Ariel Castro was arraigned on Thursday, appearing in court for the first time since he and his two brothers were arrested in the case of the three kidnapped women in Cleveland. The brothers were not charged, but Ariel was arraigned on four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape.
Castro reportedly spent the majority of the hearing looking down at his feet. USA Today reports:
In a brief explanation of the charges, prosecutor Brian Murphy alleged that Castro had “snatched three young ladies from the streets” and forced them to endure a “horrifying ordeal for more than a decade.”
He said the victims had been “bound, restrained and sexually assaulted.”
“They were never free to leave this residence,” he said, referring to Castro’s home on Seymour Avenue.
Bail was set at $8 million. Judge Lauren Moore ordered that he have no contact with the victims or their families, should he post bond.
Two of the three women – Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus – returned home on Wednesday. The third, Michelle Knight, remains in a hospital in Cleveland.