Elizabeth HagedornThis week marks one year since three women were freed from Ariel Castro's Cleveland home after a decade in captivity. Now one of the women, Michelle Knight, says she forgives her kidnapper.
KNIGHT: "If I did something wrong, even if it was a small thing, I would want somebody to forgive me, so I can forgive him for what he done wrong because that's the way of life." (Via NBC)
Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus disappeared between 2002 and 2004. Castro pleaded guilty to raping and torturing the women in what the media dubbed his House of Horrors. (Via Cleveland.com)
On May 6, 2013, Berry managed to escape and make this 911 call:
"I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for 10 years. And I'm free now." (Via WEWS)
Castro was arrested and sentenced to life in prison without parole plus 1,000 additional years. He later committed suicide by hanging himself in his cell. (Via CBS)
Knight told NBC she was saddened and confused by Castro's suicide. She also said she's learned to appreciate the small things in life and won't let her years in captivity define her.
Part of redefining herself meant going by a new name, she told People magazine in a recent interview. She took the name "Lily," which is her favorite flower.
Knight also says she's distanced herself from the other women so they can heal separately but insists there's no bad blood. As for DeJesus and Berry, they're reportedly working together on a book to be released next year.
