Ariel Castro says his addiction to porn is the reason he kept his three victims captive for a decade

At a Thursday sentencing hearing, Castro's "apology" to his three victims turned into a dark, delusional rant

Published August 1, 2013 7:44PM (EDT)

   (ABC News)
(ABC News)

At his sentencing hearing on Thursday, convicted kidnapper Ariel Castro told a Cleveland court that he blamed his addiction to pornography and masturbation for his crimes, and that there was "a lot of harmony" inside the home where he kept three women captive for more than a decade.

After a rambling statement suggesting that his "practice" of the "art of masturbation" led him to kidnap Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, Castro went on to deny that he raped the three women, saying that "most of the sex that went on in the house, and probably all of it, was consensual."

Castro also said each of the women he raped and held captive for a decade "were not virgins" when he kidnapped them, explaining that his victims "had multiple partners before me -- all three of them."

"I am not a monster," added the monster.

Castro's testimony is 16 minutes long. If you have the stomach for it, you can view it in full here:


By Katie McDonough

Katie McDonough is Salon's politics writer, focusing on gender, sexuality and reproductive justice. Follow her on Twitter @kmcdonovgh or email her at kmcdonough@salon.com.

MORE FROM Katie McDonough


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Ariel Castro Cleveland Kidnapping Case Pornography Rape Sexual Assault Video