The three women who were held in captivity for nearly a decade by Ariel Castro, the sex slave monster, have mixed feelings about his suicide.
Relatives of two of the women, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, told The Daily Mail the girls are pleased they can put the traumatic episode behind them after Castro, 53, was found dead in prison in an Ohio jail yesterday.
But the women also experienced confusion after his suicide, the relatives said, because of the warped bond they shared with him.
Jackie Figaro Roman, an aunt of Gina DeJesus, said the pair had experienced emotional turmoil since he hanged himself: “There’s so many mixed feelings about it. Gina is a little confused. We are trying to protect her because we have to remember, she was a 14-year-old girl (when she was kidnapped).”
Amanda Berry – the third captive, whose six-year-old daughter is fathered by Castro – has not commented on his death.
The three women disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14 (Gina), 16 (Amanda) and 20 years old (Michelle).
The public was startled by his apparent double life, with his reputation as a good-natured musician who even attended a vigil for one of the missing women.
Castro had served 33 days of his 1000-year sentence when he died.
He was found at 9.20 pm by prison medical staff. He was pronounced dead upon arriving at hospital.
Castro had been in protective custody because of the notoriety of his case, meaning he was checked every 30 minutes, but he was not on suicide watch, a prison spokeswoman said.
Castro was taken off suicide watch in June after authorities determined he was not a risk.
At his sentencing, Castro told the judge he was suffering from a pornography addiction.
The women escaped from Castro’s home May 6, when Amanda Berry broke part of a door and yelled to neighbors for help.
Investigators said the women had been bound with chains, repeatedly raped and deprived of food and bathroom facilities.
Knight told investigators she was beaten and starved several times to force her to miscarry.
The two other women were so scared of Castro that they held back even as police officers began to swarm the house. But quickly they realized they were free.
“You saved us! You saved us!” Knight told an officer as she leaped into his arms.
Castro was arrested that evening.
A judge rejected Castro’s request to have visiting rights with his daughter.
“I’m not a monster. I’m sick,” he said.
This story originally appeared at News.com.au.