The brothers of Ariel Castro have said they knew nothing of their brother’s alleged kidnapping and holding of three girls over a decade-long period at his Cleveland home.
Brothers Pedro and Onil Castro were arrested last week along with Ariel Castro, but they were released soon after. Their mugshots were taken and displayed next to Ariel’s, as shown by media entities across the world.
Ariel Castro is also accused of torture, rape, sexual abuse, and causing as many as five miscarriages while holding Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight in his home.
Both men, according to CNN, are now in hiding along with other family members. They said they have had rocks thrown at them, while also receiving death threats.
The brothers told the network in an interview they are afraid if people will link them to their brother. “Absolutely,” Onil Castro said after asked if they are worried.
“And the people out there that know me, they know that Onil Castro is not that person and has nothing to do with that. Would never even think of something like that,” he added. “I was a very liked person, individual. I’ve never had any enemies. No reason for anybody to think that I would ever do something like that. It’s a shock to all my friends. They couldn’t believe it,” he continued.
Pedro Castro added that he could “never” think of abducting or keeping women locked up. “If I knew that my brother was doing this ... I would not be, not -- in a minute, I would call the cops because that ain’t right,” he said.
“But yeah, it’s going to haunt me down because people going to think, yeah, Pedro got something to do with this and Pedro don’t have nothing to do with this. If I knew, I would have reported it, brother or no brother,” he said.
Last week, Ariel Castro described himself to police as “cold-blooded,” and said that he had no control of his impulses. He also recalled the abductions of the three women in precise detail, including what he was wearing at the time, according to USA Today.
A letter penned by Castro was also found in his home in which he blamed the girls for their abductions, writing that they chose to get into his car, according to the paper.
The abductions were not planned and seemed to be impulsively committed, the publication notes.
Castro, a 52-year-old unemployed bus driver, was arrested on Monday and is being held on $8 million bond. He was also placed on suicide watch.
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