The daughter of Cleveland kidnapping and rape suspect Ariel Castro didn’t mince words in describing her current mindset toward her father: “He is dead to me.”
He’s the “most evil, vile demonic animal,” said Angie Gregg, of her father, in an interview with CNN. “He is dead to me.”
The description flies in the face of her memories of growing up with him. She described her “daddy” as a “friendly, caring, doting man,” Ms. Gregg said, in CNN. Now, she just wants to forget him.
“There will be no visits. There will be no phone calls,” she said. “He can never be daddy again. I have no sympathy for the man.”
Ms. Gregg was raised in the same home where three women were just rescued from nearly a decade of chained-up abuse. Amanda Berry, 27, said she was forced to give birth to her 6-year-old daughter in a plastic swimming pool that would make the mess easier to clean, The Associated Press reported.
Michelle Knight, now 32, said she lost five children during pregnancy after Mr. Castro starved her and “repeatedly punched her in the stomach until she miscarried,” the AP reported.
SEE ALSO: Ohio man’s ex-relatives say he is a ‘monster’; Cleveland kidnapping suspect in jail
CNN says prosecutors will decide whether to seek additional charges on aggravated murder for the deaths of those children.
And Gina DeJesus, now 22, said she was chained in the basement, subjected to beatings and other abuse, AP reported.
Ms. Gregg isn’t the only relative of Mr. Castro’s to denounce him. Mr. Castro’s mother broke into tears during a brief Fox News broadcast and begged for forgiveness from the victims.
Several family members of Grimilda Figueroa, who was married to Mr. Castro, but left him years ago and died in 2012 from illness, painted a horrific picture of the suspect.
Many of Ms. Figueroa’s relatives called Mr. Castro a “monster” who abused and beat his wife, pushed her down a flight of stairs and broke her nose, AP reported.
Mr. Castro was arraigned earlier this week on four charges of kidnapping — for the three women and the 6-year-old girl — and three charges of rape. He is being held on $8 million bail. Prosecutors said Thursday they may seek the death penalty.
SEE ALSO: Cleveland kidnapping suspect Ariel Castro wrote: I’m a sexual predator who ‘needs help’
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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