- Judge tells Castro there's no place in the world for him
- "I will live on. You will die a little every day," Knight tells him
- Castro lured the women into his car with the promise of a ride
- During his sentencing, Castro played the victim
(CNN) -- Ariel Castro, who was sentenced to life plus 1,000 years for kidnapping and raping three women, as well as murder, was found hanging in his prison cell Tuesday night.
Authorities found Castro, 52, hanging in his cell at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, about 9:20 p.m., the state's Department of Corrections said.
Prison medical staff tried to revive him but failed.
Castro was taken to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 10:52 p.m.
Castro listens during the sentencing phase of his trial Thursday, August 1, in Cleveland alongside defense attorneys Craig Weintraub, left, and Jaye Schlachet. He pleaded guilty to 937 counts, including murder and kidnapping. Former captive Michelle Knight, center, talks with reporters Wednesday, August 7 outside convicted kidnapper Ariel Castro's house. Castro held Knight and two other women captive for years inside the home until their escape in May. Knight was on hand as workers began tearing down the structure. A crane demolishes the Cleveland house of Castro on August 7. Plans call for the house to be torn down and the lot cleared in a single day. Here is a view of the house where Castro held the three women captive. He forfeited the house as part of a plea deal with prosecutors that took the death penalty off the table in exchange for a life sentence, plus 1,000 years in prison. Michelle Knight speaks during the sentencing phase for Ariel Castro Thursday, August 1, in Cleveland. "I will live on," Knight said in her statement to Castro. "You will die a little every day." Castro enters the courtroom Friday, July 26. He was arrested in May and accused of holding three young women captive for nearly a decade. Amanda Berry vanished a few blocks from her Cleveland home on April 21, 2003. She was 16. She spoke in a video released on YouTube on Monday, July 8, thanking people for support and privacy. Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight escaped from a Cleveland home on May 6 after being held captive for nearly a decade. 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. Knight was last seen on August 22, 2002, when she was 21. FBI agents and other law enforcement officers stand outside Castro's home in Cleveland on May 9. Castro hangs his head while talking with his public defender, Kathleen DeMetz, during his arraignment on May 9. Ariel Castro was charged on May 8 with kidnapping the three women. 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. Cleveland Deputy Chief of Police Ed Tomba, center, speaks at a news conference to address details of the developments. 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. Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Photos: Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Photos: Kidnapped teens found decade later
Photos: Kidnapped teens found decade later
Photos: Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Ohio 'house of horrors' demolished Knight: 'Your hell is just beginning' Ariel Castro's sentencing for the kidnapping and rape of three women in Ohio will be issued Thursday, August 1. During the trial, the prosecution presented images from inside the house that reveal the disturbing conditions in which they were held. A model of the house was also included. Chains constrained the women in the basement. Castro had a gun in the home and told Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Detective David Jacobs he would "show to the girls as a form of control." Asked whether he had ever forced the girls to play Russian roulette, Castro told Jacobs that he didn't remember it, "but if the girls said it, it probably happened." Amanda Berry spent most of her time in this bathroom with her daughter. Stuffed animals lie on a bed in the house. Castro describes himself as a sexual predator in a letter. Berry and Michelle Knight were forced to wear a helmet the first time Castro sexually assaulted them, according to Andrew Harasimchuk, a detective with the sex crimes unit. Toys and other belongings are piled in a bedroom. The FBI agent interviewed on the stand said Castro would make the women wear a brown wig on the rare occasion he let them out of the home. Chains ran through the walls in the house, the prosecution said. The pole to which the women were chained in the basement is pictured running through an upstairs bedroom. Stairs led down to the basement. Evidence photos from Castro's trial
Evidence photos from Castro's trial
Evidence photos from Castro's trial
Evidence photos from Castro's trial
Evidence photos from Castro's trial
Evidence photos from Castro's trial
Evidence photos from Castro's trial
Evidence photos from Castro's trial
Evidence photos from Castro's trial
Evidence photos from Castro's trial
Evidence photos from Castro's trial
Evidence photos from Castro's trial
Evidence photos from Castro's trial Castro's brother-in-law, Juan Alicea, told CNN that the family was notified by the warden about 1 a.m. The family is angry, Alicea said, that it learned about the death from media reports first.
Castro was not a part of the general prison population, officials said.
"He was housed in protective custody which means he was in a cell by himself and rounds are required every 30 minutes at staggered intervals," JoEllen Smith of the corrections department told CNN in a statement.
"A thorough review of this incident is underway," she added.
No place in the world
In handing down a sentence last month, Judge Michael Russo told the kidnapper there was no place in the world for his brand of criminal.
Castro pleaded guilty to 937 counts, including murder and kidnapping, in exchange for the death penalty being taken off the table.
The charges stem from his kidnapping, rape and assault of three women: Michelle Knight, abducted in 2002; Georgina DeJesus, abducted in 2004; and Amanda Berry; abducted in 2003.
Castro is the father of Berry's 6-year-old girl, DNA tests confirmed.
Sylvia Colon, a family member and spokeswoman for DeJesus, said early Wednesday morning she had not heard about the death and had not yet spoken to her family about it.
'You will die a little every day'
All three women kept diaries with Castro's permission, providing many of the details of their abuse.
"I cried every night. I was so alone. I worried what would happen to me and the other girls every day," Knight, 32, said, as she addressed her abductor head-on during his sentencing. "I will live on. You will die a little every day."
In each case, Castro lured the women into his car with the promise of a ride, according to court documents. The women and girl were freed in May after Berry shouted for help while Castro was away.
Judge paints lonely future for Castro Cleveland kidnap victims: Thank you 3 missing women found alive in Ohio Amanda Berry speaks in a video released on YouTube on Monday, July 8, thanking people for support and privacy. Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight escaped from a Cleveland home on May 6 after being held captive for nearly a decade. Amanda Berry vanished a few blocks from her Cleveland home on April 21, 2003. She was 16. Gina DeJesus speaks in the YouTube video. 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 speaks in the YouTube video. Knight was last seen on August 22, 2002, when she was 21. In a handwritten note, Knight thanked Cleveland police for their efforts, saying she was overwhelmed with the support she had received from "complete strangers." The note was posted Wednesday, July 31, on the police's Second District Community Relations Committee Facebook page. 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. 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. Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Photos: Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Kidnapped teens found decade later
Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Neighbors heard her cries and came to her aid as she tried to break through a door. One neighbor gave her a cell phone to call authorities.
"Help me, I am Amanda Berry," she frantically told a 911 operator. "I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for 10 years. And I'm here, I'm free now."
Plays the victim, blames the victims
During his sentencing, Castro played the victim, saying he was addicted to porn and masturbation. In his oft-disjointed statement, he referred to himself as "very emotional" and "a happy person inside."
Castro appeared to blame the victims and accused them of lying about their treatment. He went on to say that none of the women was a virgin when he abducted them, that they wanted sex and there was "harmony" in the "happy household."
Castro's 1,400-square-foot home was reconfigured to keep their whereabouts a secret, FBI agent Andrew Burke testified. The back door was outfitted with an alarm, bedspreads and curtains obscured parts of them home and a porch swing was placed in front of the stairs leading to the rooms where Castro held the women and girl hostage.
Police also testified Castro would chain the women to objects, including a support pole in his basement.
In the room where Berry and her daughter were held, the doorknob was removed, a lock was affixed to the outside and a hole was cut through the door for ventilation because the windows had been boarded up from the inside, Burke said.
Burke also described a handwritten letter in which Castro claimed he had been sexually abused as a child and wrote, "I am a sexual predator."
'You saved us'
The first police officer on the scene, Barbara Johnson, recalled for the court how she and another officer heard the pitter-patter of footsteps in a dark room where Knight and DeJesus were held.
When the captive women realized they were police, Knight "literally launched herself" onto an officer, "legs, arms, just choking him. She just kept repeating, 'You saved us! You saved us!' " Johnson said.
The women were described as scared, pale, malnourished and dehydrated when they were rescued. Dr. Gerald Maloney, who was in the emergency room when the victims arrived, said Knight requested that no male physicians attend to her.
CNN's Martin Savidge and Kait Richmond contributed to this report.