Ariel Castro's son reveals the brutal beatings he suffered as a child at the hands of his evil father - and tells of his relief the Cleveland kidnapper will never be able to hurt anyone again
- Anthony Castro said he has no intention of visiting his father in prison 'where he belongs'
- Says he is haunted every time he looks in the mirror about his father's crimes
- His life sentence is justice for what he did to Anthony's mother
- Would cry himself to sleep because of the beatings
The son of Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro today described the severe beatings he received when he was a child and expressed relief that his father will never be able to hurt anyone again.
Anthony Castro appeared on the Today show this morning, a few days after his rapist father accepted a plea deal which will see him spend the rest of his life in prison for the kidnap and repeated sexual assault of three women.
He said: 'I cannot express how happy I am that my father will never be able to hurt anyone again. Behind bars is where he belongs for the rest of his life. I have absolutely nothing to say to him.
'What he did still haunts me. I have the same name as him and when I look in the mirror I see the resemblance and I think about what he did and how horrible it is and I am overcome with that.'
Anthony Castro said: 'I cannot express how happy I am that my father will never be able
to hurt anyone again. I have absolutely nothing to say to him'
Speaking out: Anthony appeared on the Today show a few days after his rapist father
accepted a plea deal which will see him spend the rest of his life in prison
Describing his upbringing at the hands of his father, he said: 'He was incredibly strict, he had a temper.
I mean he wasn't a monster 24/7 but if you crossed him there would be consequences'
Anthony said: 'He's been lying to his family for the past ten, 11 years at every possible turn.
I have no trust in him. I can't see myself going to visit him and giving him the opportunity to face me and lie to me again'
Ariel Castro's son: He deserves life sentence
Described his cruel upbringing at the hands of his father, who on Friday blamed porn and child abuse on his sickening crimes.
'I would cry myself to sleep because my legs were covered in welts from his belt and I had to watch my mom get beat up. No one should ever have to see their mom crumpled in a heap on the floor beaten.'
By accepting the deal on Friday, Castro escaped the death penalty and withdrew his previous not guilty pleas in all 977 counts against him.
It also means his three victims Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus will not have to testify about their more than ten-year ordeal in front of a jury.
Anthony Castro said the fact his father will never see the light of day again is justice for his mother, who would have turned 50 this week.
He also said he has no plans to go and see his father in jail.
'He’s been lying to his family for the past ten, 11 years at every possible turn. I have no trust in him,' he said. 'I can’t see myself going to visit him and giving him the opportunity to face me and lie to me again.'
In a MailOnline exclusive after Castro's three victims were freed, Anthony revealed his dad padlocked the doors leading to his basement, his attic and his garage and never allowed his family inside.
'The house was always locked,' Anthony said. 'There were places we could never go. There were locks on the basement. Locks on the attic. Locks on the garage.'
The house will be torn down, it was revealed last week.
Among his infrequent contact with his father one conversation particularly stood out in his mind that occurred around mid-April, when Castro asked him whether he thought police would ever find Amanda Berry.
When Anthony said he thought Berry was likely dead because she had been missing so long, Ariel responded: 'Really? You think so?'
On Saturday, Amanda Berry made a surprise appearance at the day-long concert RoverFest in Cleveland, walking on stage with her family and waving at the cheering crowd before reemerging later again to join rapper Nelly.
Wearing sunglasses and dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, Berry smiled broadly while acknowledging the applause, but she didn't address the crowd.
The announcer called for 'a bigger round of applause and cheer...than any of the acts that are here' and said after she arrived on stage:
'I told her she had a little bit of time to make up on the partying and you guys could help her out tonight'.
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