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Cleveland Abduction (2015)
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream Merrily, merrily, merrily merrily Life is but a dream Row, row, row your boat Gently down a stream And if you see a crocodile Go ahead and... Scream! I have to go to work, huggy bear. No! No? But if I don't get a job, then we won't get our own place. Then we can sing, "Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily," all day long every day, and play...Train Man. No, Train Man now! Choo-choo-choo-choo! - Choo-choo-choo! - Here we go. Go. I'm gonna be the rotten egg. Ah, you won! Mom! Mom, I've got to go, come on. Come here, baby boy. Come to Grandma. Mom, if he's playing in the yard, can you--can you please watch over him? And put him down for a nap. He'll be a grumpy monster otherwise, all day. Enough already. I took care of you, and you didn't get eaten by tigers, did you? You really want to get into that right now? If you want a job, you better get moving. Joey, guess what. When I get back today, I'm gonna have a job. And guess who's gonna bring you the biggest present ever? Me. Yeah. - Here you go. - Okay. I hope you don't mind, but... I've never worked at a laundromat before. I think you'd do good here. Oh, yes, that's awesome. Just one more blank to fill in, the year you graduated high school. Yeah...well, I wanted to finish high school, but I didn't have nobody to watch my kid. But I swear to you, if you hire me, you won't be sorry. Oh, honey... I wish I could. Sorry. Okay. Where's my mom? She's supposed to be watching him. What are you playing with? Come here, baby. What, no. Let go of my mommy. You little bastard! Ms. Knight, may I speak with you? Yeah. The injuries your son suffered are consistent with abuse. No, no, no, no. I told the doctor, he fell off the slide today. Michelle, until we know that you can provide a safer environment, I'm going to have to recommend-- Please, don't take my son. Please. Michelle... You don't understand. He's... He's so sensitive. He's... He needs me. Like, he'll be crushed. Please. Please don't take my baby. You can't just take someone's baby from them. It's not right. Hey, Michelle, you see Joey today? Yeah, he's so amazing. When's he gonna be home? Well, they said, now that I'm out of my mom's house and I'm living with my cousin, the social worker said, like, two weeks. - Whoa, two weeks? - Mm-hmm. My hearing's on Tuesday, and I've been putting millions of applications. And guess what? I already got three of them that called me back. - Wow. - I know. Oh, it's my dad, listen to how much of a goofball he is. Hey! Ready to go? 'Cause I'm heading down 45th, fixing to pick you up. I'm on the porch. I'll see you in a second, mija. Wow, a dad that's still around, huh? What a concept. We're not, like, that perfect family. All right. I'll see ya. Good luck at your court hearing. Okay, bye. Hello? - It's me. - Hey, you almost here? - I'm not gonna make it. - What? I'm sorry, I just lost track of the time. You lost track of the time? If I don't get to court on time, they're gonna report me. It's only 11:00. You have till 2:00. You know what I'll just get myself there. But honey-- Right back in the corner. - Excuse me. - Hi. Do you know where 2950 Bridge Avenue is? I have no idea. - Okay. - Sorry. I know where it is. You know it? I know you. Emily's dad. Yeah, I live right near to her mom. You know where this address is? Yeah, it's a 45-minute walk from here, at least. 45 minutes? Oh, man. I only have 30 minutes to get there. My kid, he's in foster care, and I've got meetings with the social workers, and... If I don't get there soon, I'm gonna lose him for longer. I can give you a ride. I can have you there, like, in ten minutes. Really? And after your appointment, I can take you and Emily to the mall. And I've got really cold A/C in my truck. And in fact, it's so cold, that's my initials: A.C. Ariel Castro. Oh. Okay. All right. Ugh, it looks like you live in here. I'm a bachelor. I just had a great idea. Does your little boy like puppies? Yeah, he loves all types of animals. 'Cause my dog just had puppies, and there's a few left in the litter. Think of his little face a when he sees cute little puppy. It won't take a half a minute, and I'll still get you there early, I swear. Oh, no, no, no, I can't be late for this appointment. I'm sorry. Hey, no worries. I will get you to your social workers with time to spare. Okay, all right. Sorry, it wouldn't open from the inside. I have to fix it. Oh. Oh, is that her? She's so cool. - It's Maxine. Is she friendly? Yeah. She's a beauty, huh? Yeah. Hi. Hi, pretty. Why isn't she upstairs with her babies? Even mamas need a break every once in a while. You've got to see the puppies. Little, little babies. Okay, can we be really quick? Yeah. Hi. Hey, the bachelor's life. I don't really get a chance to clean up much. Well, if you're... The puppies are up here. Don't want to bring them down, 'cause they'll go running around loose, and then they'll get out of the house. - Okay. - This way. There's Emily. Oh, that's a cute picture. Through here. In the pink room. They're probably snoozing right now, but that's when they're the cutest, when they're all snuggled up together. Where are they? No, please don't hurt me! Listen, listen. Don't move. Why are you doing this? I have to--I have to go pick up my son! Please... I have to go! I have to go! I have to go! I won't tell you again. You don't move. Why are you doing this to me? You don't understand! Shut up. Why? Aah! I wasn't planning to kill you, but if you don't shut up, it could change. Please... No. You're only going to be here for a little while. So I just want us to be friends. My bitch wife... she took my kids away. I just someone to be here for me. I need you. What's this? How old are you? I'm 21. Jeez. I thought you were 15. Hey... What a cute kid. No, please, that's my only one. No. Shut up. Please. You--oh! Shut up. You stop making noise. You stop making noise. Just so you know, in case you think that these ropes and these locks, that it's not enough... Huh? If I shot you right now, I would be missing out on a whole lot of fun. But don't think that I won't do it. You see? It's loaded, you see? Okay. Help me! Shh, stay. Stay. Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me. In here! In here, help me! Please. Hola, Ariel. Afternoon, Mario. Mam, Is this the First time she hasn't come home? No, but she wouldn't miss her appointment at Social Services unless there was something wrong. Any chance this is all just too much for her and she just simply took off? Just give us a call if you hear from her, all right? Have a good day, ma'am. Hey, hey. I got you my favorite. See? Here. Come on, hey. Okay, you're gonna be hungry. Will you please let me go? Come on, get up. Come on. Oh! No, please. If you let me go, I won't say anything. You shut up. No. This is payment for your services. Gonna keep it in here. Gently down the stream Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily Life is but a dream My daughter Emily said... everybody thinks that you freaked out and you took off. You abandoned your little boy. You. There's no posters on poles, no...no search parties. Do you know what that means? Hey. I can do whatever I want with you. I'm all you got. Mama. Help me! Help! Smart one. I'm not worried. You'll learn. Eat. Look, my mother made it. It's not poisoned. Look. Mm. It's good. It's really good. Smells good. See? If I was gonna kill you, I would just shoot you with my gun. Here. Ah, good girl. Good girl. Good. All right. Here. Watch your timing on the E right there at the end there. Oye, Pie, watch your own timing. What's got you so happy? Sex on a shelf, bro. Come on, let's do this. One, two, three, and... I wish I didn't have to hurt you. But I can't help it. I got molested... by someone who was supposed to be watching out for me. And nobody did nothing about it. Hey, hey. It's okay. I'm sorry that you had to suffer like that. You know that because you was hurt, doesn't mean you have to hurt people back, you know. Imagine if someone was doing this to your daughter. Hmm? You know, if you let me go right now, I would never tell anybody. I would just say I got in, like, an accident and passed out, and... And I swear to you, it's...it's what I would say. Well... That sounds like a really good idea. I got me a real little sharp one here, huh? Yeah. When do you feel like doing this? Right now, right this second? - What? - Come on. Come on, girl. Get up. I can't, can't walk very well. Well, then I reckon I'm gonna have to carry your sweet little ass. Thank you. Whoo, this is a good idea! Where are you going? Are you stupid enough to think that I was gonna let you out of here that easy? What? But after everything you said to me! Please! You have to let me go! Maybe I'll let you go, maybe not. Maybe I'll let you go at Christmas. No! jingle bells jingle bells Jingle all the way Oh, what fun it is to ride In a one-horse open sleigh Hey It's Santa Claus... with a present for guess who. Ah. Ah. Okay. Hey, there's rules with TV, just like there's rules with everything else. Actually, just... one rule. Can you guess what it is? No, I'm sure you're gonna tell me. No... no blacks! No African-Americans, or I'll take it away! Do it again. Just sing? Sing it again. Living all alone In the corners of my mind Hoping and praying and wishing To see you one more time To see you one more time To see you one more time Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh You wrote that? That's beautiful. You think you could write something for me? I could bring it in, and then I could play lead on it. It would be really good for me. Well, I already wrote you something. You already did? Want to see it? Sure. I titled it Concrete. Concrete. "Now I lay here on the floor, "shivering and ashamed, "because no one truly loves me or cares about me." This is about you, not me. Yeah? I wouldn't be so sure. What are you talking about? You're in prison, and it's worse than me, 'cause the prison is you. You know what? You're stupider than I thought. I mean, aren't you cold yet and shivering 'cause nobody cares about you? You shut the hell up! Shut up! Ariel? Hey, come on, let's go. Hey, hermano. Ariel. Hola. Hey, Dad. Hi. Thanks for bringing them by. They've been dying to see you, man. Hey, hey, hey, hey. Where are you going? To my old room to see if my gym uniform's there. It's not there. I cleared everything out. I was just gonna go look anyway. I said it's not there, and it's a mess. Come on, forget about it. Who wants hot dogs? Hot dogs? What's that? It's the dog. I had to lock her upstairs. She was tearing up my stuff. Oh. You know, I've been cooped up all day inside. Let's go outside, everybody. Come on, outside, let's go. Hey. Don't be scared. It's okay. You had to try that once. Unh! One day you're gonna be a big, big boy, and you're gonna be the king of the second basemen. And guess what? You watch them try to get past you. I'll be sitting there so proud. Who you talking to in here? My son. Don't let me hear it again. Ugh. You got a visitor. Puppy? For me? Hi, puppy. Come here. Oh, my gosh, he's so cute. Hey, baby puppy. Mm. Mm. Come here. He better only crap in the box. Okay, it will. Come here. Oh, he's so cute. Off to work I go. You be good. Oh, my God. He made a mistake. He didn't lock it. We're going home. You think I'm that big of an idiot, huh? Is that what you think? Huh? Oh, my God. You're gonna pray for mercy. No! Aah! You stupid bitch! You're not what I wanted! How come I never, ever get what I want? Why? Why? Shh! No, please, let her go! - Come here! - Let her go! No! Run! Run! - Come here! - Run, run, run! Help us! Help us, help us! Let her go! Please let her go! Let her go! Come on! Anyone that's seen anything, or even thinks they have, call the number on the flyer. I want my baby girl to come home to me. In the four weeks since Amanda Berry went missing, police have yet to come up with a-- No, no, no. No, no, no. You're in the front room now. Who are you? I'm Michelle Knight. We had art together. You don't remember? How long have you been in here? Since August. Nine months. Shh, no talking between you two unless I'm there. If I hear one word, one of you dies. No, no! You got that? Sit down. No! No, no. No, please. Please, don't. Please, please. Shh, shh. Amanda. Amanda. He said not to talk. You and I need to come up with a plan and trick him so we can get out of here. Amanda. Please don't talk. Please. Amanda? On the day that marks two months since Amanda Berry disappeared on her way home from work, friends, family, and neighbors have gathered here on this busy street corner where the 17-year-old was last seen. Row, row, row your boat Gently down the stream Crap. There's a lot of stuff that she won't do. So you have to. Since when did you start asking for permission? Hey, why are you only getting fat in one spot? I'm not. Did the moron go and get herself pregnant? No. - I'm not having it. - I didn't. I'm not having one of your ugly babies in this house! Come here. Stay away from me. Come here! Stay away from me! Oh! Tomorrow, it better be gone. Good news, little girl. I got a job out back that needs doing, so guess what, missy. You and me, we're going outside. Here, but these on. Come on. Okay, I need you to hold these boards while I cut them. Grip the boards. Making my coffin? Don't give me any ideas. Hey! Eyes, eyes. Hold the boards. Amanda. Don't talk. There was a guy outside. He saw me. He saw the chains. He saw it all. He's gonna call the police, and we're going home. They're here. The cops are here. They're coming up. Oh, thank you, thank you. Thank you. Hey! Hey! Did you see what he did to me? Amanda, I told you. They're here. All units respond. Officer down. Let's go. 19-4 responding. No. Ow! Mommy? Mommy. Joey? Mommy? I'd never leave you. I'm sorry. Happy birthday, Joey. Pick up the drill. You're gonna drill two holes in that baseboard, and then run the chain in one hole and out the other. Let's go. Press it against it. Press harder. Push! Amanda. Amanda, are you in there? Yes. It was hard to tell where it was coming from because there was music playing, but...sort of over there. Well, I don't hear it now. I told you, it stopped after a few minutes. That's what scared me. Well, if you hear any more screaming, try to be sure you know where it's coming from before you call us again, okay? Well, good night. Cleveland's west side was combed inch by inch, as investigators and volunteers searched for the missing teen. Investigators said that Gina DeJesus was walking home from middle school on Friday with a friend when they went their separate ways here at the intersection of Lorraine and 110th. - I brought you some company. - That was three days ago. Sit down. Cut it short. Like the army. Be back in a minute. Oh. Every door, window, has an alarm. So don't be stupid enough and think about trying anything. And if you do, I will kill you and make the other one watch. And no talking. Just cut it short. Girl, he's just gonna get mad, okay? He said not to talk. Please don't be scared. We're gonna be okay. We're gonna get out of here. There's three of us now, so we can outsmart him. There's three of us? What are you talking about? The whole family together at last. He offered me a ride. I'm friends with his daughter Lianne. So, you know, I thought it would be okay. We need to talk about how to get out of here, okay? You need to stay alive for your mom and your dad and all your sisters, 'cause they love you. I can never see them again. Look at me. I'm filthy, I'm dirty. I think that we can get out of here, together. I think that we can get really strong. And I know his weaknesses, and we can outwit him. And you want to know why else? 'Cause God... God is in this room. Every day with me, He's here. And He has not let me down yet. I just want my mom. I just want my mom. Today, on this very painful anniversary, there is no way Nancy and me could have made it through this year without all the support and love you've given us. And again, we ask the people of Cleveland to notify the police if you see or hear anything that can help us find our Gina and bring her home safe. Nancy... I love Gina. You know we're all doing everything we can to bring her home. Bless you, Ariel. Bless you. You got to see what's on TV. In the meantime, a large crowd has gathered, including Gina's family... Oh, man, look. Look at the look on your mom's face. If she only knew who she was blubbering all over. Oh, hey, hey. Don't cover that beautiful face. Hey, dude, hey. Hey, dude, I'll do it. Hey, dude, dude. Let me do it, let me do it. - Shut up. - You shut up. I'll do whatever you want tonight. You're just pissed off 'cause nobody's holding any candlelight vigils for you. That's why I hate you! Nobody loves you! Nobody misses you! Yeah, they do. Yeah, they do! You hate yourself! You hate your-- Michelle... I can't reach you. I can't reach you. I can't reach you. 17...18... 19...20. Ah. High five. I'm bored. Put on a show. He's just gonna feed our bodies to the dogs. And my mom's never gonna know what happened to me. Come here. Just leave me alone, okay? We're gonna get through this, okay? The only thing that has the possibility to kill us is this freaking cold right now. And there's only one solution for that. Music time. Very good. Very. Get up, get up Like that. All the boys in the club Get up, get up It's been nearly three years since her teenage daughter disappeared. Tonight, the mother of Amanda Berry is dead. She fought tirelessly to keep alive the memory of her vanished daughter. Doctors say Louwana died of a congestive heart failure. Oh, my God. Perhaps that's the scientific term for a broken heart. Every minute of the day, she told me... Amanda's bedroom remains unchanged. Christmas ornaments... You know, I always wished that she was my mother and said those things about me. They're gonna have to stand before God someday and say what happened. Today's a special day. Gonna celebrate. I got a present for y'all, 'cause I think you're smart enough by now. Keep being good, you can say adios to these. What do you mean by adios? I mean, good-bye, no more locks. Come on, come downstairs, real quick! Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Michelle... We're out. Come on, Gina. Oh, my God, is what you don't realize is that he's playing a trick on us. Come on downstairs! Come on! This is why I did all of this, so we could be together. Like this. Like a family. Okay. Are you ready for the big announcement? Okay, right around the end of January, there's gonna be a new member to our family. How's that to ring in the New Year, huh? Really? Yeah. She's in labor. You screwed up. Why is it happening so early? How far apart are her contractions? How the hell should I know? Go, go get the pool. Move! Move! Careful. If this baby doesn't come out alive, I'm gonna pull this trigger! I got to push. No, don't push. It's too soon. Stop screaming like that! She can't help it! She's in pain! Gina, come here, come here, come here, come here. No, I don't want to go. I want to stay and help. It's not safe here now. It hurts so much! Is something wrong? Whatever's wrong, you better fix it! Oh, God! Oh! I think you're ready to push. Grab her hand! Grab her-- Grab... It's ready to-- What did you do to her, you stupid bitch? I didn't do anything to her! Maybe you dropped her or something! I don't know! All right, push. Ready? Push! Push! Push, damn it! It's a girl. You got a beautiful baby girl. Gina, grab the tie. Grab the tie. Cut above the tie. Is she okay? Why is she not breathing? Make her breathe. You want me to pull this trigger? Make her breathe. Oh, no. Please, God. Please, please. Thank you, God. Hi. Hi, pretty. Hey. I got her. Get out. Daddy's little princess? Are you my princess? Are you mine, mine, mine? Are you all mine? Are you mine, mine, mine? Huh? Oh, you're so beautiful. It's a big day in the Castro house. Okay, Jocelyn. Can you walk, huh? Can you walk? Come on, just a few more steps, Jocelyn, come on. Do that again for the camera. Three... and one for good luck. Okay, make a wish, sweetheart. So from 9:00 to 9:30, we have story time, and then it's Jocelyn's favorite class of all. - Art class. - Yes. I love you, Auntie Juju. I love you, Auntie Chelsea. Love you. Look-it. But who do you love the most? Daddy. Aw. Okay. It's recess time for the art teacher. Let's go. Yeah, I'm two payments behind on my property taxes, and I could lose my house. Yeah, I get it, I get it, I know. A job will turn up soon. Bye. You got that from the trash? So? It's perfectly good. Like I'm not sick enough. Hey, it's time for my program. Come on. Everybody, mandatory. Come on. Chelsea! Missing the program is not allowed. Daddy, we should all go to the park. Mommy, Auntie Juju, and Auntie Chelsea too. No, they can't. Why not? Because they can't, okay? That's not a good because. Why can't Auntie Juju or Auntie Chelsea come? And why can't I talk about them to anyone? I want to know why. Why, why, why, why, why, why-- Okay, will you shut her up? Why, why, why-- Okay, you got to be quiet! Let her go! You gotta be quiet! - Let her go! - She's got to be quiet! Let her go! She's got to stay quiet! After I plant some corn here, I'm gonna put in some squash against the fence. Why don't you just cut the act? Okay, you shut up. Dig. I will dig. I'm gonna dig it so deep that the dogs can't dig up the evidence, and then I'll dig it big enough for the three of us. What are you gonna tell Jocelyn? Hmm? I'm warning you. That her mom just... just doesn't love her and run away? Well, she's not gonna believe you. She already hates you, so you're screwed either way. Shut up. This is what I'm afraid of. Jocelyn growing up in here, like this. I'm scared it could screw her up. Never meant for this to get this big. You know, it just got out of hand. Well, then why don't you just turn yourself in? Huh? Maybe if you turned yourself in, they won't go so hard, and they'll go easier. Right. And let my whole family know what I've been doing? Who cares about what your family thinks? It's only about God. Where was God... when He let you get into my car? You know where He was. The only time that we don't see Him is when we're scared to look. I never meant to hurt you. Or anybody. I couldn't help it. You know how I got messed up. You've told me what they had done to you, and think God knows. He's just waiting for you to open your heart. You can ask Him to take the pain away and tell Him, "I'm ready to change." - Do I feel hot? - Mm-hmm. Maybe if wear disguises, he'll have a doctor come look at you. Oh, I love this song. Let's dance. Okay. All right, come on. You got it? Hey, I'm going to my mom's house to get us some food. You be good. Why did Daddy leave the front door open? I don't know, honey. Maybe he's still here. Did you hear his car drive away? Yeah. Mommy, you can't go outside. Daddy will get mad. It's okay, honey. He'll understand. Whatever happens now, I love you, okay? Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help, help, help! I'm Amanda Berry. I've been locked in here for ten years. You can't be Amanda. She's dead. You got to get me out. He'll come back any second. Get back, kick it in, kick it in. It's okay, baby. It's okay. Cleveland PD! What was that? Probably somebody trying to break in. But who would want to break into this place? I don't hear Jocelyn. She's never quiet for this long. Go hide. - Go. - Okay. Sounds like there's two of them. Police, is anybody up here? Michelle. Police, is anybody up here? Anybody can say they're the police, and it could be him trying to trick us, all right? Get down, and stay down, and do not come out until I say. Okay? Answer me if you can hear. Is anybody here? Hey, come on out. It's okay. Hey, we're the police. You're the police? Police? You saved us. Thank you. Thank you. Gina... Gina, they found us. We're free. I'm Georgina DeJesus. Oh, my Lord. I've been looking for you for nine years. Let's get you out of here. No, no. Please, he could show up and kill. It's okay, I won't let you go. You're safe, it's over. 117 to base. Go 117. We found them. We found them. I'm coming home, Joey! I'm free! We're free! Oh, God. All three women were found inside a home just south of downtown Cleveland. It's an absolutely unbelievable story... It was a night full of emotion and drama... They were missing for more than... Paging Dr. Adler. Please come to X-ray... Hydrate. No men, no men. Only women. Okay, men, out. On my count, three, two, one, go. Let's go. I want to see my son. I want him to know I'm alive, please. Well, look who's awake. Morning, how do you feel? Cell is so clean. So clean. I want to see my son. Do you know where we can contact him? I don't know. He went into a foster home right before he took-- he took me. Do you think anybody here could help me? Don't worry. We'll look into it for you. Is there any family we can call for you? Nobody that wouldn't know how to find me if they wanted to. The other girls have returned home. Amanda Berry's family let's us know that her and her daughter are both resting and doing well. They ask that we continue to give them their privacy for this time of healing and recovery. And in other news... Whew. Oh, my goodness. Would you look at all that? I swear, we need to give some of this away. Yes. Except for this one. What a cutie. Aw. Joey would love this. I keep forgetting that Joey's almost 16 now. I wonder if I would even recognize him at this point, or if he would remember me. Yeah. Excuse me. Excuse me. Jake Solano, FBI. Can we talk for a minute? Is that all right? Jake Solano, FBI? I think the doctors promised you something once you were cleared for solid food. Mm. A cheeseburger from Steak 'n Shake? Mm-hmm, with triple fries and a cheesecake blizzard from Dairy Queen. Thank you. Oh, my God. You are an angel, a million times over. Mm. Mm, mm. I think I better not rush it. Oh, here. Whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. It's okay. I'm sorry. You know, whenever he wanted me to shut up, he would... put that kind of napkin down my throat. I just want to find my son. Have you found my son? Not yet, but trust me, we're on it. Michelle? Oh, hey. Sorry. Your mother's here. Can you please tell her that I'm not up for it today? Actually, please tell her that I don't want to see her. Or else she's gonna keep coming back. Are you sure? Carla, you've seen parents of missing children, right? They keep the kids' bedrooms in tact as if they never... went missing, or they keep their voice on the voicemail so they can listen to their kid's voice again and again and again, even if it is ten years. He always told me nobody cared, always. One time he marched in my room and he said, "Told you nobody cared. Your mom packed up and moved to Florida." There was never one candlelight vigil for me. Okay? Thank you. I was beginning to think the world was just all blurry. Your therapist was here again to see you. I'm not ready yet, please. Ariel Castro, standing in the court during the arraignment, eyes cast down all the time, never looking up at anyone. No other reaction from the man. Also with him were his two brothers, who have been, eventually, released. So when will I get to put Joey's school picture in this frame? Well, at this point, it's about waiting for the adoption agency to respond to our request. You...you gonna be okay here? Yeah, am I gonna be okay? A queen-size bed and all these chairs to sit in, just for me, for the first time in my life. Yes, I'm gonna be great. Well, then I'm glad you're happy. And I'll check in on you as soon as I can. Okay. I miss him so much. It's like, what does he even look like? I wonder if his name is still Joey. Michelle... I've been talking to my parents, and--I don't know. Maybe I just... I just need to start living my normal life, just for right now. Well, what do you mean? You can't just pretend like this never happened and go back. Look... I'll see you again soon, okay? I promise. Just...not right away. I'm sorry. I love you. I love you too. Hi. So did you find Joey? Um...I think maybe you should sit down. Joey's foster parents adopted him when he was four years old, and they've decided that it's not in his best interest to see you. He's--he's doing well. They just don't want any of the commotion and attention to upset his life. But I'm not trying to upset him. I just wanted to hold him and hug him and just tell him that I love him. Can't I just do that? Well, we raised the possibility of a supervised visit. They made it very clear on what they thought was best for him. Is his name even Joey anymore? I can't tell you that. I'm sorry. May I see a picture, please? I got the strong sense that they're most comfortable with no contact whatsoever. I did talk to a family lawyer I know. According to him, in a situation where the birth mother was not consulted, the adoption can be voided. Would you talk to him about that? Do you mind if I have some time by myself, please? - Michelle? - Hey. I'm sorry if I'm intruding. - You know, I-- - No, you're not. I wanted to talk to you about something. Anything. You know, I always saw myself, more than anything, as Joey's mother. Mm. And I know that I will be somebody. But I don't want a family lawyer. You know, Joey, he's happy now, you know? He has a family, and he has a life. And I don't want to go blowing that up. It just doesn't feel right to me. You're sure? Yeah. It hurts like you wouldn't believe, but I'm sure. You're an amazing woman, Michelle. I don't know how amazing I am, you know. I don't even really know how "Michelle" I am. Maybe I am stronger than I would have been had I not gotten into that truck, you know? Mm. I mean, I literally did not know where I was going that day. But that was the caterpillar, you know? And now I'm ready for butterflies. And this was one of the crimes of the century. And Jeff, I want to ask you too about Michelle Knight, one of the victims in this case. She may appear in person in the courtroom to give her say. I find that unbelievably courageous, that a woman who's been through this hell-- and keep in mind, this man kept her in a darkened room for much of the time. She was chained up. Fed her once a day. She became pregnant, and he... You're ugly. You're stupid! Nobody loves you. Nobody's looking for you. Gonna break your face! You're not having my baby! I hate you! My name is Michelle Knight, and I would like to tell you what this was like for me. I missed my son every day, and I wondered if I was ever gonna see him again. I cried every night, because I was so alone. The days never got shorter. Days turned into nights, and nights turned into days. And the years turned into eternity. I knew at that point, nobody cared about me. Ariel Castro... you took 11 years of my life away. And I have got it back. I spent 11 years in hell, and now your hell is just beginning. The death penalty would be so much easier. You don't deserve that. You deserve to spend a life in prison. I can forgive you, but I can't forget. With the guidance of God... I will prevail and help others that suffer at the hands of others. Writing this statement gave me the strength to be a stronger woman, and I know there's more good than there is evil. I know that there is a lot of people going through hard times. But we need to reach out a hand and hold them and let them know that they're being heard. After 11 years, I'm finally being heard. And it's liberating. Thank you all. I love you. And God bless. |
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