Cleveland Abduction Page #5

bedrooms in tact

as if they never...

went missing,

or they keep their voice

on the voicemail

so they can listen

to their kid's voice

again and again and again,

even if it is ten years.

He always told me

nobody cared, always.

One time he marched

in my room and he said,

"Told you nobody cared.

Your mom packed up

and moved to Florida."

There was never one

candlelight vigil for me.

Okay?

Thank you.

I was beginning to think

the world was

just all blurry.

Your therapist was

here again to see you.

I'm not ready yet,

please.

Ariel Castro,

standing in the court

during the arraignment,

eyes cast down all the time,

never looking up at anyone.

No other reaction from the man.

Also with him were

his two brothers,

who have been, eventually,

released.

So when will I get to put

Joey's school picture

in this frame?

Well, at this point,

it's about waiting

for the adoption agency

to respond to our request.

You...you gonna be okay here?

Yeah, am I gonna be okay?

A queen-size bed and all

these chairs to sit in,

just for me,

for the first time

in my life.

Yes, I'm gonna be great.

Well, then I'm glad

you're happy.

And I'll check in on you

as soon as I can.

Okay.

I miss him so much.

It's like, what does he

even look like?

I wonder if his name

is still Joey.

Michelle...

I've been talking

to my parents,

and--I don't know.

Maybe I just...

I just need to start

living my normal life,

just for right now.

Well, what do you mean?

You can't just pretend

like this never happened

and go back.

Look...

I'll see you again

soon, okay?

I promise.

Just...not right away.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

I love you too.

Hi.

So did you find Joey?

Um...I think maybe

you should sit down.

Joey's foster parents

adopted him

when he was

four years old,

and they've decided

that it's not

in his best interest

to see you.

He's--he's doing well.

They just don't want any

of the commotion and attention

to upset his life.

But I'm not trying

to upset him.

I just wanted to hold him

and hug him

and just tell him

that I love him.

Can't I just do that?

Well, we raised the possibility

of a supervised visit.

They made it very clear

on what they thought

was best for him.

Is his name

even Joey anymore?

I can't tell you that.

I'm sorry.

May I see a picture,

please?

I got the strong sense

that they're

most comfortable

with no contact

whatsoever.

I did talk to

a family lawyer I know.

According to him,

in a situation

where the birth mother

was not consulted,

the adoption

can be voided.

Would you talk to him

about that?

Do you mind if I have

some time by myself, please?

- Michelle?

- Hey.

I'm sorry

if I'm intruding.

- You know, I--

- No, you're not.

I wanted to talk

to you about something.

Anything.

You know, I always

saw myself,

more than anything,

as Joey's mother.

Mm.

And I know that

I will be somebody.

But I don't want

a family lawyer.

You know, Joey,

he's happy now, you know?

He has a family,

and he has a life.

And I don't want

to go blowing that up.

It just doesn't

feel right to me.

You're sure?

Yeah.

It hurts like you

wouldn't believe,

but I'm sure.

You're an amazing woman,

Michelle.

I don't know how

amazing I am, you know.

I don't even really know

how "Michelle" I am.

Maybe I am stronger

than I would have been

had I not gotten

into that truck, you know?

Mm.

I mean, I literally did not know

where I was going that day.

But that was the caterpillar,

you know?

And now I'm ready

for butterflies.

And this was one of the crimes

of the century.

And Jeff, I want to ask you too

about Michelle Knight,

one of the victims in this case.

She may appear in person

in the courtroom

to give her say.

I find that

unbelievably courageous,

that a woman who's been

through this hell--

and keep in mind,

this man kept her

in a darkened room

for much of the time.

She was chained up.

Fed her once a day.

She became pregnant, and he...

You're ugly.

You're stupid!

Nobody loves you.

Nobody's looking for you.

Gonna break your face!

You're not having my baby!

I hate you!

My name is Michelle Knight,

and I would like to tell you

what this was like for me.

I missed my son every day,

and I wondered if I was

ever gonna see him again.

I cried every night,

because I was so alone.

The days never got shorter.

Days turned into nights,

and nights turned into days.

And the years

turned into eternity.

I knew at that point,

nobody cared about me.

Ariel Castro...

you took 11 years

of my life away.

And I have got it back.

I spent 11 years in hell,

and now your hell

is just beginning.

The death penalty

would be so much easier.

You don't deserve that.

You deserve to spend

a life in prison.

I can forgive you,

but I can't forget.

With the guidance of God...

I will prevail and help others

that suffer

at the hands of others.

Writing this statement

gave me the strength

to be a stronger woman,

and I know there's

more good than there is evil.

I know that there is

a lot of people

going through hard times.

But we need to reach out a hand

and hold them

and let them know

that they're being heard.

After 11 years,

I'm finally being heard.

And it's liberating.

Thank you all.

I love you.

And God bless.

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