Residents gather outside a community meeting at Immanuel Lutheran Church on Thursday, May 9, to talk about the kidnapping case in Cleveland. Balloons were released as part of the ceremony. Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry and Michelle Knight escaped on Monday, May 6, after being held captive for nearly a decade. 
FBI agents and other law enforcement officers stand outside suspect Ariel Castro's home in Cleveland on May 9. Castro, a former school bus driver, has been accused of holding three women captive for a decade in his house. He has also been charged with rape. 
Castro hangs his head low while talking with his public defender, Kathleen DeMetz, during his arraignment on May 9. 
Ada Colon prays during a vigil held in honor of the kidnapping victims in Cleveland on Wednesday, May 8. 
Relatives of kidnapping victim Georgina "Gina" DeJesus hug after she returned to her parents' home in Cleveland on May 8. 
Friends and neighbors cheer as a car carrying Amanda Berry arrives at her sister's house in Cleveland on May 8. 
Gina DeJesus gives a thumbs up as she arrives at her family's house in Cleveland on May 8. 
Ariel Castro was charged on May 8 with kidnapping the three women. 
The family house of Gina DeJesus has been decorated by well-wishers on Tuesday, May 7. 
Friends and relatives gather in front of the family house of DeJesus on May 7. 
Well-wishers visit the home of the sister of Amanda Berry on Monday, May 6. 
Investigators remove evidence from the house on Seymour Avenue in Cleveland where the three women were held. 
An FBI forensics team meets outside the house where three women were held as they investigate the property. 
An FBI forensics team member removes evidence from the house. 
A relative of DeJesus brings balloons to the home of Amanda Berry's sister in Cleveland on May 7. 
Children hold a sign and balloons in the yard of Gina DeJesus' family home in Cleveland on May 7. 
Bystanders and media gather on May 7 along Seymour Avenue in Cleveland near the house where the three women were held captive. 
A bystander shows the front page of The Plain Dealer newspaper to a friend outside of the house on Seymour Avenue on May 7. 
Cleveland Deputy Chief of Police Ed Tomba, center, speaks at a news conference to address details of the developments. 
The house where the three women were held captive in Cleveland was the home of Ariel Castro, who was arrested and is being held pending charges in the case. 
FBI agents remove evidence from the house May 7. 
A police officer stands in front of the broken front door of the house on May 7, where the kidnapped women escaped. 
Neighbor Charles Ramsey talks to media as people congratulate him on helping the kidnapped women escape on Monday, May 6. He helped knock down the door after he heard screaming inside. 
Amanda Berry vanished a few blocks from her Cleveland home on April 21, 2003. She was 16. 
Georgina "Gina" DeJesus was last seen in Cleveland on April 2, 2004, on her way home from school. She was 14 when she went missing. 
Michelle Knight was last seen on August 22, 2002, when she was 21. 
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- Ariel Castro, the accused kidnapper, faces 329 counts
- He is accused of holding three women in his Cleveland home for years
- Castro is declared competent to understand proceedings and assist counsel
(CNN) -- Ariel Castro, the Ohio man accused of holding three women captive for about a decade, is competent to stand trial, a judge said at a hearing Wednesday.
Judge Michael Russo said a competency evaluation showed with "reasonable medical certainty" that Castro, 52, is capable of understanding the proceedings and assisting counsel.
The next pretrial hearing is July 24, and jury selection is tentatively scheduled to begin August 5.
Ariel Castro enters 'not guilty' plea 
Ariel Castro indicted on 329 counts "So consistent with the statute where there is presumption of competency and consistent with the report done by our experts which the court is accepting as evidence for purposes of this hearing, the court finds Mr. Castro is competent to proceed in this matter, to assist council and to stand trial," the judge said.
Neither the defense nor the state presented witnesses at the hearing and both agreed that Castro is competent to stand trial.
Trial date set for Castro, more charges possible
Castro, clad in an orange prison suit, sat in the court during the hearing, his head lowered and eyes sometimes closed. He answered questions directly, telling the judge he understood the proceedings.
The suspect was evaluated by two psychiatrists. The competency report is sealed, so it won't be publicly available.
The issue of visitation came up.
The judge said he would not allow Castro to have contact with his 6-year-old daughter, CNN affiliate WJW reported. Her mother is Amanda Berry, who was one of the three captives. Castro also has adult children.
Prosecutors confirmed in court they intend to seek a superseding indictment, meaning they will present the case again to the grand jury from scratch. It is unclear whether that will affect the August trial date.
Castro is accused of holding the women in his Cleveland home. He faces 329 counts, including one count of aggravated murder for allegedly causing the unlawful termination of a pregnancy.
DNA studied for more possible victims
CNN's Mayra Cuevas and Joe Sterling contributed to this report
