By SHAUNA ANDERSON
In a spectacular revelation the victim of kidnapper Ariel Castro has said she forgives the man who held her captive in a basement for 11 years raping and torturing her.
“At first I hated him,” said Michelle Knight.
Speaking to a radio host at a High School in Chardon, Ohio it was Michelle Knight’s first interview in the state where she was kidnapped.
The interview was a program of a non-profit organization that raises money to support WomenSafe a shelter for victims of domestic violence.
“But I went through therapy and realized it hadn’t been his fault. He had a disease.”
Michelle Knight, now 32 was kidnapped by Castro at the age of 21 in August 2002.
Castro subsequently kidnapped two other girls Amanda Berry, now 27, in 2003, and Gina de Jesus, now 23, in 2004.
Knight suffered unimaginable horrors at the hands of Castro, telling police that he had impregnated her at least five times and had induced miscarriages each time through beatings and starvation.
Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus broke out of the house in May 2013.
Knight said it wasn’t until about eighteen months after her rescue from Castro’s home that she reached a breakthrough.
She was able to say his name.
Before that, she had referred to Castro as “that dude.”
At his sentencing hearing in 2013 she told Castro “You took eleven years of my life away and I have gotten it back.”
“You will face hell for eternity”
Castro was sentenced to life in prison plus 1000 years.
During her recent interview she told the audience that she was appalled by Castro’s suicide one month into his life sentence.
“I felt very appalled by it, but I understood. I don’t condone what he did.”
She told the interview that when she asked Castro why he had kidnapped her, he told her “I am a sex addict and I cannot control myself.”
Knight said that living in the house was like being a punching bag, “I just thought of myself as a punching bag because that’s all he did to me.”
She has previously told of how Castro treated his victims differently saying that he treated Amanda Berry with favouritism.
“She got clothes, she got blankets, she got everything she wanted… he had a fascination with her. She was the wife type of person. I was the punching bag.” She told CNN.
The audience at Michelle Knight’s recent interview– many of who were domestic violence survivors applauded her as she told them she hoped for the best for Castro’s family.
And she offered them words of encouragement.
“If you’re getting abused,” Knight told the approximately 300 people in attendance, “don’t wait, get help.”
Michelle Knight who has since written a book titled, Finding Me told the women
“I’m a strong and powerful woman. I say what I mean and I don’t take any crap from anybody.”
Knight who has changed her name to Lily Rose Lee said that the kidnapping made her stronger and has allowed her to better know herself.
“The situation (Castro) put me in didn’t define me,” she said. “I choose to live a meaningful life.”
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Top Comments
By attributing his actions to a disease, her anguish may be in some way alleviated as she gives up the hope that he could have been any different. This forgiveness does not condone what happened to her but it does explain it without adding more emotions to her pain. A similar thing occurs when we are told an abuser was abused as a child.
Totally minimized her trauma by excusing it with "its not his fault" those counselors need to be fired.
I completely agree, someone has to go through some awful trauma then they have the added burden that they now have "to forgive" the perpetrator because the counsellors tell them they won't heal if they don't forgive. I think it's a load of hogwash, surely there must be methods of treatment where the victim can be helped to move on without the added burden of having to forgive and condone the perpetrators actions. Also it becomes more victim blaming, because if you don't forgive you're not doing it right.
I think it's a modern thing, this requirement to ''forgive'' when we forget that the whole notion came about as the second half of BEING ASKED to forgive and showing genuine remorse. Now it's something we must do or risk living as bitter, angry trolls, but for me, a better bet is indifference. You don't harp on and on in an unhealthy, obsessive way, you don't do anything extreme, you just accept that they are a heinous, revolting piece of trash and you must simply step away and no longer allow them access to your thoughts and life. There's no need to be all Mother Teresa or ''I forgive him'', just work through it and accept that what happened was unforgiveable and leave it at that. Indifference... the enemy of love is not hate, it's total indifference.