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THE THREE WOMEN held captive in a Cleveland home for a decade issued a YouTube video to thank the public for their support and financial backing that is allowing them to restart their lives.
Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight broke their public silence about their “ordeal” in the three-minute, 30-second video issued by their public relations team.
The women had gone missing separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16, and 20 years old.
The three women appeared upbeat in the video, although Knight seemed nervous as she spoke about building a “brand new life”.
Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight – the three women held captive in a Cleveland home for a decade broke their public silence in a three-minute video. (AP Photo/Hennes Paynter Communications)
Ariel Castro has pleaded not guilty to a 329-count indictment alleging he kidnapped them off the streets and held them captive in his two-story home.
Castro, a 52-year-old former bus driver, fathered a six-year-old daughter with Berry and is accused of starving and punching Knight, causing her to miscarry. He was arrested 6 May, shortly after Berry broke through a door at the home and yelled to neighbours for help.
Here is the video of the three women thanking their supporters:
(HennesPaynterComm/You Tube)
- Additional reporting AP
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Heart warming to see them happy, safe and secure.
God help them. What a complete savage.
incredible women
Very very very strong ladies!! I am shocked over how ‘normal’ they appear after such an ordeal.
Best of luck to them :)
I hope they will be financially set up for the rest of their lives and never have to work a single day.
I’m sure they’d love to just get jobs and try to have normal lives to be honest, but I know what you mean.
While I completely agree this is now a good news story. …surely there us normality in working…??
I would say these girls would welcome a normal life, which surely includes “work”.
It is normal to work.
But, I completely understand the sentiment.
Good luck to them hope the rest of their life’s are filled with happiness, I’m just wondering does the last woman who was speaking have a disability?
The last woman on the clip had huge ability. …
and a fantastic, forgiving, life enhancing point of view.
I do hope these women are getting the care and help they need…..and they get the space, away from the glare of publicity.
Michelle Knight needed facial reconstruction surgery after her escape due to injuries she sustained from beatings by Ariel Castro.
Those poor girls. They seem so strong considering what they have been through. I hope they can lead happy lives and be able to live in normality.
Thanks for clearing that up. Just read about her there and what a horrible life she has had so far, poor girl! But Ginas family are going to legally adopt her as their own because the two are still like sisters to each other, she doesn’t want anything to do with her own family as she said they are only interested in any money she will get.
I think it’s amazing how articulate and collected they all are after their ordeal. I hope they are receiving and continue to receive all the help and support they need and not just while the media continues to focus on them as so often happens.
How does he think he will get away with pleading not guilty???
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