Ariel Castro’s Home Will Be Demolished This Week

Ariel Castro’s home will be demolished this week as part of his guilty plea to 937 counts of rape, kidnapping, and aggravated murder. Castro will also spend the rest of his life in prison for the crimes.

Ahead of the scheduled demolition, Castro’s two children, Anthony and Angie, showed up a the Cleveland house where they spent part of their childhoods to collect mementos and possessions before the house is lost forever.

The project is slated to start on Wednesday, according to News Net 5. As part of the plea, Castro will pay more than $22,000 for the demolition.

Clothing and other items from the home will be given to Castro’s family and any additional money will go toward the city’s eventual use of the property.

Ariel Castro was convicted of the kidnapping and repeated rape of three Cleveland women. Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight were discovered at the house in May almost a decade after they went missing nearby.

NBC News reports that several possessions were taken by Castro’s children, including photos and other mementos of the pair’s mother. The experience of being inside the house where three girls were held captive by their father was likely difficult for the two siblings.

Anthony Castro commented last week that it was emotional and difficult for him and his sister to go into the house, knowing what had happened inside. Anthony also commented that his father “doesn’t have any value for human life.” He added, “It’s stressful to do this, but this is one of the last steps for our family to put this all behind us.”

And that’s something Ariel Castro’s relatives are looking forward to. Castro’s victims are also establishing themselves in the free world again and looking for healing from the trauma they suffered.

In looking for that healing, Knight was seen by the house on Friday. She thanked Castro’s neighbors for their support. One commented that Knight “didn’t say a lot” while she was there.