Ariel Castro indicted in decade-long abduction, rape case

CLEVELAND, June 7 (UPI) -- An Ohio grand jury has indicted Ariel Castro on charges including murder and kidnapping for allegedly abducting and sexually abusing three women at his home.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty said a county grand jury returned a 329-count indictment against Castro Friday, WKYC-TV, Cleveland, reported.

Castro, 52, was charged with 139 counts of rape, 177 counts of kidnapping, seven counts of gross sexual imposition, three counts of felonious assault and one count of possession of criminal tools. He was charged with one act of aggravated murder -- for purposely and with prior calculation and design causing the unlawful termination of the pregnancy of one of the women he allegedly held captive beginning in August 2012.

Castro is scheduled to be arraigned next week, the report said.

The indictments reflect alleged offenses from August 2002 -- when the first of Castro's alleged victims was abducted -- through February 2007, WKYC-TV said.

Prosecutors have not decided whether to seek to death penalty.

Castro was arrested May 6 after Amanda Berry, her daughter, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight escaped from his home and told authorities they had been kidnapped and held there.