Ohio Kidnapper to plead not guilty; expresses concern for 6-year-old daughter
Ariel Castro, the Ohio man who imprisoned 3 women in his Cleveland home for over a decade, will plead not guilty to multiple charges of kidnapping and rape, say his attorneys.
“The initial portrayal of him is one of a quote ‘monster,’ and that is not the impression that I got,” said one of his two attorneys, Craig Weintraub, during an interview that aired on Wednesday’s Today show.
“He is a human being, but what is offensive is that the women and the media want to demonize this man before they know the whole story, and I think it’s unfair and not equitable,” added Castro’s co-counsel, attorney Jaye Schlachet.
Castro’s attorneys portray him as a misunderstood, loving father who only wants the best for the 6-year-old girl he fathered with one of his captives, Amanda Berry, now 27.
Cleveland Dispatcher Under Fire for Heartless Handling of Amanda Berry’s 911 Call
The Cleveland 911 dispatcher who took kidnap victim Amanda Berry’s call on Monday evening may lose his/her job for the callous way the call was handled.
The unidentified dispatcher was cold and lacked empathy when Berry dialed 911 to report she had been kidnapped and held in a basement for 10 years by former Cleveland school bus driver Ariel Castro, 52.
Audio of the 911 call angered many Cleveland residents who demanded to know why the unsympathetic “call taker” didn’t keep Berry on the phone until police arrived.
3 Women Missing 10 Years Found Alive in Cleveland Home
Three Ohio women who were snatched off the same Cleveland block about 10 years ago were found alive in the home of a Cleveland school bus driver on Monday.
The driver, Ariel Castro, 52, was taken into custody Monday along with his 2 brothers. Castro kept the women hidden in a basement for 10 years, according to police. At least one of the women gave birth to a daughter, now 6, while in captivity.
Charles Ramsey, a neighbor who rescued Amanda Berry, 27, Gina DeJesus, 23, and Michelle Knight, 32, said he was at McDonald’s when he heard a woman screaming hysterically inside a nearby house.
“This girl is kicking the door and screaming,” he told local NBC affiliate WKYC-TV.
Ramsey said the woman screamed, “Help me get out! I’m Amanda Berry… I’ve been missing for 10 years!” Ramsey said he believed the woman was involved in a domestic violence dispute.
Berry was snatched at age 16 in 2003, as she left her job at McDonald’s. DeJesus was 14 when she was taken while walking home from school in 2004. Knight was kidnapped in 2002.
Ramsey and another man broke down the door so Berry could escape. “We had to kick open the bottom,” Ramsey told WEWS-TV. “Lucky on that door it was aluminum. It was cheap. She climbed out with her daughter.”
“I knew something was wrong when a little pretty white girl ran into a black man’s arms,” Ramsey told the station. “Either she homeless or she’s got problems. That’s the only reason she’d run to a black man!”
Swedish Police Find Drugs, Stun Gun On Justin Bieber’s Tour Bus
Lately it seems troubled pop singer Justin Bieber’s name has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Bieber, 19, caused a commotion when he showed up 2 hours late for a concert at London’s 02 Arena in March. Then he feigned breathing problems to gain sympathy from his fans and the press.
He followed those antics up by leaving an insulting message in the visitor’s log at Holocaust victim Anne Frank’s memorial center. Now comes word that Swedish police found pot and a stun gun on Bieber’s tour bus on Wednesday. His 15 minutes aren’t up yet?
Anatomy of a Lie: Boston Bombing Suspect was Unarmed
According to the Huffington Post, two U.S. officials confirmed to the Associated Press that 19-year-old Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was unarmed when he was found hiding in a boat on Friday, April 19. No gun was found in the boat, according to the AP.
This contradicts the blatant lies told by Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis, who said his officers and SWAT team members “exchanged gunfire” with the suspect. Davis’ exact words were:
“Over the course of the next hour or so we exchanged gunfire with the suspect, who was inside the boat, and ultimately the hostage rescue team of the F.B.I. made an entry into the boat and removed the suspect, who was still alive.”
He was wrong on both counts; there was no gunfire exchanged and the FBI did not enter the boat or remove the suspect.
A photo taken by a CBS cameraman during the standoff clearly shows Tsarnaev exiting the boat under his own power.
Trina breaks down at news of her brother’s death
Former rapper Trina Laverne Taylor broke down in tears after being informed of the death of her younger brother in Miami on Tuesday (April 23).
According to Miami police, Wilbrent Bain, 19, was shot multiple times by a friend outside his home in unincorporated North Miami-Dade.
Miami-Dade County police said Bain was on a bicycle at NW 91st Street and 24th Avenue when Ron Dobson, 27, produced a gun from his waistband and shot Bain who was unarmed. Bain was transported to a local Miami hospital, where he died.
Paris is Burning After Gay Marriage Legalized
300,000 protesters took to the streets in Paris, France to demonstrate against the gay marriage law which was approved by the lower house of the French Parliament last month. The ‘marriage for everyone’ bill comes up for a vote in the Senate next.
France becomes the fourteenth country in the world to legalize same sex marriage. The law was not put to a vote by the people, which angered many French citizens.
The French protesters believe the gay marriage law was passed due to the majority of homosexual politicians in the French parliament.
