Sentencing under way for convicted Cleveland kidnapper

CLEVELAND – A sentencing hearing is under way for a man convicted of imprisoning three women in his Cleveland house for years and repeatedly raping and beating them.

The hearing for Ariel Castro began with his attorneys objecting to prosecutors’ plans to present details of the women’s ordeal.

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READ MORE: ‘I cried every night’ says Cleveland kidnapping victim

Defence attorney Craig Weintraub says those facts were appropriate for a trial, which Castro agreed to avoid by pleading guilty.

Weintraub says the goal now should be to protect the privacy of the three women.

Assistant CuyahogaCounty Prosecutor Blaise Thomas says it’s appropriate to show the world what Castro did.

Castro pleaded guilty last week to 937 counts including aggravated murder, kidnapping, rape and assault in a deal that could bring a life sentence plus 1,000 years.