Grand Jury indicts Ariel Castro on 329 counts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 7, 2013

Cleveland -- A Cuyahoga County Grand Jury has returned a 329-count indictment against Ariel Castro, County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty announced today.

The indictments cover only the period from August of 2002, when the first of the three women discovered in his Seymour Avenue house last month disappeared, until February of 2007.

Castro was indicted for one act of aggravated murder – for purposely and with prior calculation and design causing the unlawful termination of another’s pregnancy, as covered by Sections 2903.01(A) and (B) of the Ohio Revised Code. He was also indicted on 139 counts of rape, 177 counts of kidnapping, seven counts of gross sexual imposition, three counts of felonious assault and one count of possession of criminal tools.

He will be arraigned on those charges next week, and a trial judge will be assigned at that time.

“Today’s indictments represent a first major step in the criminal justice process,’’ said McGinty. “Our investigation continues, and we will present our findings to the grand jury.’’

When the indictment process is complete, the County Prosecutor’s Capital Review Committee will consider whether this case is appropriate to attach a death penalty specification. The protocol for making that evaluation was posted on the web site of this office on May 21, 2013.

Please click the link below to view the entire indictment. The allegations detailed there speak for themselves. Due to the fact that this remains an ongoing investigation, this office will have no additional comment about today’s grand jury indictment.

Castro Indictment
Castro Indictment Matrix

Contact: Joseph Frolik, Director of Communication and Public Policy or Maria (Pinzone) Russo, Public Information Officer, Phone: (216) 698-2819