Ariel Castro Emily Knapp Background Information 1 Castro

Ariel Castro Emily Knapp

Background Information • 1. Castro was born in Puerto Rico and then moved to Cleveland, Ohio as a child because he had relatives who lived up there. • 2. He bought a house in 1992 and lived there with his wife and four children. • 3. He was violent with his wife • Broken nose, ribs, arm • Cracked skull • Thrown down stairs • 4. Castro’s wife left him in 1996 and took custody of all 4 children.

Background Information Cont. • 5. He had a history of repeated violations as a school bus driver and was later fired. • Left kids on school bus • Used school bus to do grocery shopping • Illegal U turns and other traffic violations • • 6. Castro has a history of domestic abuse 7. His parents were divorced as a child. 8. He graduated high school and had no further education. 9. Castro’s house went into foreclosure due to 3 years of unpaid taxes.

Conviction • Castro is guilty of many petty crimes through out his life but was never jailed before his recent conviction in 2013. • School bus convictions • Domestic violence towards wife • He was sentenced to life in prison after kidnapping, raping, and holding captive three teenage girls for eleven years.

Guilty • Castro was found guilty fairly quickly and easily by the court. • Firstly he was convicted guilty because there was clear evidence from the three girls who were rescued. • When police investigated the house they found the evidence in the basement of the things Castro used to torture the girls. Such as the chains used to chain them up. • Castro’s past history of domestic abuse and violence towards his ex wife made this case even more believable.

Quotes from Ariel Castro • “I have an addiction, just like an alcoholic has an addiction … I did not prey on these women. I just acted on my sexual instincts. ” • • “These people are trying to paint me as a monster and I’m not a monster. I’m sick. ” • • “I’m not a violent person. I simply kept them there so they couldn’t leave. ” • *Castro had no nicknames*

Conflict Theory • I believe that theory of conflict. Ariel Castro did not come from a very “normal” and easy going life. As a child he was moved from Puerto Rico to Cleveland, Ohio. His parents were divorced and he was one of nine children in the family. From this information I can conclude that Castro did not get very much attention as a child, thus leaving him frustrated and alone. This created conflict within his family. • Later on in Castro’s life he got married and had four children. Castro violently abused his wife by breaking her nose, ribs, etc. and throwing her down flights of stairs. His frustrations as a child carried with him as her grew into an adult and he took it out on his own family. Once his family left him he had to find someone else to take his frustrations out on. This is where three teenager girls come into play. All of the crimes he committed come back to the conflict in his life.

Cultural References • Michelle Knight, one of the women held captive, is currently in the process of writing a book about her experiences in Castro’s home. She plans to get the book published in the spring of 2014. • There has been several interviews with the victims of Ariel Castro, on TV shows, such as the Dr. Phil show and many others. • Documentary. net also has made a documentary of the story called “House of Horrors” on their website.