Ariel Castro, who was arrested earlier this year for the kidnapping and long-term captivity of three Cleveland, Ohio, young women and charged with a 977-count indictment that included multiple counts of kidnapping, rape, gross sexual imposition, child endangerment and felonious assaults has agreed to a plea deal to avoid the death penalty. He will spend the rest of his life in jail.
I remain confused about two specific counts in his indictment. Mr. Castro was also charged with two counts of aggravated murder in relation to his alleged beating of one of the young women to terminate a pregnancy that occurred during her time of captivity. How can he be charged with murder of an unborn child when abortion remains legal? Is just the method and tools he used? If he had used a solution that dissolves the baby inside the womb or simply utilized a pair of scissors to snip its spine after being partially born like "doctor" Kermit Gosnell did, would it suddenly be legal?
— Eric Olenick
Anchorage
Anchorage