Ariel Castro Dead: Cleveland Kidnapper Found Hanging In His Cell

Ariel Castro died on Tuesday night after prison guards discovered him hanging in his cell.

Castro was being held at the Correction Reception Center in Orient, Ohio after he was sentenced on August 1 to life in prison, plus 1,000 years.

The 52-year-old was found guilty of kidnapping and sexually assaulting Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight, and Gina DeJesus. He held the three girls captive in his Cleveland, Ohio home for more than 10 years.

19 Action News reported Ariel Castro’s death on Tuesday night, saying it received a statement from JoEllen Smith of the Department of Corrections.

The statement read that Castro was found hanging in his cell around 9:20 pm local time. He was being housed in protective custody, meaning he was in a single cell and guards looked in on him every 30 minutes.

When they found the Cleveland kidnapper hanging, medical staff immediately attempted life saving measures on him. He was transported to OSUMC and was pronounced dead there at 10:52 pm.

The statement added, “A thorough review of this incident is underway and more information can be provided as it becomes available pending the status of the investigation.”

Twitter users immediately reacted to the news of Ariel Castro’s death. The majority of them weren’t sad to see it happen. One user wrote, “I’m going to need a moment to cope with the news that Ariel Castro is dea…I’m over it.”

Castro was arrested in May after the three girls, along with Berry’s six-year-old daughter, were discovered at his home. He was charged two days later with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape. However, the charges mounted quickly.

The Cleveland kidnapper eventually pleaded guilty in July to 937 charges against him as part of a plea deal to keep him from a possible death penalty sentence. He also forfeited his assets, gave up his right to appeal, and was not allowed to profit from his crimes in any way.

As the news of Ariel Castro’s death by hanging is breaking, it will take time for the Department of Corrections to perform their investigation.