CLEVELAND, July 13 (UPI) -- Ariel Castro has been indicted on 977 counts for allegedly holding three women captive in his Cleveland home.
The indictment handed up Friday includes 512 counts of kidnapping, 446 counts of rape, seven counts of sexual abuse, two counts of aggravated murder, six counts of assault, three counts of child endangerment and one count of possessing criminal tools, USA Today reported.
The murder charges are for allegedly beating one of the women, Michelle Knight, so severely her pregnancy was aborted.
The state could seek the death penalty id Castro is convicted of these charges.
The charges cover the time from when Knight went missing Aug. 22, 2002, through May 6, when Amanda Berry, missing since April 21, 2003, escaped from Castro's home and led police to Knight and Gina DeJesus, missing since April 2, 2004.
Castro had been charged with 329 counts covering the first four years of the women's captivity, NBC News reported. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
Read More
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- August trial, more charges, possible for Ariel Castro
- Ohio man pleads not guilty to 329 counts in decade-long kidnappings
