CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland man accused of holding three women captive in his home for about a decade pleaded guilty Friday in a deal to avoid the death penalty.
In exchange, prosecutors recommended Ariel Castro be sentenced to life without parole plus 1,000 years.
Castro, 53, said he understood that he would never get out of prison, saying he expected he was "going to get the book thrown at me." He later added, "I knew that when I first spoke to the FBI agent when I first got arrested."
Castro, wearing glasses for the first time in court, was far more interactive than in previous court appearances when he mostly kept his head down and eyes closed. During Friday's hearing, he answered the judge's questions in a clear, intelligible voice, saying he understood the proceedings and that he would never be released from prison.
Castro, who was born in Puerto Rico, said he could read and understand English well but had trouble with comprehension.