Ariel Castro’s Neighbor Charged For Rape And Murder

Ariel Castro’s Neighbor, Elias Acevedo, aged 49, was arrested and charged with kidnapping, raping and murdering his neighbor, Pamela Pemberton, back in 1994.

He is also accused of murdering Christina Adkins, a pregnant girl aged just 18 who went missing in 1995. On top of those charges Acevedo has also been charged of raping two other young woman.

FBI spokeswoman Vicki Anderson spoke about what led to the initial suspicions and ultimate arrest of Acevedo:

“Because the public became more aware and investigators were determined and relentless, people were re-interviewed and there was an increased interest in these missing person cases,” she said.

Acevedo was Ariel Castro’s Neighbor and actually lived on the same block as him. Acevedo was arrested in June and questioned along with another Ariel Castro’s Neighbor. This ultimately led to the revelation by police that Acevedo was a convicted sex offender.

Acevedo was a suspect back in the 90’s for the disappearance of Adkins and Pemberton. The FBI reopened their files on the cases following the Ariel Castro case.

Seymour Avenue, the street where Ariel Castro’s neighbor lived, received international acclaim after three woman, amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, were discovered living in the basement at Ariel Castro’s home, also on Seymour Avenue.

During his time in jail Ariel Castro’s neighbor confessed to the murders of the two woman after his DNA was linked to one of the 1993 rapes.

Prosecutors will most likely seek the death penalty for Ariel Castro’s neighbor, Acevedo, according to the spokesman for the Cuyahoga County prosecutor’s office.

The FBI said that Acevedo led them to a manhole where he had placed Adkin’s body over 18 years ago. Adkin’s remains are being identified at the moment after her ID card was found near to the manhole.

Ariel Castro’s neighbor is incarcerated in local jail house pending more police investigations. Castro pleaded guilty to 937 charges against him but was found dead in his prison cell in what is widely believed to be suicide.

Acevedo is charged with 115 kidnapping charges and 173 charges involving rape. He also admitted to raping two girls, one since she was eight and the other since she was 11-years-old.

The FBI spokeswoman, anderson said about the arrest of Ariel Castro’s neighbor: “It is definitely bittersweet, you hate to give this news to the family but you hope it give them some closure.”

Ariel Castro‘s neighbor is due to be arraigned in the local county court on Monday, he is yet be assigned an attorney to represent him.