Ariel Castro’s son: “I am not my father and I can’t explain his actions”

NBCLatinoBy Nina Terrero, NBCLatino

Ariel Anthony Castro – the son of Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro – says following his father’s suicide in prison earlier this month, he still struggles to understand the man he called dad.

“I’m still shell-shocked from the way these past several months unfolded,” Ariel Anthony Castro wrote in an essay published Saturday in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

“Instantly, my father became one of the most hated men alive,”wrote the younger Castro. “In no time, reporters from around the world demanded to know who this man was and what kind of background he came from. Just like that, my father went from captured to convicted to imprisoned to dead.”

In July, Ariel Castro plead guilty to 937 counts in association with the kidnapping, assault and rape of Gina De Jesus, Amanda Berry and Michelle Knight. On Sept. 3, the 53-year-old committed suicide in prison – just one month after he had been sentenced to life in prison plus 1,000 years.

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The elder Castro’s horrific crimes shocked even those closest to him – including his son.

“I was horrified and disgusted and angered when I got the news of the unthinkable crimes my father committed,” said the younger Castro, who lost his mother one year ago.  ”They thought I was him and he was me, That, however, was exactly what I wanted to scream from the rooftops. I am not my father and I can’t explain his actions or be held accountable for something I never knew he was doing.  I still am. He deserved to pay for his actions, everyday of those 1,000 years he could possibly serve. My anger with him kept me from visiting him in prison, even when he was moved to a facility just 20 minutes away from my doorstep.”

Even so, Castro- who revealed that his home had been ransacked by thieves in the aftermath of his father’s crime – says he doesn’t hate his father.

“I learned long ago that it’s not worth the effort to actively hate someone who will always be in your life,” he wrote. ”Both of my parents are gone now, and my father’s punishment is between he and his Maker. Hate isn’t going to do anyone any good.”

And there’s a lesson to be learned by both the public and judicial system, warns Castro.

“If my father’s life and death can lead to changes in how we deal with sexual predators, domestic violence, mental illness and, yes, prison safety, then we should have those discussions. If we can prevent a repeat here or anywhere, then justice truly will have been served amid all the broken pieces my father left behind.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

This article was first published in NBCLatino.

Nina Terrero, Entertainment Editor: Passionate about social issues, health, education, discovering untold stories among U.S. Latinos and exploring Latino culture through food, literature, theatre and the arts, she holds a B.A. in Government from Cornell University. She is also a graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Arts & Science, where she received an M.A. in Political Science. Of Puerto Rican and Dominican heritage, Nina worked at ABC News as a digital reporter before joining the team at NBC Latino. Feel free to ask her about the latest films, urban political policy or her most recent forays in cooking and eating around New York City.

[Photo courtesy TODAY Show]

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