Ariel Castro: Guards On Leave Following Suicide

Ariel Castro’s guards are on leave following his suicide. Caleb Ackley, age 26, and Ryan Murphy, age 27, were placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues.

Castro committed suicide by hanging on September 3. Prison staff discovered Castro in his cell with a bed sheet around his neck. They attempted to revive the inmate with CPR. However, he was pronounced dead at 10:50 pm.

As reported by ABC News, the suicide is being investigated by the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The prison is also conducting an internal review of the incident.

JoEllen Smith, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, notes that the guards are not currently being disciplined. Administrative leave is standard in the unnatural death of an inmate.

As reported by CBS News, both guards were hired in 2007. Their records are free from disciplinary action.

Ariel Castro was serving a life sentence for the kidnapping, rape, and torture, of three teens. Amanda Berry, Georgina “Gina” DeJesus, and Michelle Knight, were held captive in Castro’s home for more than 10 years.

With help from neighbors, all three girls escaped the Cleveland home on May 6. Castro was identified as their captor and arrested. He was eventually charged with over 900 criminal violations.

Following his arrest, Castro remained in an isolated cell. He was allowed to leave the cell for one hour each day. However, most of his time was spent alone.

Although he was not on suicide watch, Ariel Castro’s guards routinely checked the cell every 30 minutes.

Castro’s attorney, Craig Weintraub, blames the prison for the suicide. He contends that his client should have been on suicide watch. He asked the prison to review their procedures for psychological assessment.

Union official Tim Shafer says that Ariel Castro’s guards are simply being used as “scapegoats.” He says the guards did not do anything wrong.