http://bigstory.ap.org/article/plea-deal-talks-under-way-ohio-kidnapping-case

seems reasonable but the life plus 1000 years seems to cover any unexpected longevity on his point quite well.

What sort of sentence would he receive in this country?

Job at the BBC?

OBE?

pleaded guilty in a deal to avoid the death penalty

Love the fact that this is a deal…

You gotta laugh at the life plus 1000 years – or do they know something we don’t?

havent read the link in full, but why is this to avoid the death penalty? As awful as his crimes were, afaik he didn’t kill. Do the US maintain capital penalty for other offences. or does it relate to potentially causing the death of his captive’s unborn child?

The indictment included two counts of aggravated murder related to accusations that he punched and starved one woman until she miscarried.

A list of the charges is here: http://prosecutor.cuyahogacounty.us/pdf/2013_07_12/Matrix-Ariel-Castro.pdf

Details of the potential death penalty (if a new indictment had been filed) are here: http://prosecutor.cuyahogacounty.us/mnc.aspx?type=Blog&mcid=941

havent read the link in full, but why is this to avoid the death penalty? As awful as his crimes were, afaik he didn’t kill.

Maybe it’s just me but his crimes seem a lot worse than most murders are…

Maybe it’s just me but his crimes seem a lot worse than most murders are…

Agreed. Plus, the forced miscarriages could be deemed as being murder, as other have said above.

I think this is one case where no one will complain about the leniency of the sentence; unless, you are one of those death penalty obsessives, of course.

I’m not defending in any way. I genuinely didn’t know, and am genuinely surprised, that forcing a miscarriage, as awful as that is, can carry a murder charge. Has that ever been prosecuted, as opposed to being threatened as it was here?

I don’t know, but Ohio has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the oountry, and I can imagine that a forced miscarriage would be seen as tantamount to murder.

Has that ever been prosecuted, as opposed to being threatened as it was here?

Yes, illegal abortions are, unsurprisingly, illegal. Last year Sarah Catt got 8 years reduced to 3 1/2 years on appeal for aborting her child. I imagine carrying out an illegal abortion on a woman against her wishes would be considered even more serious.

I genuinely didn’t know, and am genuinely surprised, that forcing a miscarriage, as awful as that is, can carry a murder charge.

Seriously? Forcing a woman to abort a live foetus, which then dies? How is that different to beating a baby or small child until it dies? Or do you consider an unborn child to be non-living until it leaves the womb?
And before anyone asks, I’m not Catholic, and I’m not anti-abortion, I’m all for a woman’s choice as to wether to carry to full-term or not.
This was about forced termination of an unborn child, which any reasonable person would consider murder.

I think they should lock him up, then gas him in his sleep. Cheaper than keeping him in prison for life, and less cruel than the whole death row thing. Probably…..