Just one day after Ariel Castro was sentenced to Life plus a thousand additional years on 937 criminal counts which included kidnapping, rape, an attempted murder , Amanda Berry, [one of the three kidnapped victims held captive in a Cleveland home for ten years] made her first public appearance at the Roverfest Concert this week. As the Associated Press reports – “Berry, now 27, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight disappeared between 2002 and 2004 when they were 16, 14 and 20 years old. They escaped in May when Berry kicked out part of a door and called to neighbors for help.”
The concert featured rapper Nelly who brought out Berry on stage. Berry was overwhelmed by the crowd cheers and very timid by the spotlight. Nelly then turned from the crowd and said the following to Berry:
“I want to thank you because I can’t even imagine the type of strength and courage that it took to keep it going For that I commend you and I say thank you.”
Nelly then asked Amanda to remain on stage with him while he performed his classic song “It Was All A Dream” you cans watch it below:
Rovers WMMS morning show host – Shane French says that Berry has first declined to attend the event but decided to attend at a last moment’s notice after a little persuasive push [from her family members] who was aware that Berry was huge fan of the show.
Castro son’s, Anthony Castro says he wants nothing to do with his father and will not visit him in prison. Anthony says his father was extremely violent to his mother, and his children, and he often cried himself to sleep for many nights.
In a recent interview with NBC ‘Today‘ show Anthony said:
“I was shocked because of the magnitude of such a crime. I don’t think I could ever imagine anyone doing that that, let alone to find out it was my own flesh and blood, my father.”
“I think it’s the best possible sentence. I think if he really can’t control his impulses and he really doesn’t have any value for human life the way this case has shown, then behind bars is where he belongs for the rest of his life.”
Here’s the thank you video from all the victims: