Amanda Berry, Gina deJesus & Michelle Knight - General discussion #4

[jjenny]

I don't think he felt any remorse for Gina either. The only remorse he felt would be fear of getting caught, IMO. Since his daughter was friends with Gina, and he knew Gina's parents, and he resembled the sketch.
He was afraid he will get caught for Gina, IMO.

 

[carmenugt]

I'm wondering if this strange behavior by AC is all an act. I would like to know more about the circumstances of how berry got out. Did he leave her out, etc? Maybe a mental illness he had is just tumbling downhill? Or was it a mistake that berry got out and this is all an act


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I dont think it is such a big deal. He is in a cell on suicide watch. Perhaps, he was just bathing himself. There is no privacy. I am sure in jail those who are incarcerated have to be nude. I think it is being blown out of porportion by the media

 

[carmenugt]

If the allegations against the stepfather are false, then I certainly hope that the daughters will come forward and tell the truth.

He is now appealing his case.Afterall, in his defense he to the police and FBI to look at AC in connection with the abduction. They never did.

 

[SassyBrat]

I read today, and not surprisingly, that all 3 will require long term therapy. As for his little girl, will he ever (I hope not) be granted parental rights to see her?

 

[carmenugt]

Or they didn't really try.

The police documents were posted on this site detailing the log of calls and outcomes.

 

[jjenny]

I read today, and not surprisingly, that all 3 will require long term therapy. As for his little girl, will he ever (I hope not) be granted parental rights to see her?

I don't envision him getting any parental rights.

 

[carmenugt]

He should have been in jail for what he did to his wife :/ this is just so sad

When they went to court over the domestic abuse, threats of death toward her children and her and kidnapping, the charges were dropped because her attoney did not show up.

 

[carmenugt]

Wow, they put that huge fence up all around the entire house to keep people out as well as boarding up all the windows.

It is a crime scene.

 

[nikb]

well the postman didn't go there everyday we know he always put the mail in Charles Ramsey post box

Ha... true! I bet AC got someone's mail though, even if it wasn't his.

 

[nikb]

I've been thinking about the boarded up windows. Surely he couldn't have boarded up every window in this house. If he did, they would have suffocated in there in the Summer with no air conditioning. If there were windows that were not boarded, will the defense pose the question as to why the girls did not try to break the windows to escape or call out for help?

Also...gosh...who in their right mind would not find boarded up windows crazy in a lived-in house, and why wouldn't someone question it?

I just don't understand all the people that visited AC in his kitchen and nobody was curious about why they were prevented from seeing/going in the living room?

Do we know the house didn't have air conditioning? It doesn't seem like it would, just wondered. I don't think he was all that concerned about their comfort, so if he wasn't staying there particularly overnight in the summer, he might've just left them there to be miserable. The basement might be a tiny bit cooler than upstairs. The windows that weren't boarded up looked like they had some kind of covering on them that'd be nearly impossible to see through - it seems unlikely he'd move that cover often to open windows and potentially give the girls an easier way to yell for help (although I noticed in one of the pictures that the upper window appeared to be cracked open - more in a sec - I'm catching up).

I could see defense attempting that argument but I also don't see it going very far. All the ladies could give examples of what happened to them when AC 'tricked' them and they tried to escape to explain why they didn't attempt it very often IMO.

As for the visitors - I'll reply to jking's post below also, but I can see situations where someone might think it was "odd" but not really question it beyond assuming maybe he was a hoarder, messy, or neurotic about who went where in his house.

 

[Cher352]

I am completely shocked that he is going to plead "not guilty". What a horrible thing to put these girls through a trial after everything they have already suffered. I hope someone manages to talk some sense into him and his lawyer.

moo

And if he really loved his daughter as he says he does he would plead guilty to keep her from reading about the trial on the net when she grows older.

I am sure there are many things that went on in that house that will come out during a trial that Amanda would never tell her or anyone about on her own.

 

[AnaTeresa]

It is about money. The lawyer will continue to get paid as long as he is working on the case. Unless he is donating his time. Which is highly unlikely.

If the lawyer's client pleads guilty, and doesn't plan any appeals, thats it, case over. The lawyer gets his final check. But if the client pleads not guilty and fights the charges, and then appeals again and again. The lawyer can keep getting paid forever.

I work at a criminal defense firm. First, clients like Castro are not going to be a steady paycheck for the next twenty years. That's if he can even afford a lawyer. Most likely, it's a court appointed case. Court appointed lawyers (private counsel, not people from the PD's office) often are not compensated to the degree that they would be from paying clients, first off. They also cannot bill for time for everything that they actually do. Attorneys also aren't going to take payments for twenty years. If someone can't pay their fees up front or within a reasonable amount of time, they aren't going to take the case.

Secondly, most criminal defendants plead guilty. This does not happen at the beginning of the case, because a plea must be entered quickly because of speedy trial rights. Neither the prosecutor nor the defense attorney has a handle on this case right now. The only people who plead guilty right off the bat are pro se litigants who have no idea what they are doing. A not guilty plea initiates the plea bargaining process, as the prosecutors haven't even put together a plea offer yet. That's just not how it's done. It has nothing to do with money.

Third, an attorney isn't going to encourage a trial unless it's beneficial to the client. Crimes are committed every day. We're able to keep the lights on just fine without sucking people dry for no reason. Juries are unpredictable. Plea bargains are the preferred method for clients. What you see on television isn't an accurate representation of the defense process.

Fourth, a trial attorney is not always the appeal attorney, particularly if the attorney is appointed. That's not how it works. A defendant may also appeal only if there are appeals of right, or actual legal issues. You can't just keep appealing and appealing over nothing. Again, what the media may present is not always an accurate representation of how things work. It's like the McDonald's hot coffee case. What you've heard and what actually occurred are two very different things.

Bottom line? Castro's attorneys are likely court appointed, will not make much money on this case, and a not guilty plea is standard and means nothing at this point in the game.

 

[LA1]

Ariel Castro's lawyers...Wow. Yes in American you get a trial but for then to say they met with him for three hours and he is not a monster and to say the truth will come out. What truth could there be to why you kidnap, rape, abuse, etc.? Are they going to try for mental issues or blame the victims in some way? Crazy.

 

[SophieRose]

Do we know the house didn't have air conditioning? It doesn't seem like it would, just wondered. I don't think he was all that concerned about their comfort, so if he wasn't staying there particularly overnight in the summer, he might've just left them there to be miserable. The basement might be a tiny bit cooler than upstairs. The windows that weren't boarded up looked like they had some kind of covering on them that'd be nearly impossible to see through - it seems unlikely he'd move that cover often to open windows and potentially give the girls an easier way to yell for help (although I noticed in one of the pictures that the upper window appeared to be cracked open - more in a sec - I'm catching up).

One of the articles said that the house did not have air conditioning.

 

[palaminodee]

Do we know the house didn't have air conditioning? It doesn't seem like it would, just wondered. I don't think he was all that concerned about their comfort, so if he wasn't staying there particularly overnight in the summer, he might've just left them there to be miserable. The basement might be a tiny bit cooler than upstairs. The windows that weren't boarded up looked like they had some kind of covering on them that'd be nearly impossible to see through - it seems unlikely he'd move that cover often to open windows and potentially give the girls an easier way to yell for help (although I noticed in one of the pictures that the upper window appeared to be cracked open - more in a sec - I'm catching up).

I could see defense attempting that argument but I also don't see it going very far. All the ladies could give examples of what happened to them when AC 'tricked' them and they tried to escape to explain why they didn't attempt it very often IMO.

As for the visitors - I'll reply to jking's post below also, but I can see situations where someone might think it was "odd" but not really question it beyond assuming maybe he was a hoarder, messy, or neurotic about who went where in his house.

I doubt it, I did not see an AC unit on any of the photos of the house.
My grandparents lived a few neighborhoods further south from this area, same era of home, very similar style.
When we slept over when we were young, we would stay on the screened front porch in the summer. The upstairs was miserably hot.
They eventually got a window unit for their main floor later on.
In my opinion, that house would have had to been renovated to add AC and it certainly does not look updated based on the photos.
In fact, it does not even appear to be "taken care of".
Only one bathroom to share with him?? I cannot fathom. (that is IF he let them use the bathroom??)
I also cannot imagine being "locked up" in the basement either. Those older basements in that era of homes had that "icky old" basement smell.
I never went in my grandparents basement unless I had to help get the laundry...damp and dreary!
Yuk!!
I cannot even envision what those poor women went through.
A total nightmare.

I also wonder if he was molesting the daughter; just sickening to think about it.

 

[mothert]

It is strange that the ages of his daughters match the three girls ages.

 

[KaaBoom]

The police documents were posted on this site detailing the log of calls and outcomes.

Well if they couldn't reach her on the phone, then maybe they should just have gotten their car and gone to visit her in person, or looked for other ways to contact her. Maybe contacting her acquaintances. But just canceling a missing persons report, because you can't get in contact with the persons mother is just lazy police work.

Anyways, if they really, truly wanted to get in contact with her, you don't think they could have found her? Even with all the resources that the police have at their disposal?

 

[nikb]

They may have thought he was a hoarder. My FIL is a hoarder and I wasn't allowed in his house for the first year I was married. I never suspected anything bad was going on, and it wasn't. Just tons of junk everywhere.

I completely agree. Or even if not a hoarder, just someone who's very private and/or doesn't keep his house very clean. I have a close relative whose house I haven't been into in many years (don't want to specify who in case they read this forum someday ). This relative almost always comes to my house or we meet out somewhere, but if I do go there for some reason will almost always come out and meet me in the driveway. I honestly didn't even think it was unusual until I had a friend point it out to me. Last time I was actually inside the house (probably at least 8 years ago now) it was messy but not "hoarder" level, just really not clean. There is no way there's something sinister "hidden" in there, just an embarrassing mess that became overwhelming and as a result it snowballed. I delicately offered to come help clean up figuring the two of us could tackle it more easily together, but apparently I wasn't delicate enough (?) because that's the last time I've been inside the house.

 

[nikb]

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/15/us/ohio-cleveland-kidnapping-case/

Cleveland (CNN) <snipped for space>

The friend said suspect Ariel Castro hit Knight with a variety of objects, including hand weights, leading to vision loss, joint and muscle damage and other problems.
<snip>

BBM vision problems too, on top of the hearing problems? :cry: I so hope there's something they can do to help these girls medically in addition to psychologically.

 

[nikb]

I read today, and not surprisingly, that all 3 will require long term therapy. As for his little girl, will he ever (I hope not) be granted parental rights to see her?

BBM I would hope not! I'm thinking of the Jaycee case because it's the only other one I'm familiar with where the monster also 'fathered' a child with his kidnap victim, and neither of the Garridos got any visitation. In fact they didn't even get information about Jaycee or the girls' location, and their request to see even videos of the girls was denied. I sincerely hope the same happens in this case.

(for reference on the Jaycee case: http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=75129)