Ariel Castro in his own words
Ariel Castro, who pleaded guilty to the
abduction, rape and torture of three women
in Cleveland that he kept in his house for
more than a decade, was sentenced Thursday
to a life term with no chance of parole, plus
1,000 years.
Before the judge handed down the sentence,
Castro addressed the court. Here are some
selected quotes from him:
"These people are trying to paint me as a
monster. I'm not a monster. I'm sick. I think
my sexual problem is so bad on my mind that
I'm impulsive ..."
"I believe I am addicted to porn to the point
that it really makes me impulsive and I just
don't realize that what I'm doing is wrong."
"I'm not trying to make excuses here
because I know when I told David that [on]
the sex crimes I will be put away forever. I'm
not contesting that."
"I have been a musician for a long time,
maybe 25, 30 years ... and to be a monster
like they are trying to say I am, I don't think
that I can handle that. I'm a happy person
inside."
On abducting Michelle Knight, his first victim:
"When I picked up the
first victim, I ... didn't
even plan it that
day...."
"But I know it's
wrong and I know —
I'm not trying to
make excuses here. I
know that I'm 100
per cent wrong for
doing that but I'm
just saying that
they're trying to say
I'm a violent person
and I'm not a violent
person. Like I said, I
drove a school bus, I
was a musician and I
had a family. I do
have value for human
life because every time I came home I would
be so glad for the situation, as crazy as it
may sound."
On his daughter, who was born to Amanda
Berry, his second victim:
"She never saw anything violent going on in
that house, your honour. And if you question
her she'll say the opposite and she'll
probably say my dad is the best dad in the
world, because that is how I tried to raise
her in those six years."
"These accusations that I would come home
and beat them, those are totally wrong, your
honour, because like I said before I am not a
violent person. I know what I did was wrong
but I'm not a violent person. I simply kept
them there without them being able to
leave ..."
"Most of the sex that went on in the house,
practically all of it, was consensual."
