Suspected Cleveland Kidnapper Ariel Castro Offered Plea Deal

APAriel Castro, the man suspected of holding three women captive in his Cleveland home for about a decade, has been offered a plea deal and might accept it in court tomorrow, WKYC reports.

The plea deal would spare Castro from the death penalty.

Castro is facing a staggering 977 counts including kidnapping, rape, and aggravated murder. He is accused of forcing several abortions on at least one of the women he allegedly kidnapped.

The three victims — Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight — disappeared when they were teenagers (with the exception of Knight, who was 20). They were allegedly held in horrendous conditions and made a dramatic escape earlier this year when Berry broke through the front door of the house while Castro was out.

Castro fathered one child with Berry. He is now banned from seeing the child but has asked in court to be allowed to visit her. He's been denied each time.

Castro was initially charged in May, and since then prosecutors have added more counts against him. His trial is set to begin in August.