Ariel Castro Pleads Guilty To 937 Counts For Cleveland Kidnapping

The man accused of kidnapping three Cleveland women and holding them captive for about a decade takes a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.

Ariel Castro is pleading guilty to 937 of the original 977 charges.

As part of the plea, the 53-year-old will serve life without parole plus 1,000 years.

Today was the final pre-trial hearing before his trial was to begin on August 5th.

The hitch in the plea deal being agreed to was whether the prosecutor would not push for the death penalty.

As for why he committed the acts, Castro told the judge that he had been abused as a child and just continued it.  He also said he had an addiction to pornography.

The three women were abducted between 2002 and 2004 after getting a ride from Castro.

The former bus driver told the judge he understands he will never get out of prison.