirmed that he fathered a girl born to Berry, who was among those rescued, the Ohio attorney general's office said Friday. His house, third from left, is now a crime scene. Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos: The Clark Fulton neighborhood The Clark Fulton neighborhood – 57-year-old Ronice Dunn moved into the neighborhood in 1984. For years after Berry and DeJesus disappeared, she joined in neighborhood vigils and prayer groups for their safe return. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos: The Clark Fulton neighborhood The Clark Fulton neighborhood – A building sits boarded up on Seymour Avenue. The Clark Fulton neighborhood is beset by nearly double-digit unemployment, and one in every five houses is in foreclosure. Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos: The Clark Fulton neighborhood The Clark Fulton neighborhood – The media set up tents near Castro's home. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos: The Clark Fulton neighborhood The Clark Fulton neighborhood – Kinkel Avenue is a few blocks from Castro's home. Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos: The Clark Fulton neighborhood The Clark Fulton neighborhood – The house of Onil Castro's two sons, where he was staying when he was arrested on Kinkel Avenue. He and his brother Pedro were arrested along with Ariel Castro, but later were released and not charged. Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos: The Clark Fulton neighborhood The Clark Fulton neighborhood – "Why didn't I notice anything? What should I have been looking for?" asked Mickie Wodgik, who spent years living across the street from Castro and, it turns out, the three missing women. Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos: The Clark Fulton neighborhood The Clark Fulton neighborhood – Around the corner from Seymour Avenue, graffiti is written on an abandoned building. Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos: The Clark Fulton neighborhood The Clark Fulton neighborhood – A street view shows West 25th Street, which runs perpendicular to Seymour Avenue. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos: The Clark Fulton neighborhood The Clark Fulton neighborhood – Cynthia Conor, who has lived in the same house for 38 years, often drank with Castro and and his brother Pedro, she said. Her father trained Castro for his school bus job. Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos: The Clark Fulton neighborhood The Clark Fulton neighborhood – A man stands on Clark Avenue in front of painted buildings. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos: The Clark Fulton neighborhood The Clark Fulton neighborhood – This boarded-up building sits across the street from Castro's house. Hide Caption 13 of 15 Photos: The Clark Fulton neighborhood The Clark Fulton neighborhood – Pastor Joe Abraham has ministered to many in this neighborhood for more than 25 years, including as the leader of Scranton Road Bible Church. Hide Caption 14 of 15 Photos: The Clark Fulton neighborhood The Clark Fulton neighborhood – People hold balloons during a community balloon-release service in kidnapping victim Michelle Knight's honor. Hide Caption 15 of 15 
 
 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Ariel Castro listens during the sentencing phase of his trial on August 1 in Cleveland alongside defense attorneys Craig Weintraub, left, and Jaye Schlachet. Castro held three women captive for years inside his Ohio home until their escape in May 2013. He pleaded guilty to 937 counts, including murder and kidnapping. On September 4, Castro was found dead inside his prison cell in Orient, Ohio. Hide Caption 1 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Former captive Michelle Knight, center, talks with reporters on August 7 outside convicted kidnapper Ariel Castro's house. Knight was on hand as workers began tearing down the structure. Hide Caption 2 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – A crane demolishes the Cleveland house of Castro on August 7. Plans call for the house to be torn down and the lot cleared in a single day. Hide Caption 3 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Here is a view of the house where Castro held the three women captive. He forfeited the house as part of a plea deal with prosecutors that took the death penalty off the table in exchange for a life sentence, plus 1,000 years in prison. Hide Caption 4 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Photos: Kidnapped teens found decade later – Michelle Knight speaks during the sentencing phase for Ariel Castro on August 1 in Cleveland. "I will live on," Knight said in her statement to Castro. "You will die a little every day." Hide Caption 5 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Photos: Kidnapped teens found decade later – Amanda Berry vanished a few blocks from her Cleveland home on April 21, 2003. She was 16. She spoke in a video released on YouTube on July 8, thanking people for support and privacy. Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight escaped from a Cleveland home on May 6, 2013, after being held captive for nearly a decade. Hide Caption 6 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Photos: Kidnapped teens found decade later – Georgina "Gina" DeJesus was last seen in Cleveland on April 2, 2004, on her way home from school. She was 14 when she went missing. Hide Caption 7 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Photos: Kidnapped teens found decade later – Knight was last seen on August 22, 2002, when she was 21. Hide Caption 8 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – FBI agents and other law enforcement officers stand outside Castro's home in Cleveland on May 9, 2013. Hide Caption 9 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Castro hangs his head while talking with his public defender, Kathleen DeMetz, during his arraignment on May 9, 2013. Hide Caption 10 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Ariel Castro was charged on May 8, 2013, with kidnapping the three women. Hide Caption 11 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Investigators remove evidence from the house on Seymour Avenue in Cleveland where the three women were held. Hide Caption 12 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – An FBI forensics team meets outside the house where three women were held as they investigate the property. Hide Caption 13 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Cleveland Deputy Chief of Police Ed Tomba, center, speaks at a news conference to address details of the developments. Hide Caption 14 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – FBI agents remove evidence from the house May 7, 2013. Hide Caption 15 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – A police officer stands in front of the broken front door of the house on May 7, 2013, where the kidnapped women escaped. Hide Caption 16 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Neighbor Charles Ramsey talks to media as people congratulate him on helping the kidnapped women escape on May 6, 2013. He helped knock down the door after he heard screaming inside. Hide Caption 17 of 17 
 
 Several witnesses said the women told them stories of being physically abused and deprived of food, and Det. Andrew Harasimchuk told the judge the women were raped "vaginally, orally and anally" during their captivity. 
 
 Multiple officers testified that Castro appeared to show no remorse for his crimes, and prosecutor Anna Faraglia said he "tormented" his victims by allowing them to watch vigils held in their honor, and he even attended some. 
 
 Castro would talk to his victims' parents as if he were distraught by their disappearances when "they were right underneath his roof," Faraglia said. 
 
 Outlining the emotional toll their captivity took on the women, Ochberg said the victims will be subjected to life sentences of their own, as their memories will not go away. When they were abducted, the women were all of the age at which humans are learning to be intimate in life. 
 
 "This was not real intimacy. This was a perversion of intimacy," Ochberg said, further describing the women's survival and coping skills as "marvelous, compelling examples of resilience, of imagination, of humanity." 
 
 Ochberg's evaluation -- using statements, medical records, videotaped interviews and transcripts -- painted a horrifying picture of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of Castro, including brutal beatings and repeated rapes that resulted in pregnancies that he would terminate by punching the women in the stomach. 
 
 "He appeared to be evolving in an ever more dangerous direction, capturing younger and younger women, telling his captives he was hunting for replacements," Ochberg wrote before sentencing. 
 
 Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Gregory Saathoff described the women's ordeal as a "complete and comprehensive captivity" and said when he first learned of Castro's crimes, he wrote, "The scope and magnitude of Ariel Castro's crimes is unprecedented." 
 
 But asked if he felt Castro suffered from mental illness -- something the defendant repeatedly asserted during his statement -- Saathoff was firm that an examination showed he suffered from "no psychiatric illness whatsoever." 
 
 "Thank you, victims" 
 
 In addition to the guarantee from Russo that he "will never be released from incarceration during the period of his remaining natural life for any reason," Castro was also hit with a forfeiture of property and fined $100,000. 
 
 As the judge sentenced him, Castro took issue with the aggravated murder charge related to the termination of his victim's pregnancies, saying there was no evidence those incidents occurred. Judge Michael Russo reminded him that he had already pleaded guilty, and Castro said he did so only to save his victims further trauma. 
 
 "In your mind, there was harmony and a happy household," Russo said. "I'm not sure there's anyone else in America who would agree with you." 
 
 As the hearing came to a close, Castro turned around and glanced at family members of the victims. 
 
 "Thank you, victims. Please find it in your heart to forgive me," he said. 
 
 In each case, Castro lured the women into his car with the promise of a ride, according to court documents. The women and girl were freed in May after Berry shouted for help while Castro was away. 
 
 Neighbors heard her cries and came to her aid as she tried to break through a door. One neighbor gave her a cell phone to call authorities. 
 
 "Help me, I am Amanda Berry," she frantically told a 911 operator. "I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for 10 years. And I'm here, I'm free now." 
 
 In early July, Berry, DeJesus and Knight released a YouTube video offering their thanks to all those who have helped them since they were freed. Berry and DeJesus have not faced their tormentor since their rescue. 
 
 "I want to thank everyone who has helped me and my family through this entire ordeal. Everyone who has been there to support us has been a blessing," Berry said in the video. "I'm getting stronger each day." ||||| Story highlights Ariel Castro's mother: "I have a sick son, who has done something serious" 
 
 Castro's daughter: "It's all adding up, and I'm just disgusted" 
 
 Prosecutor says he'll seek to charge Castro with murder for ending captives' pregnancies 
 
 Already charged with kidnapping and rape, Castro is being held on $8 million bail 
 
 First came the pain -- a decade of torture, torment and terror for three captive women and one of their young daughters. 
 
 Now comes the prosecution and -- if there's a conviction -- punishment for the man accused of being responsible for their hell. 
 
 Ariel Castro appeared silently in court Thursday, his head down, as he was arraigned on four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape, accused of holding the women captive in his Cleveland home. Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Lauren Moore ordered Castro held on $8 million bond -- $2 million for each of the three women and the child born to Amanda Berry before they were freed Monday evening. 
 
 Hours later, the top prosecutor in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, announced he'd press for more charges -- "for each and every act of sexual violence ... each day of kidnapping, every felonious assault (and) all his attempted murders." 
 
 Furthermore, Prosecutor Timothy McGinty said he'd try to persuade a grand jury to indict the 52-year-old Castro for "aggravated murder" for the termination of his captives' pregnancies. He cited a state law that a person can be charged with murder -- a conviction that could lead to the death penalty in Ohio -- for killing unborn children. 
 
 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Amanda Berry speaks in a video released on YouTube on Monday, July 8, thanking people for support and privacy. Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight escaped from a Cleveland home on May 6, 2013, after being held captive for nearly a decade. Hide Caption 1 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Amanda Berry vanished a few blocks from her Cleveland home on April 21, 2003. She was 16. Hide Caption 2 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Gina DeJesus speaks in the YouTube video. Hide Caption 3 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Georgina "Gina" DeJesus was last seen in Cleveland on April 2, 2004, on her way home from school. She was 14 when she went missing. Hide Caption 4 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Michelle Knight speaks in the YouTube video. Hide Caption 5 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Knight was last seen on August 22, 2002, when she was 21. Hide Caption 6 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Photos: Kidnapped teens found decade later – In a handwritten note, Knight thanked Cleveland police for their efforts, saying she was overwhelmed with the support she had received from "complete strangers." The note was posted Wednesday, July 31, on the police's Second District Community Relations Committee Facebook page. Hide Caption 7 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Residents gather outside a community meeting at Immanuel Lutheran Church on Thursday, May 9, to talk about the kidnapping case in Cleveland . Balloons were released as part of the ceremony. Hide Caption 8 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – FBI agents and other law enforcement officers stand outside suspect Ariel Castro's home in Cleveland on May 9. Castro, a former school bus driver, has been accused of holding three women captive for a decade in his house. He has also been charged with rape. Hide Caption 9 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Castro hangs his head low while talking with his public defender, Kathleen DeMetz, during his arraignment on May 9. Hide Caption 10 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Ada Colon prays during a vigil held in honor of the kidnapping victims in Cleveland on Wednesday, May 8. Hide Caption 11 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Relatives of kidnapping victim Georgina "Gina" DeJesus hug after she returned to her parents' home in Cleveland on May 8. Hide Caption 12 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Friends and neighbors cheer as a car carrying Amanda Berry arrives at her sister's house in Cleveland on May 8. Hide Caption 13 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Gina DeJesus gives a thumbs up as she arrives at her family's house in Cleveland on May 8. Hide Caption 14 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Ariel Castro was charged on May 8 with kidnapping the three women. Hide Caption 15 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – The family house of Gina DeJesus has been decorated by well-wishers on Tuesday, May 7. Hide Caption 16 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Friends and relatives gather in front of the family house of DeJesus on May 7. Hide Caption 17 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Well-wishers visit the home of the sister of Amanda Berry on Monday, May 6. Hide Caption 18 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Investigators remove evidence from the house on Seymour Avenue in Cleveland where the three women were held. Hide Caption 19 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – An FBI forensics team meets outside the house where three women were held as they investigate the property. Hide Caption 20 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – An FBI forensics team member removes evidence from the house. Hide Caption 21 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – A relative of DeJesus brings balloons to the home of Amanda Berry's sister in Cleveland on May 7. Hide Caption 22 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Children hold a sign and balloons in the yard of Gina DeJesus' family home in Cleveland on May 7. Hide Caption 23 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Bystanders and media gather on May 7 along Seymour Avenue in Cleveland near the house where the three women were held captive. Hide Caption 24 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – A bystander shows the front page of The Plain Dealer newspaper to a friend outside of the house on Seymour Avenue on May 7. Hide Caption 25 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Cleveland Deputy Chief of Police Ed Tomba, center, speaks at a news conference to address details of the developments. Hide Caption 26 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – The house where the three women were held captive in Cleveland was the home of Ariel Castro, who was arrested and is being held pending charges in the case. Hide Caption 27 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – FBI agents remove evidence from the house May 7. Hide Caption 28 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – A police officer stands in front of the broken front door of the house on May 7, where the kidnapped women escaped. Hide Caption 29 of 30 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Neighbor Charles Ramsey talks to media as people congratulate him on helping the kidnapped women escape on Monday, May 6. He helped knock down the door after he heard screaming inside. Hide Caption 30 of 30 
 
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 According to an initial incident report obtained by CNN, Michelle Knight said she became pregnant at least five times while in Castro's 1,400-square-foot home . When that happened, she told investigators, Castro "starved her for at least two weeks, then he repeatedly punched her in the stomach until she miscarried." 
 
 It is not known how many times, if any, the other two women got pregnant only to miscarry. One of them, Berry, gave birth to a daughter while in captivity. 
 
 That's just one of the brutal tales reported so far about the women's captivity, which McGinty described as "beyond comprehension." 
 
 "The child kidnapper operated a torture chamber and private prison in the heart of the city," he told reporters. "The horrific brutality and torture that the victims endured for a decade is beyond comprehension." 
 
 Castro's own mother is among those trying to make sense of the horror. 
 
 "I have a sick son who has done something serious," she told Univision and Telemundo. "I'm suffering very much. I ask for forgiveness from those mothers; may those girls forgive me." 
 
 Source: Writings detail actions, reasons behind them 
 
 So what was going through the suspect's mind, when he allegedly lured three women into a car between 2002 and 2004, took them to his home three miles away and held them there -- where they were chained, threatened and repeatedly sexually assaulted? 
 
 Neither Castro, his attorneys nor police have spelled out a motive publicly. 
 
 The suspect has talked with investigators, confessing to some of the actions of which he's accused, said a law enforcement source closely involved with the investigation. The source did not describe precisely what Castro confessed to when he was interrogated. 
 
 Plus, investigators have asked the state crime lab to expedite tests to create a DNA profile of Castro -- something that typically takes 20 days, but should be back Friday -- said Ohio Attorney General's office spokesman Dan Tierney. 
 
 They're also poring over evidence, including more than 200 items seized from Castro's Seymour Avenue home. Among them are writings authorities believe were written by the suspect, said two law enforcement sources closely involved in the case. 
 
 Those contain "specific detailing of actions and reasons behind actions" tied to the women's abduction and their kidnapper's behavior toward them, one of the law enforcement sources said. The author cites his own history of abuse by family members as justification. 
 
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 The source -- who described the "pretty lengthy" writings as "more of a diary" -- said they included talk of suicide, though that's just one of many aspects. 
 
 Authorities are working "meticulously" to see whether others were involved in the kidnapping plot. Two of Castro's brothers, Pedro and Onil, were initially arrested in the case only to be released Thursday -- after appearing in court on unrelated cases -- when investigators found nothing, including from the victims' interviews, linking them to the abductions. 
 
 One of his daughters, Angie Gregg, told CNN that she "just wanted to die" upon hearing her father had been implicated. 
 
 But looking back, she thinks there were signs of something awry -- such as how her father "kept his house locked down so tight" and would sometimes leave mysteriously for an hour or so, then return, with "no explanation." 
 
 "Everything's making sense now," Gregg said. "It's all adding up, and I'm just disgusted." 
 
 Source: Death threat if newborn died 
 
 According to the initial incident report, the women said Castro first chained them in the basement but later let them live upstairs on the second floor. 
 
 The women went outside only twice during their ordeal -- and just "briefly" at that, Cleveland Public Safety Director Martin Flask said. 
 
 Most of the time the three would be in different rooms, though they interacted occasionally and came to "rely on each other for survival," said a law enforcement source with direct knowledge of the investigation. 
 
 One thing they could count on was that their alleged captor wouldn't let them out. 
 
 Castro would often test his captives by pretending to leave, the law enforcement source said. Then he'd suddenly return; if there were indications any of the women had moved, they'd be disciplined. 
 
 While Knight told investigators Castro forced her to miscarry her own unborn children, she said he ordered her to deliver Berry's child, according to a police source familiar with the investigation. 
 
 The baby was delivered in a plastic tub or pool in order to contain the afterbirth and amniotic fluid, the source said. 
 
 Panic ensued soon after. The child stopped breathing, and everyone started screaming, the source said, citing accounts by the young women. 
 
 Knight said Castro threatened to kill her if the baby did not survive, the initial police report states. 
 
 "What's most incredible here is that this girl who knows nothing about childbirth was able to deliver a baby that is now a healthy 6-year-old," the source said. 
 
 'I don't think she would have lived very much longer' 
 
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 Knight remained hospitalized in good condition Thursday, said MetroHealth Medical Center spokeswoman Tina Shaerban-Arundel. 
 
 The others held -- Berry, her 6-year-old daughter and Georgina "Gina" DeJesus -- are back with relatives. 
 
 FBI specialists who talked with them feel they "desperately need space and time," said McGinty. 
 
 "These victims need to be decompressed," he said. "They need a chance to heal before we seek further in-depth evidence from them." 
 
 Those close to them, as well as residents of Cleveland and beyond, are trying to make sense of the alleged depravity. 
 
 One of them is Arlene Castro, the suspect's daughter and once a very good friend of DeJesus. She was interviewed on an "America's Most Wanted" segment in 2005 talking about how she'd been with DeJesus, hoping to spend the afternoon with her, shortly before her abduction. 
 
 Speaking Thursday on ABC's "Good Morning America," she said she last spoke with her father late last month, adding the two had never been close. Whatever their relationship, she insisted, "I had no idea" what was happening. 
 
 "I'm really disappointed, embarrassed, mainly devastated," Arlene Castro said. "... I would like to say that I'm absolutely so, so sorry." 
 
 Fern Gentry said on CNN's "Starting Point" Thursday that hearing Berry, her granddaughter, was alive 10 years after her disappearance was the "most important thing that ever happened in my life." 
 
 Gentry, who spoke to Berry by phone from her Tennessee home Tuesday, said she's grateful for all involved in the case -- from police to helpful neighbors -- and that her granddaughter can now live her life. 
 
 "If she hadn't got out, I don't think she would have lived very much longer," Gentry said. ||||| Ariel Castro has been sentenced to life in prison plus 1,000 years for abducting three women in Cleveland and subjecting them to unspeakable torture for over a decade. Today is Castro's sentencing and law enforcement agents are testifying to what they discovered in the house and by interviewing the women, Amanda Berry, Georgina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight. As might be expected, some horrific details are coming out about their time in captivity. Many have wondered how Ariel managed to get three women into his house to begin with. Well, he used his children. That's right, he used the names of his children -- all of whom were well-known to his victims -- to lure them inside his chamber of horrors. In short, the women trusted him. Because they knew his children. They felt they knew him. They were wrong. 
 
 Michelle, who was the first to be kidnapped when she was 20, says she was walking to visit the social worker who was in charge of her child, reportedly the child of rape, and who had been taken away from her. This girl had already seen a lot of heartbreak in her life, and she was about to get a whole lot more thanks to the monster Ariel Castro. 
 
 Castro saw her walking and pulled up alongside her in his car. Michelle knew Castro's daughter, Emily, and therefore knew Castro. So when he asked if she needed a ride, she got in his car. He then asked her if she would like a puppy for her son. She agreed to go look at puppies, and so they went to his house. Inside the house, she saw a dog but no puppies. Beginning to become fearful, she tried to leave, but was then forced into the basement, restrained with chains and plastic ties, and raped. 
 
 The stories are similar with Amanda and Gina. Amanda, then aged 16, had just gotten off work at Burger King and was walking when she saw Castro and what she thought was a woman she knew in a car. So she smiled. Later on, Castro reappeared with his car and asked if she needed a ride. Thinking she knew Castro, since she knew the woman he was with earlier, she got into his car, which was a van. Inside, she realized there was no other woman. But Ariel put her at ease by asking her if she knew his son -- who also worked at Burger King. She said she did. 
 
 He then asked her if she knew his daughter Angie, and she replied that she did. He asked if she would like to see Angie, who was at his house. She said sure. So they went to his house, and soon Amanda was restrained and raped too. 
 
 Gina, the youngest of the victims, was only 14 when she was kidnapped. She had been walking with Castro's daughter, Rosie (full name is Arlene), who was her good friend, and they called Rosie's mother to ask if Rosie could stay over Gina's house. The answer was no, so the two separated. Soon Castro appeared in his car and asked Gina if she knew where his daughter was. Assuming that he meant Rosie, she agreed to look for her with him and got in his car. 
 
 Castro then said he needed to get money first and asked if she would mind going to his house. She agreed. They got to his house and then Castro asked if she would help him carry out a speaker and put it into his car. She agreed. Soon she was in the house and also trapped. 
 
 It's sickening to think that he used his own sons and daughters to lure the women into a false sense of security that led to their entrapment. Which one of us wouldn't have felt safe? Which one of us wouldn't have felt that since Castro was the father of friends, was a local from the neighborhood, not to mention his general demeanor, which is calm and nonthreatening, that it would be okay to get into his vehicle? "They were very trusting," said an agent who testified at the sentencing. 
 
 These girls could have been any one of us -- or any of our children. We warn our children about strangers. We don't warn them about parents of friends. 
 
 
 
 Unfortunately, perhaps we should. 
 
 What do you tell your children about getting into cars or going with parents of friends of theirs? 
 
 
 
 
 
 Image via ABC News
– Ariel Castro has been sentenced to life without parole for kidnapping and other charges related to the three women he held captive in his home for 10 years, the AP reports. Castro spoke at his sentencing hearing today, insisting that "these people are trying to paint me as a monster and I'm not a monster. I'm sick," CNN reports. "I believe I am addicted to porn to the point that it makes me impulsive and I lost it." He also described himself as "a happy person," a "very emotional person," and said he's "not trying to make excuses." (Click for the heartbreaking testimony of Michelle Knight, one of the victims.) More of the testimony coming out, per the AP: A letter left behind by Castro and found in his house read, "I'm a sexual predator," an FBI agent testified. It was titled "Confession and Details." A Cleveland police officer says two of the women rescued from Castro's house jumped into her arms, crying "Save us, save us!" and that one of the victims was reluctant to leave her room at first while another had difficulty breathing. A Cleveland police detective said all three women were abducted after Castro offered them a ride and that each was chained in his basement and sexually assaulted within a few hours of being kidnapped. The FBI agent testified that Castro created a makeshift alarm system and removed doorknobs, among other things, to turn his house into a prison. He also testified that Castro would occasionally pay his victims after raping them, but he then would require them to pay him if they wanted something special from the store. In a court filing, the Cuyahoga County prosecutor said Castro chained his captives by their ankles, fed them only one meal a day, and provided plastic toilets in their bedrooms that were infrequently emptied. At one point, he locked all of them in a vehicle in his garage for three days while he had a visitor, according to the filing. Details also came out of how Castro used his own children to lure the victims into his car and home.