INSIDE CASTRO'S HOUSE OF HORRORS:
First pictures of the chains and pole kidnapper used to enslave his victims as court is told he made them wear a motorbike helmet as he raped them
'They have life sentences and will never be free of the damage done': Cleveland House of Horrors where Castro chained his victims to a pole in the basement and raped them - as doctor tells of long-term impact of abuse
- Ariel Castro wrote in a letter to police, 'Bottom line, I am a sexual predator'
- Would make the girls hold a gun to his head and dare them to shoot him
- Officer Barbara Johnson testified the girls were very thin, pale and very scared
- Michelle Knight launched herself at an officer and said, 'You saved us, you saved us!'
- Doctor said they were emotionally distraught
- Michelle Knight was emaciated an covered in bruises
- Detective Harasimchuk also told the court all three girls were vaginally, orally and anally raped throughout their time in captivity
- Expert describes victims 'terror-induced state of mind, defilement, dehumanization and how they were treated like animals and deprived of their sense of self and dignity'
By Daily Mail UK, 1 August 2013
Pictures of inside the Cleveland House of Horrors where three women were repeatedly sexually, physically and emotionally abused by Ariel Castro were shown today as a doctor told the court, 'These women have life sentences, they will never be free of the damage done'.
The detective in charge of the case described how Castro abducted the three women, took them to his home and immediately tied them in chains in the basement and raped them.
He put a motorbike helmet on each girl and left them in the dark basement overnight, Detective Harasimchuk said.
'Each woman told me they were repeatedly sexually, physically and emotionally abused by Ariel Castro during the entire time they were in captivity,' he said.
Shackled: Prosecutors are expected to detail Ariel Castro's daily assaults on the women, recounted in diaries that compared the women's experience to that of prisoners of war
Demo: Sheriff's deputies set in place a model of the house on Seymour Ave where Ariel Castro held three women for a decade
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT:
The first pictures inside Castro's house of horrors show the 99ft of rusty chain he used to enslave his victims and the pole he tied them to as he ra[ped raped them. Other photos show the pink walls of the rooms where they were held captive, fluffy toys and Disney posters. The sentencing could take up to four hours, court officials said, with Castro, his attorneys, his victims and prosecutors getting a chance to speak. In the court filing, McGinty offered new details of Castro's treatment of the women, who he said were kept 'in a state of powerlessness' through physical, sexual and psychological violence.
Restraints: A rusty chain can be seen over a dirty mattress on the floor of the room Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight shared
Prison: The court is being shown around the Cleveland House of Horrors through police photos
Basement: The pole the girls were all chained to and raped many times throughout their time in captivity is pictured
Document: The diary entries speak of forced sexual conduct, of being locked in a dark room, of anticipating the next session of abuse, of the dreams of someday escaping and being reunited with family, of being chained to a wall, of being held like a prisoner of war, of being treated like an animal'
FBI agent Andrew Burke said he had been familiar with DeJesus' and Amanda Berry's disappearances prior to their discovery earlier this year.
He described the moment he saw the girls as 'surreal' as they were so pale and malnourished.
'I'll never forget it,' he said. 'It was surreal to me. I had been involved in the missing persons investigations for quite some time.'
He talked the court through pictures of inside the home, describing how the back door was equipped with an alarm, a bedspread separated the kitchen and living area, a porch swing obstructed a flight of stairs and a curtain was put over the stairs leading to the area where the women were held captive.
Bedroom windows were boarded shut from the inside with heavy closet doors and doorknobs had been removed and replaced with multiple locks, he said. The house was divided in ways to make it more secure and to hide the existence of rooms, he said.
Pictures of dirty mattresses draped in chains were shown as Burke explained it was from the room Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight lived.
Authorities also found a 'significant amount' of cash in a washing machine in the basement, the same room as the pole the women were chained to while he raped them.
On occasion, Castro would throw the money at the women after sexually abusing them and require they pay him to pick up any special items for them when he left the house, the agent said.
He would also force them to hold a gun to his head and dare them to shoot him.
The letter written by Castro was found in his home and shown in court. It read 'Confession and Details' at the top.
Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Detective Dave Jacobs said he talked with Castro a few days after the women escaped and that Castro said, 'I knew what I did was wrong.'
Early in the hearing, Castro tried to apologize to the victims, but after speaking with the judge said he would do that later in the proceeding.
Admission: Ariel Castro wrote a letter saying he was a sexual predator who needed help but did not bother to get it
Torture: Castro forced the women to wear a motorbike helmet while he raped them
Malnourished: Pictures of Gina deJesus,and Amanda Berry, on the day they were rescued
Gina DeJesus: All of the victims were described as being malnourished, pale, gaunt and dehydrated
Pale: Amanda Berry being interviewed right after she escaped from captivity
Ariel Castro: "I would like to apologize to victims"
A picture of a handwritten letter was also shown, in which Castro described the horrible things he forced the women to endure when they were in captivity while declaring: 'Bottom line, I am a sexual predator'.
The accused arrived in court just after 9am shackled in his orange prison jumpsuit to learn his fate and come face-to-face with one of his victims for the first time since they were rescued.
Michelle Knight, who suffered for the longest and most severely, is expected to come face-to-face with her tormenter for the first time since she was rescued to speak about the horrific abuse.
Officer Barbara Johnson was the first to take the stand today. As one of the first responders to the 'house of horrors' on Seymour Avenue, Cleveland, she described the girls as very pale, very thin and very scared when they found them.
She said: 'Michelle Knight literally launched herself at another officer and kept repeating,
"You saved us, you saved us".'
Dr Gerald Maloney, the emergency room doctor on duty when the three victims were taken to the hospital, described them as 'very much emotionally fragile at the time' and said Knight requested that no male physicians attend to her.
He said Michelle Knight specifically was bruised and emaciated. Every witness described the girl's as malnourished, pale and traumatized.
Dr Frank Ochberg told the court: These women have life sentences, they will never be free of the damage done
As one of the first responders to the 'house of horrors' on Seymour Avenue, Cleveland, Officer Barbara Johnson described the girls as very pale, very thin and very scared when they found them
Physician: Dr Maloney said that all three women were emotionally distraught and said they'd been sexually assaulted and held against their will in the house
Investigation: Detective Harasimchuk told the court how Castro abducted each of the three women and that they were 'sexually, emotionally and mentally abused the entire time they were in captivity'
Hearing: Prosecutors detailed Ariel Castro's daily assaults on the women, recounted in diaries that compared the women's experience to that of prisoners of war
Evidence: Ariel Castro, 53, sits between his attorneys Jaye Schlachet, right, and Craig Weintraub, left, in the courtroom with a model of Castro's home in Cleveland, Ohio
Detective Harasimchuk also told the court all three girls were vaginally, orally and anally raped throughout their time in captivity.
He said all three women were abducted after Castro offered them a ride and that each was chained in his basement and sexually assaulted within a few hours of being kidnapped.
With the possibility of the death penalty for a forced miscarriage taken off the table, Castro stands to get life in prison plus 1,000 years today.
Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty said in a sentencing memorandum filed on Wednesday that Castro, who chained his captives and fed them only one meal a day, 'admits his disgusting and inhuman conduct' but 'remains remorseless for his actions'.
The memorandum says many of the specific charges in Castro's indictment reflect conduct documented by one of the women in her diary.
'The entries speak of forced sexual conduct, of being locked in a dark room, of anticipating the next session of abuse, of the dreams of someday escaping and being reunited with family, of being chained to a wall, of being held like a prisoner of war ... of being treated like an animal,' it says.
Diaries kept by Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight, and Gina de Jesus while held captive for a decade in an Ohio home have helped US prosecutors describe their suffering
Cleveland police posted Knight's touching handwritten note on their Facebook page on Wednesday evening
.