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

[Broken_]

He is short. If my math is correct, he's only 5'4".

The size of this monster maybe short BUT it really has nothing to do with the power,control or fear over those girls...come on Detective are you for real??? Do you honestly think his size has to measure up to the crime committed????:banghead:

 

[Cappuccino]

:newhere:I too have suffered and escaped a heinous monster just like Ariel Castro...I bout very much he will plead insanity...In fact i wouldn't be surprised if he say's the girls came on their own free will...Those girls no bout lived in fear every single day they were there...The law has let these girls down on many occasions according to media coverage...i can only say,I'm happy that they are now safe..My story was kept out of the media....but...now it's time to get it out there

Welcome to the forum, Broken. :seeya:

 

[BeginnersLuck]

:newhere:I too have suffered and escaped a heinous monster just like Ariel Castro...I bout very much he will plead insanity...In fact i wouldn't be surprised if he say's the girls came on their own free will...Those girls no bout lived in fear every single day they were there...The law has let these girls down on many occasions according to media coverage...i can only say,I'm happy that they are now safe..My story was kept out of the media....but...now it's time to get it out there

Welcome!!! I am so glad you are here to join us.

I'm pretty sure this monster doesn't have any kind of insanity defense, so I don't think it's anything to worry about. "If" this does make it to trial he will probably try and use that card about the girls coming and staying on their own free will, but there is no way it will stick. It will just be horrible for the girls and everyone else to hear, but all it will accomplish is making him look like more of a fool. In fact, I can't see any kind of defense move he or his attorneys could pull that would in anyway help his case. I hope they realize this and spare themselves from the trial phase.

 

[jjenny]

I don't see how he could get anywhere with claims that the girls voluntarily came to be in his house. For one, Amanda and Gina were minors. Gina was only 14. So that is just not going to fly.

 

[KaaBoom]

I am surprised by defense statements made to the media here, as I have been with a few other high profile cases. When you have something big, like your client being beaten by the cops or the prosecutor refusing to disclose evidence, then the media can be a great asset. But in circumstances like this, the less said the better. A simple, "The facts will come out at trial," is far better than what amounts to lies. You want to look dignified, not slimy, so any potential jury members will take you seriously.

I don't think lawyers worry much about looking slimy. It doesn't seem to bother them.

 

[Detective Klimpt]

The size of this monster maybe short BUT it really has nothing to do with the power,control or fear over those girls...come on Detective are you for real??? Do you honestly think his size has to measure up to the crime committed????:banghead:

Of course not. I was merely answering the other poster's question about his height. Stop banging your head.

 

[KaaBoom]

I don't know if this was posted before but it talks about some issues they may have with trying to convict him of murder of the unborn children.

http://nation.time.com/2013/05/09/t...al-homicide-in-the-cleveland-kidnapping-case/



I want to see this guy prosecuted to the fullest extent and justice received for these girls in every way possible but if it determined that he cannot be prosecuted for murder, I still have no doubts that he will spend the rest of his life in jail. This is a case where I feel life imprisonment is more appropriately fitting for his crimes.

Charging him with fetal homicide would just complicate this case, and accomplish nothing. He will never be executed for this. He will spend the rest of his life in prison. Which is the way it should be. He will get the exact same thing that he did to those girls.

 

[Capri]

Welcome, Broken!:smilingface (52):

 

[FightTheOstrich]

The size of this monster maybe short BUT it really has nothing to do with the power,control or fear over those girls...come on Detective are you for real??? Do you honestly think his size has to measure up to the crime committed????:banghead:

IMO, his height is relevant. He is short for man. All three girls were shorter than him at the time of their abductions. He may have seemed less intimidating because of his small stature. Michelle may have been targeted not because he thought she was younger but bc she was tiny. I doubt Ariel Castro would appreciate a woman looking down on him, literally. So I think we can assume it was to his benefit to target shorter women. Once these women were abducted, his height would have been irrelevant but during the abduction phase it may have been significant.

 

[weedemout]

I read somewhere that Michelle is 4'7.

 

[Chilly Willy]

IMO, his height is relevant. He is short for man. All three girls were shorter than him at the time of their abductions. He may have seemed less intimidating because of his small stature. Michelle may have been targeted not because he thought she was younger but bc she was tiny. I doubt Ariel Castro would appreciate a woman looking down on him, literally. So I think we can assume it was to his benefit to target shorter women. Once these women were abducted, his height would have been irrelevant but during the abduction phase it may have been significant.

It's been my observation that some (certainly not all) very short men use violence as a means to make themselves feel big. I think Castro was a bad seed right from the start, being so short may have added to his desire to control and dominate the women. All of the women were young and small when he abducted them, he didn't want anyone who might be able to fight back.

 

[mysteriew]

:newhere:I too have suffered and escaped a heinous monster just like Ariel Castro...I bout very much he will plead insanity...In fact i wouldn't be surprised if he say's the girls came on their own free will...Those girls no bout lived in fear every single day they were there...The law has let these girls down on many occasions according to media coverage...i can only say,I'm happy that they are now safe..My story was kept out of the media....but...now it's time to get it out there

Broken Welcome to WS!

You have the right to talk about your story. You also have the right to keep silent. So if you ever feel you wish to tell it, feel free. If not that is ok too.

Again, welcome to WS

 

[nikb]

I am not an attorney so can't say this for fact. But it is my understanding that the US Supreme Court has ruled that a judge cannot be the one to give the death penalty. The case has to be heard by a jury of the defendant's peers, and they must be the ones to assign the death penalty.

Ah interesting. Looks like you know more than I do so thanks for posting that info. It does make sense I guess... I wonder if that ever leads prosecutors to go for LWOP instead of the DP if it will spare their clients from having to go through a trial.

 

[nikb]

I don't see any way possible for him to get any less than life in prison. If he gets the death penalty, so be it. But I wouldn't mind at all if he spent the next 30 or so years in prison. Even if he were to plead insanity, it took far too much effort and planning to keep them hidden for ten years. I cant see an insane person being that caniving.

No kidding (re: the point about insanity).

The ONLY thing that scares me about life without parole is that it feels like it's not quite as definitive as the DP. I've ranted about this before so I'll keep it short, but when a 20 year prison sentence ends up translating to a potential 2 years served, it's hard for me to believe in any sentence. (see: [ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=186448"]Abigail Young, TX, Up for Parole on a Yearly Basis, next review begins 4/01/2013 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame] for a case like that - her first parole hearing was 2 years into her sentence if I understand it correctly). So does LWOP actually MEAN LWOP? Always? I used to think it was completely silly that someone would get multiple life sentences until I realized the vast difference (IMO) of what sentences say vs. what they actually mean. I would rather see him suffer in prison for the rest of his life, but that leaves the possibility that somehow, some way, he could get back out, and that thought terrifies me.

 

[nikb]

I don't see how he could get anywhere with claims that the girls voluntarily came to be in his house. For one, Amanda and Gina were minors. Gina was only 14. So that is just not going to fly.

Plus there's the chains, duct tape, and whatever else they were restrained with. Even if they DID go voluntarily, they darn sure didn't stay there voluntarily.

 

[jking]

Plus there's the chains, duct tape, and whatever else they were restrained with. Even if they DID go voluntarily, they darn sure didn't stay there voluntarily.

Not to mention the condition they were in when they were found. I don't see any way that his attorneys can make him look innocent :jail:

 

[Abby Normal Again]

Yeah, I don't think they can succeed either- but I think they are going to try.

 

[Detective Klimpt]

I'm wondering about something. First let me say that I think the way AC is getting treated in his cell is appropriate. However, being that he has not yet be tried and convicted, is it customary for a accused person in jail to be prevented from reading newspapers, mail, or having visitors? Is there something unique about his crime that has him treated this way? I am clueless about the rights of prisoners, but I've always thought they could be visited and receive mail and gifts from family.

 

[jking]

I'm wondering about something. First let me say that I think the way AC is getting treated in his cell is appropriate. However, being that he has not yet be tried and convicted, is it customary for a accused person in jail to be prevented from reading newspapers, mail, or having visitors? Is there something unique about his crime that has him treated this way? I am clueless about the rights of prisoners, but I've always thought they could be visited and receive mail and gifts from family.

As far as mail and gifts and visits, if he is on suicide watch, then I would imagine they would not allow any of these. Someone could potentially give him something that he could use to hurt himself or someone else. I have no problem with him being treated this way, whether he is on suicide watch or not.

 

[Cappuccino]

No kidding (re: the point about insanity).

The ONLY thing that scares me about life without parole is that it feels like it's not quite as definitive as the DP. I've ranted about this before so I'll keep it short, but when a 20 year prison sentence ends up translating to a potential 2 years served, it's hard for me to believe in any sentence. (see: Abigail Young, TX, Up for Parole on a Yearly Basis, next review begins 4/01/2013 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community for a case like that - her first parole hearing was 2 years into her sentence if I understand it correctly). So does LWOP actually MEAN LWOP? Always? I used to think it was completely silly that someone would get multiple life sentences until I realized the vast difference (IMO) of what sentences say vs. what they actually mean. I would rather see him suffer in prison for the rest of his life, but that leaves the possibility that somehow, some way, he could get back out, and that thought terrifies me.

LWOP means LWOP. If that is the sentence he receives he'll never get out. Personally I think its more definitive than the death penalty because when the sentence is death there are a whole raft of mandatory appeals, which doesn't happen with a life sentence.