Ohio kidnap suspect pleads not guilty

An Ohio man accused of murder, rape and holding three women in a
Cleveland house against their will pleaded not guilty on Wednesday.
Lawyers at an arraignment for Ariel Castro, 52, entered the plea on
their client's behalf at his brief arraignment in a Cleveland
courtroom after he was indicted last week on 329 counts.
Castro wore an orange jumpsuit, kept his head bowed and didn't speak.
His attorneys told CNN affiliate WKYC in arecent exclusive interview
that he had intended to make that plea.
"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," attorney Jaye Schlachet told the network.
"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."
Castro's case has attracted national attention because of the unusual
length and depravity of the alleged crimes.
"The horrific brutality and torture that the victims endured for a
decade is beyond comprehension," said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor
Timothy McGinty.
Two counts accuse Castro of aggravated murder for purposely causing
the unlawful termination of a pregnancy.
One of the young women he's accusedof holding was impregnated five
timesby Castro, and another bore a child fathered by him, according to
police.
The indictment also charges Castro with 139 counts of rape, 177 counts
ofkidnapping, seven counts of gross sexual imposition, three counts of
felonious assault and one count of possession of criminal tools,
McGinty said in a statement last week.
The charges cover only half of the 10 years the three women were held
captive -- from August 2002, when thefirst of the three disappeared
off a Cleveland street, to February 2007.
The women were freed last month after one shouted for help while
Castro was gone from his 1,400-square-foot home.
The prosecutor's capital review committee will consider whether the
case is appropriate for seeking the death penalty once the indictment
process is complete, the prosecutor's statement said.
The three woman held have been identified as Michelle Knight, abducted
at age 21 in August 2002; Amanda Berry, kidnapped at age 16 inApril
2003 and who has a 6-year-old daughter by Castro; and Georgina"Gina"
DeJesus, who was 14 when she disappeared in 2004.
Lawyers for the women expressed confidence and satisfaction after the
indictment came down last week.
"We have a great legal system, plus confidence and faith in the
prosecutor's office and its decisions. Now, we need to stand back and
let the judicial process unfold," said attorneys Jim Wooley and Kathy
Joseph.
In a ghoulish twist, DeJesus actually knew Ariel Castro, her family
told CNNaffiliate WOIO.
She was a good friend of Castro's daughter, Arlene.
One year after DeJesus' appearance, Arlene Castro publicly crusaded to
findher friend's kidnapper. She went on the national television
program"America's Most Wanted" to plead for help in finding her friend
in spring 2005.
Ariel Castro attended at least two public vigils for the missing girls
-- while they were allegedly inside his home -- relatives told WOIO.
Castro, a former school bus driver, remains in a Cleveland jail on $8
million bond.
He made a brief court appearance soon after his arrest.
Handcuffed and wearing a blue jumpsuit, he looked down through that
hearing. Castro did not speak.
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