that's it for us. thanks for watching "new day." it's time for "cnn newsroom" with carol costello. >> lots to talk about this morning. i will bid you ado. have a great day. "newsroom" starts now. good morning. thank you so much for being with me. i'm carol costello. we want to welcome our viewers around the world. we begin this hour with breaking news out of moscow. edward snowden has left the airport. that is according to the nsa leakers russian lawyer. he tells cnn that snowden's application for political asylum has been approved and he can legally stay in russia for one year. so, let's head to moscow now to find out the latest. cnn's phil black is there. phil, tell us more. >> carol, as you say, he's left the airport now for the first time in more than five weeks. he's crossed through the migration zone and officially entered russia.

the significance of this is in the detail. he's not just entered the country through a period of time while his apalication is being considered. he has received approval for that temporary asylum application, which gives him the right to stay in this country for one year with the option of extending at the end of that year and having all the same rights and freedoms as russian citizens. he can move around the country and he can move internationally so if he so desires as a russian citizen would be allowed to do. so far, we have not had any official comment from the kremlin on this, but we do know this is the one step that the united states was desperate for russia not to allow to take place. they didn't want him to leave the airport. they certainly did not want him to receive any sort of official protection or asylum here because what it effectively does is rules out in the short term any chance of him being returned to the united states to face those criminal charges, carol. >> i was just going to ask you about that, phil. attorney general of the united states eric holder just wrote a letter to the russian authorities last week saying the united states wouldn't seek the death penalty against snowden

and calling the reasons he requested asylum unfounded. is this a slap in the face to the united states? did russia mean to do this? >> you'd have to think that it's not going to be received well by the united states. this is not going to do good things for their relations. russia has said all along, no, we won't send him back but at the same time try to maintain this difficult balancing act by saying at the same time we don't want this to damage relations between the two countries and that has been a primary concern without. we believe that's why snowden has been forced to remain in the transit area throughout this time because of the ongoing talks between the two countries because the pressure that the united states has been applying on russia to avoid. this very circumstance. just this week, president putin's spokesperson said negotiation talks were ongoing on this issue at russia federal security service and we also know ministers have been talking at this same level as you just mentioned. we know there was a

conversation. what this means either those talks have broken down or perhaps more incredibly this allowing snowden to leave the airport is in some way part of a negotiated compromise between the two countries, but that certainly doesn't seem likely at this point. >> phil black, many thanks to you. let's head to the white house. dan lothian is there. dan, any word from the white house yet? >> no official word from the white house and reached out to a number of officials there, senior administration officials when that news broke. we do expect that there will be some kind of reaction, but nothing at this point. what we do know is that clearly this is not the resolve that the white house had wanted. for some time now white house officials have been talking to the russians trying to force them to have snowden brought back here to the united states and face those charges for leaking classified information. white house officials, u.s. officials have not considered him a human rights activist. they have not thought that he was a dissident. they simply feel that he needed

to answer to those charges, as you pointed out, that the attorney general here had revealed some months ago. it's unclear what the reaction will be from the white house, but, again, this is certainly going to have some kind of an impact on the relationship that for some time now has been quite fragile between the united states and russia, carol. >> dan lothian, thanks so much. wikileaks moving in on snowden's departure on twitter. the group known for leaking is under the care of its representatives. atika shubert is following that angle from london. wikileaks tweeting like mad this morning. >> they have been tweeting like mad. put out this initial statement "we would like to thank the russian people and all the others who helped protect mr. snowden. we have won the battle, now the war." wikileaks was part of his escape from hong kong when he boarded a plane to moscow and it was

actually with a wikileaks staffer all along and at the moscow airport all along with sarah harrison who is a wikileaks staffer. advised edward snowden throughout this process to try to gain asylum and taking credit now for this. where he goes from here, if he's going to stay in rush frau tsia year or if he continues and asks for asylum in venezuela and wikileaks hasn't said anything on that yet, carol. >> thanks so much. on to our other big story today. ariel castro's sentencing. it happening this hour in an ohio courtroom. breaking right now, amanda berry, gina dejesus, michelle knight. three ohio women who escaped the torture and rath of a monster

face their kidnapper in court for sentencing. >> i may have been through hell and back, but i'm strong enough to walk through hell with a smile on my face. >> brand-new details coming out this morning. the three women keeping a diary during their captivity, telling tales of courage hoping to escape and be reunited with their families. >> if gina was getting in trouble, she was stepping in to protect her. she became almost their protector. >> reporter:. >> and a hand-written note for america's support. she became a butterfly. >> first and foremost, i want everyone to know how happy i am to be home with my family, my friends. >> of course, that was amanda berry who was abducted by ariel castro back in 2003. today in a cleveland courtroom castro will be sentenced to life in prison for his crime. supposedly castro was prepared to apologize to his three

victims and we are told we may see the other side of ariel castro. also expected to speak in court, michelle knight. another one of the woman castro held captive. knight who was castro's punching bag is standing strong. she wrote a thank you note to cleveland police, you don't know how much i appreciate all your time and work collecting cards and gifts from people for me and the other girls. i overwhelmed by the amount of thoughts, love and prayers expressed by complete strangers. it is comforting. life is tough, i'm tougher. just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, she became a butterfly. thanks, god bless you. oh, from michelle knight to the cleveland police department. with me now for some analysis, page pate a criminal defense attorney and in columbus, ohio, douglas berman a law professor at ohio state university. welcome to all of you. as we wait for the sentencing

hearing to begin, let's head to cleveland and cnn's pamela brown. pamela, can you set the scene for us? >> well, carol, it is a packed courtroom. packed to the brim. our martin savidge is in the room right now as his sentencing is about to get under way any moment now and this is what we know so far. we're told by amanda berry and gina dejesus' attorney that they will not attend the hearing but represented in the hearing and michelle knight could be making an impact statement. she could be doing that in the courtroom. facing her captor. she also has the option of doing it over video. also we have learned, carol, barbara johnson, one of the first responders on the scene will be the first to testify. barbara johnson is the one that michelle knight jumped up and hugged. she was one of the first people michelle knight saw after being in captivity for more than ten years. also, carol, we're learning more from precentancing statements how castro terrorized these women and how women kept diaries

to maintain a sense of normalcy. prosecutors filed a sentencing memorandum wednesday detailing ariel castro. he let them keep a diary during captivity. they described the abuse and dreams of escaping and being reunited with family. >> my addiction to pornography and my sexual problem has really taken a toll in my mind. >> reporter: castroed a a mit d ed to having the girls chained by their ankles with only one meal a day. and a plea deal that took the death penalty off the table, castro pleaded guilty to more than 900 counts. >> i may have been through hell

and back, but i am strong enough to walk through hell with a smile on my face. >> reporter: sources say knight will likely make an impact statement in court face-to-face with her captor for the first time since their dramatic rescue nearly three months ago. >> help me, i'm amanda berry. >> sometimes the sentencing process is a form of catharsis for the victim of the crime. >> reporter: castro, too, will finally share his side. his attorney says he could apologize to his victims. michelle knight thanking the cleveland police department with this hand written note saying just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, she became a butterfly. and today during the sentencing authorities presenting physical evidence taken from ariel castro's home. we'll see pictures and hear witness and testimony from psychologists and also they're going to use a model of ariel castro's home and investigators are going to walk the judge

through what happened in each room of ariel castro's home. that is going to be a centerpiece of today's sentencing. it should be a long day lasting until at least 1:00 p.m. eastern time and, again, we're expecting to hear from ariel castro, as well as michelle knight. that could change, but that is the expectation as of now. carol? >> emotionally wrenching day for many people. pamela brown i know you're watching the court from cleveland. stick around, we'll get back to you. i want to bring in our panel of experts one more time. page pate a criminal defense attorney and in columbus, ohio, douglas berman, a law professor at ohio state university. douglas, i want to start with you because perhaps a lot of our viewers are wondering why ariel castro has to say anything at all. he accepted a plea deal and will spend the rest of his life behind bars. why must he say anything? >> he doesn't have to say anything. he could stay silent. lots of times lawyers will advise clients to stay silent at sentencing, but he does have a right to speak, if he wants to.

it seems as though from the reports that he wants to say something, especially because the sentence has already been determined by the plea agreement. it's much more for its symbolic effect and that's where the drama is. not whether it will affect the sentence, but just what he is going to want to say, again, because he doesn't have to speak, but it seems as though he wants to say something. >> so, before he speaks, i would assume, page, that prosecutors will take us through some of what happened in that house and that's why they have the model of that house in court today. >> right. they will generally do that in a sentencing hearing especially when a sentence is unknown. in this case, we know exactly the sentence that castro is going to get, but it's important for the prosecution to still go through this evidence. they have a right to do it. mr. castro has a right to speak. this way the public will see more of the evidence that they developed and were going to present at trial if feneeded to >> what the prosecutors will tell the world now, right?

will be tough to hear because i've read through the memorandum that was put out by the state of ohio and some of the details in that, tonya, are mind blowingly awful. it describes how the women were chained and kept in darkened rooms and how they were raped repeatedly and how ariel castro managed to control them enough so they didn't even try to escape. >> yes, absolutely. i mean, that is what i think has people so just emotionally riveted by this case. the idea that this man took three girls and kept them for a decade, tortured them, raped them repeatedly. it is mind blowing. and i think people have asked sort of why are we having this sentencing hearing? part of it is to give the victims an opportunity to make a victim impact statement. we didn't have that at the plea deal. i think because we were kind of coming close to the wire with the agreement so the victims didn't have an opportunity. they have had an opportunity to do that.

we might hear from michelle knight and this is often a time for victims to really assert themselves, the process is often about the defendant. at this moment, they get to speak for themselves and it is often cathartic for them and often an ability for them to get closure. we're hoping to see that for michelle knight. >> i was actually surprised michelle knight may appear in person in this courtroom and face her attacker. because, if you read this memorandum, you learn that michelle knight was really was his punching bag. i mean she put herself between the other victims in some cases to protect them against ariel castro. it also details how she became pregnant and ariel castro made her do jumping jacks and knee bends so she would abort the baby. just horrible things and i can't believe the courage it would take for her to appear in person in this courtroom. >> that's absolutely true. and what this case highlights is that different victims have

different approaches to dealing with, you know, these kind of horrific crimes. and remarkably, ms. knight is not only prepared to, but i suspect will speak in a way that will, you know, break all of our hearts. at the same time, show the strength that i think all the victims here had to demonstrate throughout their captivity to hang in there and deal with this just almost inconceivable duration and extent of abuse. and that's, you know, itself as another guest mentioned what this hearing allows. is an opportunity for the prosecutors and the victims to articulate and show case in this public setting. just what this crime was all about and why this extraordinary sentence is justified. given what mr. castro did. >> i just want to go back to the model of that house because it seems to me so unusual to have

something like this in a sentencing hearing. page, am i right? >> you're right. it's unusual, especially when we already know what the sentence is. if this was something the judge had it to look into the facts and try to figure out what happened to impose a sentence that was appropriate for the crime, then it makes sense. we'll hear an a extended sentencing hearing when we don't know what the outcome is. this is a plea agreement. we all know what the outcome is going to be. i don't think it will help -- >> we're going to come back live to our coverage in this cleveland courtroom and our analysis of what is going to happen. first, we have to take a break. we'll be back with much more. [ beeping ] ♪ [ male announcer ] we don't just certify our pre-owned vehicles. we inspect, analyze and recondition each one, until it's nothing short of a genuine certified pre-owned... mercedes-benz for the next new owner.

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deputies involved and another shooting in florida still bears raw emotion for many americans and the now the smithsonian is reportedly interested in an item that has become a key symbol of that trial. the hoodie worn by trayvon martin. "washington post" reports the national museum is interested in acquiring that sweatshirt once the justice department ends its investigation. this time in texas where zimmerman was pulled over for speeding. john berman has more for you. >> reporter: this pickup truck

pulled over for speeding behind the wheel, george zimmerman. >> no where in particular? why you say that? >> i need you to slow down a little bit for me. >> reporter: zimmerman informs the officer of the concealed weapon he keeps in his glove box. >> shut your glove compartment. >> reporter: after the incident zimmerman's brother, robert, tweeted about the reason george carries a weapon. our family receives many death threats. we all continue to take our security seriously and to ensure our safety in accordance with the law. >> texas is a gun-friendly state. they're very, very warm to the second amendment and, frankly, if he's going to continue carrying a gun he's not likely to get in trouble for mere possession. >> reporter: zimmerman continues to be in the public eye. he made headlines after helping

a family of four in an overturned vehicle on this road in sanford, florida, just days after he was found not guilty. the family involved. >> all right, john berman, many thanks. we had to step away from that story because, as you can see, ariel castro has now entered that cleveland courtroom. he is about to sit down and page take me through this. prosecutors will, what? they will outline the case against ariel castro, once again. then castro will get a chance to speak. >> that's normally how it happens. give the prosecution and the state an opportunity to lay out the facts of the case. almost the way they would have presented it at trial. then the judge will turn to mr. castro and his lawyers and give them an opportunity, if they want to, to call the witnesses or at least let their clients speak. i expect that will happen here. >> douglas, this is likely to last a few hours, right? >> i think it depends on how long the prosecutors want to lay out their case. again, this is a bit unusual because we already know the

senancing outcome. but the presentations are going to be an effort, i think, by both the prosecution and defense to explain both the facts that so many people are curious about how this crime took place and understanding, perhaps, from the defense team of an explanation. it could extend a long time or go relatively quickly. i expect the prosecutors will spend a considerable amount of time trying to show case the scope and extent of castro's horrific crimes. >> let's listen for a second. >> ariel castro.

have you had the chance to speak with your attorney since last friday when you were in court? >> i have not. >> have they discussed the rights to the sentencing and the procedures to be followed? >> you do understand you have the right. now, along with your sentencing, there's a requirement. i have two forms that will return sentences two reports. two separate forms completed. so, have you had a chance to look at each of these forms and the requirements with your attorney?

show you the forms and are these your signatures in blue ink on both of the forms? >> all right, let's -- tonya, i just want you to button this up for us before we head to break. michelle knight one of ariel castro's victims is expected to come into court and say a few words. where is she at this time, do you suppose? >> she's living, as i understand, with family members -- >> no, i mean before court. >> physically. oh, okay. she might be sitting outside the courtroom. she might be in a room adjacent to the courtroom hearing the procedures as they unfold. she is the one really looking forward to being the voice of

the victims in this case and we saw that letter she wrote. we get a sense of her spirit. i really think she is eager to put a period at the end of this chapter in her life by speaking today. >> some closure, right? >> we'll take a break, we'll have much more from cleveland for you when we come back. mine was earned in djibouti, africa. 2004. vietnam in 1972. [ all ] fort benning, georgia in 1999. [ male announcer ] usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaa's commitment to serve military members, veterans, and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve.

having necessary school supplies can mean the difference between success and failure. the day i start, i'm already behind.

i never know what i'm gonna need. new school, new classes, new kids. it's hard starting over. to help, sleep train is collecting school supplies for local foster children. bring your gift to any sleep train, and help a foster child start the school year right. not everyone can be a foster parent, but anyone can help a foster child. we are still monitoring what's happening in a cleveland courtroom. this is the sentencing phase of ariel castro's trial. we expect him to get life behind bars, plus 1,000 years. he accepted a plea deal when the proceedings really get going on, we'll take you back to cleveland. time to talk about other stories we're watching in "newsroom" at 30 minutes past. the opening bell just ringing on wall street as traders prepare for what could be another record breaking day. christine romans is in new york.

don't you just get tired of talking about this? >> no, because i was really getting tired talking about how bad things were five years ago, carol. look, you could see record highs for the dow jones industrial average today. 155236 is the number you just saw there on the dow. it would have to close above 15567 to make it a new record, a record high for the day. we've seen one after another of these records this year as the stock market has reflected a slowly recovering economy and, also, you know, good corporate earnings numbers. companies making numbers not necessarily by hiring a lot of people but putting money in the bank and squeeze out more profit for their shareholders. all the major averages up 4 to 7% for the year. you have stocks up about 18% or 19% and more than anything people say, what do i do now? the answer is, make sure you're balanced appropriately for your risk and for your age. stocks, bonds, cash and other investments, very important to

take some time after a big run up like this and make sure you're in the right place and that you are balanced correctly. some data this morning. jobless claims at a 5 1/2 year low, carol. that was a piece of economic news that the market seemed to like and, also, you know, the fed had a meeting yesterday, carol. the fed didn't signify it was going to move any faster on the so-called taper. pulling back the stim yulus on e economy. >> christine romans, many thanks. >> you're welcome. in other news edward snowden has left the moscow airport, according to the nsa leaker's russian lawyer. application for political asylum has been approved and can now legally stay in russia for one year. minnesota and rhode island become the 12th and 13th states along with the district of columbia to allow same-sex marriages. the new laws went into effect on midnight on thursday and hundreds of couples marked the occasion by tying the knot. the latest gallup poll think

same-sex marriae should be legal in all states. "rolling stone" looks like all that bad publicity was good publicity. despite the controversy the issue of the magazine featuring the alleged boston bomber dzhokhar tsarnaev was a top seller. sold 13,000 copies, more than double the usual sales. in sports alex rodriguez may be ready to cut a deal with major league baseball. reps are a-rod negotiating a settlement that could give him a significant suspension but keep him from a lifetime ban. baseball prepares to hand down punishments in the biogenesis scandal. joe carter is following it all in tampa. good morning, joe. >> hi, good morning, carol. bud selig's threat to ban alex rodriguez for life is being heard from rodriguez and his reps. remember earlier this week his attorney said they would fight any suspension coming their way,

no matter its severity. if we do see a negotiation and eventual settlement likely rodriguez would be suspended for the rest of this season and the entire 2014 season which means he would return some time in 2015. a suspension means absolutely no salary during that time and that could cost alex rodriguez somewhere south of about $35 million which, obviously, the most costly suspension in sports history. we're here at the facility which is the yankee facility and alex rodriguez just showed up a few minutes ago. his typical routine he continues to rehab to get back with the team. the yankees said that he's going to play in what they call a simulated game today and he will be assigned to a minor league team tomorrow. no word on what minor league team or what team, carol. interesting if baseball has not made a decision on which way they want to go with alex rodriguez situation, carol. >> how did the other players interact with them or do they?

>> not a whole lot of interaction. we've been here all week and watching him work out. he spends about an hour in the batting cage and takes grounds balls and runs bases and then goes inside the facility and not a whole lot of interaction with other players and does spend time with other coaches and after his workout is finished he leaves the facility without saying anything to media or fans and wait for him the next day. not a whole lot of interaction we've seen in the last few days. >> joe carter reporting live from tampa a, many thanks to you. coming up in "newsroom" ariel castro in the courtroom and any moment we expect him to speak. that's why the internet needs a new kind of server. one that's 80% smaller. uses 89% less energy. and costs 77% less. it's called hp moonshot. and it's giving the internet the room it needs to grow. this ...is going to be big.

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sea world is taking heat for a video that showed a killer whale stranded outside its tank in orlando, florida. while visitors screamed for help, well, it's happened, again. new video surfaced of a bloodied dolphin stranded on the concrete after jumping out of its enclosure in the sea world in san antonio, texas. nischelle turner has more for you. >> reporter: according to the president of the international theme park services, which is a consultingfirm to the theme park industry sea world ranks third in top attractions in the united states, but, now, this is the second video we've seen surface in a week that paints a not so pretty picture of the park. the video is unsettling. a sea world dolphin lying on the ground flailing outside its tank. this footage newly released by the people for the ethical

treatment of animals. they say the dolphin was bloodied and flailed there unhelped for minutes. it's the latest bomb in peta's fight against sea world's captivity of marine animals. a spokesperson for the theme park says this video is misleading and was shot more than a year ago. they say, "the dolphin involved is healthy and doing fine today. our zoo logical staff moved quickly to assist the dolphin. she was examined by our staff veterinarian and back in the water in less than 30 minutes." the video is just the latest in a rising wave of bad publicity that first hit the theme park last month with the release of the documentary "black fish." >> respond for a dead person at sea world. >> reporter: and then another blow last week. >> the dolphin. >> the dolphin! >> he's stuck! >> reporter: with a viral video showing a pilot whale stranded as spectators look on. the whale flaundered helplessly

for nearly 30 minutes. sea world says these whales come out on the ledge all the time and the animal was never in danger. attorneys for peta tell cnn "we're starting to see more and more people coming forward with complaints and videos like the two we've seen this week." but sea world says these images are inaccurate and the animals in them were unharmed. when we spoke with the president of theme park services, he says he believes, even with all these videos surfacing that the damage to sea world will be minimal. he said documentaries like "black fish" he believes will simply come and go. now, we should say that "black fish" documentary is coming to cnn, cnn films has purchased the tv rights to the film. it will air on our network october 24th. back to you. all right, we told you at the top of the show that edward snowden the nsa leaker has left the moscow airport because russia has granted him temporary

asylum. sn snowden gets to stay in rush frau one year. the first reaction from u.s. officials and barbara starr got that for us. barbara, what did they say? >> the very initial reaction coming in. i have spoken to u.s. official familiar with all of this and he said we're not shocked, we're not even surprised. what he is telling me is behind the scenes, the russians have been signaling this for some time that this was their intention. behind the scenes u.s. and russian officials have been talking for weeks. they call it counterpart to counterpart and state department to foreign ministry and white house to kremlin and cia department of justice to russian security services. and in these private communications, the russians apparently have been signaling this is the way they are going to go. what we do not know yet, of course, is whether russian president vladimir putin spoke to president obama and told him

this was happening today. we don't know that yet, we don't have that information yet. but not a surprise to u.s. officials. the question now, where does the u.s. relationship go with the russians? will there still be that close cooperation on key areas like counterterrorism and that's what is really potentially at stake here. the president has to decide what he wants to do. the u.s. and the russians cooperating on the boston marathon bombing and looking to cooperate on the -- >> barbara, i'm sorry, i have to interrupt you. we have to go back to that cleveland courtroom. ariel castro apologizing for his crimes against these three women. let's listen. >> ohio law with respect to sentencing, frankly, concerning the scope and nature of the charges and the victims involved. i don't know if this could have been any more -- the remainder

of sentencing hearing will be any different. the parties have met and talk would the court and i have what will be committed and i think the state's concern is that in light of the nature of the sentence, anything after count one that there would be a record anybody in court or anybody would know the foundation. >> we're going to step away, but i was saying that ariel castro actually began to apologize to the court. the judge then interrupted him and you hear what the judge is saying now, lots of technicalities. ariel castro will get his chance, right, page? but at the proper time. we're going to take a break, turn the tape so you can hear

what ariel castro had to say for himself. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ i've got something for you too. (announcer) fancy feast delights with cheddar. a meal that is sure to delight your cheese lover. now available in the classic form she loves. fancy feast. the best ingredient is love. where would you like to go tonight? ♪ [ male announcer ] it's a golden opportunity to see how lexus effortlessly connects you to where you're going. ♪ come to the golden opportunity sales event and experience the connectivity of lexus enform, available on all lexus models, including the es and rx. ♪ this is the pursuit of perfection.

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welcome back to "newsroom"

i'm carol costello. let's head back to that cleveland courtroom. let's look inside that courtroom. before the break, i told you that ariel castro, the man accused of holding these three women captive for a decade started to apologize. and then the judge interrupted him. this is the sentencing phase of ariel castro's hearing. he will be officially sentenced to life in prison plus 100 years. i want you to listen to what ariel castro had to say before the judge interrupted. let's listen. >> i would like to apologize to the victims -- >> yeah, you may do that now. >> okay, you could see that he started to apologize. this is what led up to that apology. his defense attorneys. ariel castro's attorneys are arguing that the public doesn't, should not see terrible pictures

from inside of his house. should not hear exactly what happened to these women because it will cause them lasting damage. the prosecution, on the other hand, the state of ohio, wants people to hear these things. for what purpose, though? i'm struggling. >> i think what the prosecution is really trying to do here is expose the horrendous nature of these crimes for the world to see. this community, the nation has been riveted by this, how did this happen. what exactly happened and he is also trying to justify this sentence recommendation of life without parole plus 1,000 years. making the record and giving it the public airing. >> on the stand right now, officer johnson. one of the first officers on the scene when the women were rescued. let's listen. >> when you went into the house. >> i heard the call come over

amanda berry escaped from that residence. i went to assist the officers. upon my arrival i saw officer tracy running across the treat fr. i am not sure what transpired before my arrival but as we approached 2207 officers advised me that amanda berry was across the street and escaped from this house and there are others in the house. unsure if there was a suspect in the house. so, we go in very cautiously. we eventually gain entry after several attempts by several different officers. and the first couple officers went in the first floor. officer eand i went upstairs. i had to move a little furniture

to get up the steps. i remember it was very dark because i didn't take my flashlight with me because fortunately, i had a flashlight on my firearm. so as we were going up the steps, i remember turning the light on for a couple seconds, just to see where we were going. as we got to the top of the steps, also a big, heavy curtain, and i remember officer spotter pushed it over to the side, and as we were approaching it, he hollered out several times, "cleveland police, cleveland police." as he went up the final step, i held the curtain back and took a quick look over to the right because he went to the left. and i saw a room with kids' toys. i didn't see anybody inside. so i then -- he hollered out "cleveland police" then, and then you hear some pitter patter of steps, someone running.

but stopped. and when she -- we shined the flashlight, i remember i kind of shined the flashlight so she could -- whoever it was could see we were the police. we later found out it was michelle knight, as she literally launched herself into -- officer responda's arms, legs arms, just choking him. and she just kept repeating, "you saved us, you saved us." at that point, you know, i told her "it's okay, honey, you're safe." she then came over to me and jumped into my arms as i'm trying to reholster my leg. my weapon. her legs were wrapped around me. he said "is anybody else here." and it seemed like an eternity, but all of a sudden you see another face peek around the corner of the doorway and it was later officer espoda asked her

and he said "what's your name" and she said "regina dejesus." and she was reluctant to come out of the room, and we said it was okay and that's when everybody was happy. >> what was it like on the floor of the house where you were where you found michelle night? michelle knight? >> like i said it was dark in the hallway because i did use my flashlight on my weapon to look around. once michelle was in my arms, i re holstered. the only other light i saw was in the next bedroom which i know was amanda's bedroom. i don't know if the lights were on in the girls -- michelle and gina's room. i'm not sure if they were on at the time because there was so much activity at that point. >> how well were you able to see the two girls, michelle knight and regina dejesus? >> not until we went into the bedroom. i did remember looking at gina. it took me a second to really realize it was her.

she was a lot thinner and pale, compared to the pictures you've seen for the last ten years where she was heavier, long hair. she had real short hair and was real thin and pale. but you could see the resemblance. you knew it was her. but it took just -- you know, the extra second to get a look. michelle was so tiny, i thought she was a little girl. until i put her down, and got a look at her and realized she was -- she was a grown woman. and it took us a few minutes to figure out that, yes, she was also listed as a missing person. she also is very petite, very little, pale, you know, she was -- she was very, very scared. she had a very difficult time breathing when she was in my arms. i remember i called for an ambulance right away, because she was -- very -- having a very hard time breathing. so other than -- >> you called for an ambulance. >> we did. i called right away for an ambulance. >> did you stay with the two

girls, two women when the ambulance arrived? >> yes, i stayed with them for the rest of the day, from -- you know, going out to the ambulance. we were probably on-scene in the ambulance, i want to say maybe about 20 minutes before we went to the hospital and i stayed with them at the hospital for the good part of the evening. >> were you able to get a better look at them outside once they were in the ambulance? >> yes, oh, yes. >> can you tell us what were the observations of them once they were in the ambulance? >> they were -- all three of them were very, like i said, very pale. still kind of reluctant. not really sure what was happening with this. they didn't know what we were going to do with them. thin, pale, scared. you know, they were just -- a lot of talking. they were very, you know, just telling all kinds of things that happened to them.

>> and how many individuals? >> we are now talking about amanda, gina, michelle, amanda's daughter and another officer and i, officer harrigan and i and a couple other people would come in and out, letting us know, trying to get details of the vehicle that, you know, the suspect is supposed to be in, what his name is, the description. because they were broadcasting that so they could get -- get that information out to try and detain him. >> what do you recall from when the women were inside the ambulance speaking, some of the details they were giving you about what happened to them? >> well, they were just -- they were just shutting out a lot of things. and as they were talking, in my head -- i didn't ask a lot of questions, i just let them talk. i do remember at one point looking at amanda, and asking her "well, how about when you had your daughter? didn't you go to the hospital?"

and she said "oh, no. i had my daughter here at the house." she said, "michelle delivered her for me." and i was just dumbfounded. i couldn't believe that. and they said "yeah, we put a big plastic pool underneath her to help with the clean-up so it wouldn't make such a mess." i remember michelle saying "yeah, he told me, if that baby died he was going kill me." >> did you learn of other pregnancies? >> i did ask if anybody else had ever been pregnant. and michelle said "oh, i was." and she said, "i was several times, and every time he found out i was pregnant he would starve me and he would punch me in the stomach." and gina at that point was saying "yeah, he would starve her for two weeks and might give her a pepsi once in a while and then he would hit her until she lost the baby." so they kind of could she rob

rated. >> did you stay with when they went to the hospital? >> yes, i went to the hospital and stayed with them every time they had to go to the rest room, i walked with so they knew they weren't alone. they wanted security with them at all times. >> did you see any change in their demeanor? >> a little bit. i noticed gina was very -- i would say reserved. i don't know if she was just confused by the whole thing, but a lot of nurses and staff at the hospital would come up and just give her a big hug and say "we have been praying for you, honey." and she just kind of stood there with her arms at her side looking around. and when they left the room she would look at me and say "who is that?" and i said "honey, you're going to get a lot of that the next few weeks." so she was just not sure what was going on. michelle was still very frightened, very, you know -- like she just kind of -- held herself close. and amanda, she had her daughter, so she -- she seemed

to be a little more well-rounded as far as trying to protect her daughter, making it seem like everything was okay. you know that she wasn't, but she just kind of had that -- trying to make it look like everything was okay for her daughter. >> all right. we have to take a break. we'll be back with more.

and good morning, i'm carol costello. thanks for joining me this morning. we're continuing to monitor what's happening in cleveland, ohio right now inside a courtroom. the sentencing phase is taking place for ariel castro, the man accused of holding three women hostage for more than a decade. on the stand -- well, let me introduce our guest right now. with me now is tanya miller, former prosecutor, paige pate, defense attorney, and doug berman, also a defense attorney and sentencing expert, live in columbus, ohio.

also dr. jeff gardere, a psychologist, who can help us ferret through some of this very difficult testimony. on the stand right now is dr. gerald maloney, he was the e.r. doctor at the cleveland hospital. of course, these three victims were brought to that hospital for treatment after they were rescued from the house of horrors. let's listen to his testimony. >> yes, they had forensic exams done by sexual assault nurse examiner. >> and when you say "they", are you referring to all four patients? >> all three patients, minor child did not. >> what would you say you observed, if anything, about their general demeanor? i know you explained michelle knight. what about the other two? >> the other two were also distraught. again, they were distraught. and also elation they were free now after years of captivity.

they were distraught, they were cheerful and they were very much emotionally fragile at the time they arrived. >> and were you given information about a period of prolonged activity. was there any sort of documentation that you made of them, in addition to their gaunt appearance, that would lead to that? that they had been captive for such a period of time? >> in addition to the gaunt appearance, and also again specifically ms. knight had several bruises, which indicated that she had undergone physical abuse as well. all three of them looked fairly gaunt. all three of them related that they had been allowed minimal time outside the house at all. all three were very pale.

there was physical evidence to support their reported period of captivity. >> and do you recall the date and time you saw these patients? >> may 6, 2013. >> without getting into specific detail, were there narratives or documentation given to you with regard to what sort of sexual assault the women underwent? >> yes. they related information regarding the sexual assaults to us and also to the sexual assault nurse examiner. >> and in a very general description, of what nature were those assaults? >> forcible rape. >> and were you able to get anymore specific as far as what? >> all three of them were rain

raped. all three of them were raped vaginally, that's what they reported. multiple, repeated times, against their will, under threat of physical harm, is what they related. >> thank you. >> your honor, the state would next present detective andrew of the cleveland sex crimes unit. >> all right. i want to clue you into exactly what's going on. and i have my panel of experts here to help me do that. and paige pate, i'll start with you. the prosecution is putting a series of witnesses on the stand to prove what? >> they're trying to lay out their case. this is almost like a mini trial. it's like they're going through the process of presenting the evidence that they would if the case had gone to trial. now normally you would see if the case was going to trial the defense lawyer standing up and cross examining these witnesses. they're standing there and taking it. the state has a right to do it

and at some point later in the day, we'll hear from mr. castro. >> exactly. he wants to stand up and apparently apologize for what he has done. and to show another side of himself, which is really hard to digest, i must saw. dr. jeff gardere, i want to bring you in, because the defense has been arguing, this proceeding is -- will actually be harmful to the victims, because they'll have to relive it. is the defense right? >> in some cases, it may harm the victims. however, the victims are prepared for this. we know that they have invested themselves into their recovery, and in some ways, this is something that they're waiting for. they're waiting for this monster to actually take full responsibility for what he did. they don't really care about the apology. they just want him to say that he did do this and own up to it. and i have to point out, carol, one other thing. time has passed here, and people are starting to forget the monstrosity and the horror of

this. and what the prosecution is doing is reminding these people that these women were tortured physically, sexually and emotionally. 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, to tell a little bit about what happened to her and how it affected her and her family. i find that unbelievably courageous, that a woman who has 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 -- just -- he made her go through these series of exercises in order to abort the baby. she has been through such horrible things. yet she may be willing to appear in this courtroom full-face and face this man who tortured her. >> that's right. the person who did these horrible things to her and to

the other two captives now are able to step up. in this case it will be michelle knight who will say "i am not afraid of you and i will tell you exactly what you did to me, and the impact on my life now, tomorrow and forever. except that i am able to move on." and that is powerful, it's courageous, and it shows the people who are watching this and especially for this sentencing that this is not just about second-person related events, but first-person. what she and the other two actually experienced and why this man needs to be put behind bars forever and ever. >> the other interesting thing that we saw inside the courtroom, tanya, was a model of ariel castro's house. and this is quite unusual at a sentencing hearing, isn't it? >> well, it is. i mean, and like paige was saying, this is really sort of a mini trial. and normally when prosecutors have these kinds of demonstrative exhibits, it's to

illustrate for the jury and in this case the public, what actually happened. it just brings everything to light for the public. >> so defense attorneys, paige, are sitting there helplessly, listening, watching. and to they want their client to talk? >> usually not. especially if you don't know what the sentence is going to be. almost anything he can say at this point is not going to help him. it's going to hurt him. normally when i'm listening to this type of evidence, it's the worst time to be a defense lawyer. you're shrinking down in your chair. you're saying let's at least get this over with. but they also have to present a case for mr. castro. and i heard the lawyer say earlier mental illness. we know something is wrong with this man. so i expect when it's their turn we're going to hear more about that. >> okay. i've got to take another break. we'll be back with much more live from cleveland. we'll also talk about edward snowden who finally left the moscow airport. we'll be right back. how much protein

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breaking news out of moscow to tell you about. ed ward snowden has left the

airport, according to the russian lawyer. his application for political asylum has now been approved and snowden can now legally stay in russia for a period of one year. a u.s. official says washington is not surprised by this. the source telling cnn that moscow had signaled its intentions to regard snowden for some time. cnn's phil black is in moscow. do we know where snowden is right now? >> reporter: no, carol, we do not. snowden's lawyer has said that he will not divulge that at the moment, because he says snowden's number-one priority at the moment is security. and so for security reasons, he will not appear publicly, although he has not ruled out he will do so in the short-term. he says security and just getting used to living outside of an airport terminal are the two priorities. and so that's what he's going to be focusing on in the short-term. we do not know where he is. we haven't had any official reaction from the russian government, either, because

their position on this all along has been that this is not a matter for the russian government, for the kremlin, for the president. this is decided, technically, by russia's federal migration service. and that is what president putin's spokesman has said to us, once again today. we also asked him what he thinks this means for russia's relations with the united states. he wasn't prepared to comment on that just yet, carol. >> well, because the united states wanted russia to expel edward snowden so he could face espionage charges back here in the united states. so was this meant to be a slap in the face by president putin? >> you get the feel that russia has been trying to avoid unnecessarily aggravating the united states on this. but at the same time, not going out of its way to place him. it's been a difficult, almost impossible line to walk, really. russia insisted, we can't send him back because we don't have an extradition treaty, and there is a risk, according to snowden, he to be tortured or executed, should he be sent back. that was the grounds for his application and russia said

under those grounds we can't send you back there. but we heard from president putin aall along we don't want this to damage u.s. relations. whatever the fallout are from this is, it can't be good. the united states has been applying great pressure to russian officials at every level to avoid just this eventuality. they didn't want him to receive any sort of official asylum or protection. i imagine we'll start to get a sense of this pretty quickly, and i think very interesting it will be to determine or to see what this means for president barack obama's impending visit to russia. he is to come for the big g-20 meeting in december. there was talk of a bilateral meeting with putin in moscow just before that. it will be interesting to see whether that trip or those trips do indeed go ahead, carol. >> not to mention the olympics taking place in russia in 2016. phil black, thanks so much. let's head to washington now and dan lothian, you heard what phil black said, that the russians

decided to grant edward snowden temporary asylum, because they didn't want him to face execution in the united states. but the u.s. attorney general just sent russian officials a letter saying the united states wouldn't execute snowden if he was found guilty. >> that's -- that is true. that came earlier this week. and so clearly, this is not a decision that the white house had wanted. they had been putting pressure, u.s. officials, on russian officials in talks over the last several weeks to have snowden extradited back here to the united states to stand charges, face those charges against him. white house officials not yet commenting, but my colleague, barbara starr, saying that a u.s. official telling her that they're not surprised by all of this. they're not shocked, because russia had been signalling they would be making this move. and, in fact, this plan at least came up in some of the private conversations that u.s. officials had been having with their russian counterparts. the big question, though, as you have been talking with phil

about is what will this mean for the u.s./russia relationship? it has been tense of late. the questions about whether or not president obama will still go in september to the g-20, white house spokesman jay carney asked about that the last several weeks. he has always maintained it is the president's intention to attend the g-20 summit. and the winter olympics, there have been called by some lawmakers to boycott the u.s. olympics in 2014. jay carney saying that's something that is speculation at this point. it's a ways off. but clearly, the white house, which has not yet commented on this, certainly not happy by this decision today. we do expect that there will be some comment, if it doesn't come in the next couple hours, jay carney will be briefing reporters, and certainly the top of the agenda today. >> i'm sure it will. dan lothian, many thanks to you. let's head to london now, nakita

shubert, we're wondering how snowden is able to live in russia for a year financially, because he says he's running out of money. but we understand he's in the company of somebody from wikileaks, right? >> reporter: that's right, being accompanied by sarah harrison, wikileaks staff member. and wikileaks is very familiar with this process of helping whistle blowers and seeking asylum. of course, julian assange, wikileaks founder, still in the ecuador embassy now in london for over a year. ecuador has granted him asylum, but he has no way to get to ecuador. wikileaks has put out a statement in support of edward snowden saying we would like to thank the russian people and all others who have helped to protect mr. snowden. we have won the battle, now the war. so wikileaks says they will continue to help snowden, but no word on whether he's going to remain in russia or if he's going to try for asylum with a south american country like ecuador or possibly venezuela. >> but he can also -- i guess his temporary asylum lasts for

one year in russia. but then he can reapply after that year, right? >> yeah. and in the end, it may, in fact, be safer for him to be in russia, because you might remember, when they tried to -- the bolivian president tried to leave and return to bolivia, his plane was actually forced down, because he couldn't cross into european air space, because they thought snowden might be aboard. so it may well be the case he's stuck in russia. >> we'll see. reporting live for us from london. much more on this in the hours to come on cnn. up next in the "newsroom," the dow is up more than 100 points, already this morning. we'll take you live to wall street. and christine romans, next. i'm only in my 60's...

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checking our top stories, 21 minutes past the hour. there's a new twist in baseball's biogenesis scandal. espn reporting that representatives for alex

rodriguez are now negotiating a possible settlement with major league baseball. under the proposed deal, a-rod would receive a lengthy suspension, but avoid a lifetime ban from the game. george zimmerman reemerged in texas, where he was pulled over by a police officer for speeding. zimmerman then informed the officer that he had a firearm in the car. he was given a warning and released. zimmerman's brother told cnn earlier that the zimmerman family has received death threats since george zimmerman's acquittal in the death of trayvon martin. that's why he has to carry a gun. 50 pounds of ground beef recalled over concerns it could be contaminated with e. coli under the name national beef. in june, some 22,000 pounds of beef were recalled due to similar fears. many college students breathing a sigh of relief. the house has finally approved a bill that reverses the recent doubling of federal student loan

interest rates, lowering them to 3.8% for under grads in the coming school year. the measure ties interest rates on student loans to the financial markets, but there's a cap to ensure they don't go too high. the bill now heads to president obama's desk. the president is expected to sign that bill. let's head to new york now to talk about what's happening on wall street, because as you can see, the dow is up 14 2 points. christine romans, why? >> why? because it's a wonderful way to start doldrums of august. the stock market up. the fed had a meeting yesterday, the federal reserve did not indicate any kind of pullback right now or any kind of quick pullback of stimulus to the economy. they like that. we've got some car news today. chrysler reporting strong sales. carol, when someone buys a car, it shows confidence in the economy. we're going to be looking for these car sales to continue to come in strong. that's a sign of strength among consumers. we had jobless claims at a five and a half year low. that means layoffs are slowing. a five and a half year low for

layoffs. that's a solid sign the mass firing is over in corporate america. what we really want to know, tomorrow from that big jobs report is, they're hiring coming in, strong hiring with good-paying jobs. still having a big debate about the quantity versus quality of jobs coming in this recovery. a really important number to watch here, 1,700. we talk a lot about the dow. the dow is comprised of 30 st s stocks. the s&p 500 is 500 stocks. the stocks in your 401(k) most likely reflect what's happening in the s&p 500. the s&p 500 topped 1,700. the 1700 level this morning. it shows strength on the balance sheets of all kinds of different industries. it shows a stock market that continues to to well, carol. >> unbelievable. the jobs report coming out tomorrow and it may be more positive than expected. who knows. so -- >> who knows? but my big advice, folks, rebalance your 401(k). look at your retirement accounts. a lot of people just leave them for a long time, don't even know

the law again, right, for your 401(k). this is a really good time to take a look at your balance of stocks, bonds, your -- take a look at what kind of fees you're paying in your 401(k). you've had a really great year of about 19% in stocks. good as time as any to make sure your exposure is right for your age and your risk in stocks, bonds, cash and other investments. >> great advice as always. christine romans, thank you. >> you're welcome. >> she tells me all the time. coming up in the "newsroom," ariel castro in a cleveland courtroom where any minute now he's expected to say he's sorry. the chevy malibu offers

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gimme one, gimme one, gimme one! the power of the "name your price" tool. only from progressive. back to a cleveland courtroom right now. ariel castro set to be officially sentenced for crimes against these three women he held captive for a period of ten years or more. on the stand right now is josh bar, a forensic scientist with the prosecutor's office. he just showed the court a gun, a .357 magnum that ariel castro kept inside the house, and threatened those women with. he also talked about -- he's talking about the weight of the chains found in the house. let's listen to a bit of his testimony now. >> can you estimate how many people worked on this case from your organization? >> i can't give an exact estimate. i mean, there was -- basically, every section of the laboratory was involved. there was a huge amount of evidence. >> what other sections do you have in your laboratory? >> we've got latent prints,

we've got forensic biology, dna, trace evidence. >> and there were hundreds of pieces of evidence in this case, is that correct? >> that's correct. >> was it also your organization that determined the paternity of the minor child found in the home, is that correct? >> yes. >> and to your knowledge, the paternity was established that ariel castro was the father of the minor child found in the home? >> yes. >> all right. we're going to step away because i think we have the picture of ariel castro's gun to show you. it looks like an old gun to me, .357 magnum. it's in that box that's sitting on the witness stand there. but we do have a picture of it. we're going to turn to that in a second. i want to go to douglas berman in columbus, ohio, an ohio state law professor and expert on sentencing hearings. douglas, this is a very detailed sentencing hearing, isn't it? >> oh, absolutely. and my sense is the prosecutors recognize that because of the plea deal, this is their one

opportunity to lay before the court and really the state and the nation and the world kind of all of the specifics of this just almost inconceivable crime. and i think that's part of what they're trying to make sure gets done through this presentation, that the lasting image is not of just ariel castro apologizing or saying whatever he plans to say. but of showcasing to the world just, you know, how horrific this crime and all of its consequences were, which, you know, candidly, it's still hard for me to get my mind completely around. >> i'm sure a lot of people are with you, douglas. for prosecutors, though, tanya, they're walking this fine line, because they can't let too many details out, right? >> well, i mean, there's probably a limit, as far as the judge is concerned. i mean, this isn't a trial, so, you know, you can't put up the entire trial in a sentencing hearing. but i agree with the professor.

i mean, this is history. this is an important case to this community. and the world wants to know. criminal proceedings are public proceedings. these prosecutors are public servants. tim mcginnty is an elected district attorney and what he's doing right now, he's telling his constituents, look, this is the work we did in this case. we were ready to go. >> all right. let's listen to this testimony. this is a former detective and he's talking about amanda berry. let's listen. >> at this time ariel castro physically restrained her with a chain attached to a center support pole in the basement, put plastic ties on her wrists. it was at this time that gina dee jesus was first sexually assaulted. during this interview, george evena dejesus described a repeat pattern being emotionally assaulted by castro during the entire time she was held captive. >> she said on may 6th, 2013 when they escaped she heard

jocelyn berry running up and town the stairs saying "daddy left, went to grandma's house." she states she was just going to lay still and not do anything. because she is afraid it could be a trap. and that ariel castro could be outside waiting for her. >> so now you've wrapped up your interviews at metro, you've got a snapshot of the incredible story of survival, right? >> yes. >> and how do you continue your investigation? >> i interviewed astro at the crime scene, i read dozens of reports completed by various law enforcement agencies, examined hundreds of photographs. reviewed hundreds of pieces of physical evidence taken from the house. i conducted follow-up interviews with the victims. i reviewed written materials kept by the victims during their years of activity. i consulted with prosecutors' office. >> all right. that was that former detective testifying moments ago, telling or informing the court and all

listening some of the horrors that went on inside that house. paige pate, you had an interesting thought while we were listening to that detective. you said this could all backfire for the state of ohio. why? >> you can go too far. i understand the district attorney wants to get this evidence out in front of the people, everybody can see how bad this guy is. but some folks may start asking themselves, look, if he's this bad, if what he did was this awful, why did you least him plea? why aren't we pursuing the death penalty in this case? so you've got to walk a fine line. let people know what happened but don't push it so much your deal looks like a bad deal for the people of this state. >> well, you know, we suppose that the state of ohio agreed to this plea deal to spare the victims more pain, right? but you're right. as you listen to this, you do wonder. and doctor jeff, i'm sure the victims were consulted before this plea deal was agreed upon by all parties. but still. >> well, yes.

i'm sure they were consulted. but remember when they put that video out, carol, they talked about the fact that they wanted to move on, and michelle knight in particular very strongly said that she had forgiven this monster, not so much for him, but for herself. so that she could move on. and that's the important thing here. these women do not want to go through this whole trial, this whole process. and so they are willing to move on. and part of that is this plea deal. >> okay. on the stand right now is an fbi agent, because the fbi was called into this case, because it involved kidnapping. so he is talking about arriving at the house, and you can see the image there. so let's listen to what he has to say. >> perimeter further up the street in both directions. there was a cleveland ems unit stationed in front of the house. detective graves took me to the back of the ambulance, and when

they opened the door, inside the ambulance was immediately recognizable to me to be gina dejesus and amanda berry. i did not have the familiarity with michelle knight, but i also noticed her as well as amanda berry's daughter. >> did this woman stand out for you as an investigator? >> i'll never forget it. >> did you have any conversation with them at that moment? >> my conversation was very limited at that point. >> where did you turn your attention? >> my attention turned to making sure that the scene had been secured, and then to the investigation that was to ensue. >> and as the agent on-scene, representing the crime task force, did you have resources at your disposal that you could activate? >> i did. >> tell us about that.

>> we notified the task force basically on all-call. everybody was needed. made the appropriate notifications through my chain of command. and we requested the assistance of our evidence response team, that would be the fbi's evidence response team, through our team leader. special agent chris garnett. we had a task force officer, john morgan, who is a cuyahoga county sheriff's deputy. >> we're going to step away and take a break. we'll be back with more from cleveland.

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guaranteed! ♪ sleep train ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪ i'm carol costello. welcome back. as you can see, testimony continues in the sentencing hearing of ariel castro. this is an fbi agent talking about collection of evidence and technicals. and while we have this chance, i want to head live to cleveland and check in with pamela brown. pamela, a short time ago in court, a gun was shown. this is a gun belonging to ariel castro. this is sort of the first time we have heard that he threatened these women repeatedly with this woman, isn't it? >> reporter: it is. we saw the memorandum last night from the prosecutors, and in that memorandum, the documents, basically said that castro held a gun, he kept one in the home and used it to threaten the girls and told them that

basically he would kill them if they ever tried to escape. and is as you mentioned today in court, they actually showed that gun. it's clear from the prosecution side that they're doing everything they can to bring that evidence forward, show it to the judge, so that this gets on the record here. the information we're hearing has really been stunning, and disturbing. we've known a lot of the horrific details, carol, but now we're hearing from one of the first responders who is on the scene, the first woman that these women saw in more than ten years, barbara johnson. and she talked about when she saw michelle knight and gina dejesus and she walked in the home, they were so pale, so thin, she didn't even recognize them. suspect she said that michelle knight looked like a little girl. we heard from the doctor who treated them in the e.r. room who said they were distraught, they were scared, they were very thin, and they didn't really know how to react to all the attention of people coming in and hugging them. so we're really getting insight

into what these women went through and those moments right after they escaped and were rescued. we also heard from an investigator talking about the chains that ariel castro used to bound them. and one of the investigators said they were restrained for most of the time in the home. he said the chains were 99 feet long and all together weighed about 92 pounds. just to give you an idea, it's incredible to hear this, carol. >> i know. and there are more horrific details to come, just a warning. it's unbelievable. let's talk about michelle knight, pamela, because she may appear physically in the courtroom. have you seen any sign of her yet? >> we haven't seen any sign of her yet. it's not yet time for her to make an impact statement if she is going to. of course, my sources tell me that one of the women is expected to make an impact statement, and we're hearing that will be michelle knight. we were told yesterday -- actually, last night, that no one had requested for the video

conference. so that is an indication if she does make an impact statement, she will actually face ariel castro in court. of course, as we have been hearing today, michelle knight endured the worst abuse of the three women. she was the one that was pregnant and ariel castro killed her unborn baby by jumping on her stomach, giving her rotten food, as one of the investigators said. so it's really incredible to think that she could be facing castro and you can imagine how empowering this could be for her to do so. we have learned that amanda berry and gina dejesus will not be attending today's sentencing. >> can i interrupt for a second, pamela, because something interesting in court is happening. this fbi agent is talking about the model of ariel castro's house. let's listen. >> they constructed this house as a scale model. basically to scale. >> and the room colors we see,

at least in the visible portion today, are they an attempt to match the actual room colors in part because of how the discriminates described what room they were in by room color? >> yes. >> did you have an opportunity to go through the interior of 2207 seymour? >> on multiple occasions, yes. >> when was the first time? >> i would say the first time was either the following day or maybe the day after their escape. >> describe that experience. >> well, it was -- it was surreal to me. i've been involved in the missing persons investigations for quite some time. and so it was a difficult experience. that's basically how i would describe it. >> did you for your own benefit

go through all levels of the home. basement, first floor, second floor, attic. >> yes. >> can you go over how mr. castro had turned this residence into a prison? >> when i first went through the home, our evidence response team had collected a significant number of items, more than 300 items of evidence. so some of the physical restraints had been removed. most of the physical restraints had been removed. but i was taken through the house by special agent garnett, who pointed out specific locations where these restraints had been attached. there were a number of modifications to the interior of the home to fortify certain areas. those were easily visible on inspection.

there were divisions between spaces in the house that were, again, designed not only to make the house more secure for its occupants, but also to hide i think the existence of additional rooms in the house. >> i would like to turn your attention to the monitor before you. do you recognize that view of a door that's before you? >> that's the front door. interior photograph, obviously. you're looking at the inside of the front door. >> i'm going to reference this as state's 10-h. what are the items that are hanging on the door, to your knowledge? >> those are a series of alarm clocks. and they are wired in a makeshift manner to create a -- essentially an alarm system to the house.

>> and the white wire that we see, do you know where that white wire traveled through the house? >> yes. >> where did it travel to? >> it went from this front alarm contraption all the way to the back door. >> and was there similar wiring at the back door? >> there was a contact switch at the back door that appeared that it would it activate this alarm. >> all right. can you give us a general description of other things that you found on the first floor. >> on the first floor, there was a -- kind of a heavy curtain or maybe even like a bed spread

that separated the kitchen from the rest of the living area. unusual for the layout of this particular house was that what would be considered the dining room had been turned into a bedroom. so there was a large probably queen size mattress where the dining room would typically be. >> now, if you could turn your attention to the floor model here. and you see this article? >> yes. >> do you recognize what this is intended to represent? >> it's intended to represent a porch swing. >> where was it located in the home? >> that was essentially where it is in the model at this point. >> at the base of the landing of the staircase leading to the second floor? >> that's correct. >> it didn't act as an obstacle. >> certainly.

>> turning your attention to the monitor, what's shown? >> this is a photograph of the only bathroom in the home. it's referenced as room d, and the fbi evidence sketch that's on the first floor attached to the kitchen. >> do you recognize this photo which i'll reference as state's 10-j? >> yes. >> what is it? >> this is the view from the landing at the -- after the first set of steps as you go up from the first floor. there's a turn, and then you go up another set of steps before you reach the second floor. so this is the landing between the first and second floors. at the top of the image is a brown curtain and the curtain was concealing the landing to the second floor.

>> all right. so it's a little bit hard to see, but in terms of the model that would be in the center of the second floor at the top of that staircase. >> that's correct. >> and was this also a heavy material? >> yes. >> next photo, please. this next shot, is that from the top of the staircase looking down? >> yes. it's just another representation of that curtain hanging over the top of that staircase. >> yes. that is officer johnson presented that she had to push away a curtain. this is the curtain she would have been referring to. >> state's 10-l. do you recognize the view on the monitor? >> i do. >> can you tell us what it is? >> this is a view from the hallway in the second floor. of the room that was labeled -- i believe it's room i. and that is the room that the

investigation showed amanda berry and her daughter spent the majority of their time. >> so turning to state's 20, this schematic layout of each floor of the home, it would be referencing this front bedroom on the second floor, is that correct? labeled i? >> that's correct. >> can can you describe the status or the condition or the unusual nature of the bedroom door itself? >> yes. the door had obviously been modified by the picture here. there's a handle on the outside's that screwed in. it functions to be able to pull the door closed as there's no doorknob attached to either the inside or the outside. there is a -- an i-bolt -- hard to see here. but there is a slide lock and

underneath it a small i-bolt that marries up with an i-bolt in the doorjamb so that one could secure the door from the outside with a lock. and then there's a hole cut in the bottom panel there, which was later determined to be a source of ventilation for the room. >> why was ventilation needed? weren't there windows in that room? >> there were windows, but they were boarded up from the inside. >> and what were they boarded up with, if you know? >> it appears their closet door is very heavy. full thickness closet doors. >> can you see a portion of those closet doors behind the fabric from the far wall there? >> yes. >> those are the white panel doors, correct? >> correct. >> this next photo, what is that? >> that's an interior shot of that room, room i.

>> and what are those items on the wall, if you know. >> those are workbook pages. child workbook pages. >> next photo, please. 10-p. does this then show the closet doors nailed across the two windows in that room, room i? >> it does. >> now off of this room, there was a separate room that adjoined it, correct? >> correct. >> now, would you agree that the approximate dimensions of the first room were 11 1/2 by 11 1/2 feet? >> yes. >> and the second room was approximately 7.2 inches by, again, 11 1/2 feet, approximately? >> correct. >> in the course of the investigation, what did you learn as to who occupied the first room that we saw as we

entered through the door with the hole in it? who occupied that room? >> that would have been amanda berry and her daughter. >> okay. and then the smaller adjoining was occupied by whom? >> michelle knight and gina dejesus. >> and we're currently looking at a photograph in the bedroom. who shared that bed? >> that's -- in the room where amend -- i'm sorry, gina dejesus and michelle knight were. >> next slide. and there the window in that small adjoining room, was there any construction as to that window? >> yes. >> ask you describe it? >> underneath what's clearly shown on the photograph as a sheet, underneath that is a very thick wooden panel that screwed in.

>> next photo. and currently what's on the -- is there a commode there in the room? >> yes. >> and does that then show -- the fabric pulled back to show the heavy board over the window? >> yes. >> next photo, please. do you see the photo that's before you? >> yes. >> i'll reference this as state's 10-w. what does this show? >> that's a chain. it's in the room that amanda -- i'm sorry, gina dejesus and michelle knight shared. >> next photo. state's 10-x. what is it this photo depict?

>> that is a hole through the wall. i believe there were photos on the side of gina and michelle's room through theirs running a power cord that's plugged in, in the other room, and the chain. >> now, for that small side room, the 7 x 11 room with the window nailed shut, was there any attempt to provide ventilation in that small space? >> there was a small cut-out in the ceiling, and a box fan in the attic. >> so the actual plaster was cut away, an opening made, and some electrical service to the attic for the fan. >> correct. >> next photo. i'm showing you state's 10-y. do you recognize what's shown there? >> yes. >> what is it? >> chains, locks.

>> do you know generally where those were found? >> those were found in the upstairs bedrooms. >> next photo. we're now on state's 10-z wheine basement. what is the significance of this photo? >> this is a view from the bottom of the stairs. the stairs are slightly visible at the far right margin of the photograph. and you're looking in a southerly direction through the house. basically the long axis of the house. on the left side of the frame is a support pole. that's a pole that we have come to understand that the women were restrained to at various points. >> next photo. now, there's two things i would like you to talk about in this photo, 10-aa. the center pole and that rear-most washing machine.

why are they of significance? >> well, again, the pole is what the investigation has shown was used to restrain the women in the early stages of captivity. and the washing machine at the far end, a significant amount of cash was found sequestered in the washing machine. >> do you know how the team collected the evidence? any indication to look for cash in the washing machine? >> they were directed there by ariel castro. >> next photo, please. and you see the depiction of a written document found near the kitchen counter sitting. are you familiar with that document that's roughly dated 4-4 of 2004? >> i am. >> and what do you know that to be? >> i know that to be a letter

written by ariel castro. >> i'm going to reference that as state's exhibit 12. now, does mr. castro talk about his conduct in that document? >> he does. >> does he describe himself through his own choice of words as "i am a sexual predator." >> yes. >> does he describe his victimization of the women in this case? >> to some degree, yes. >> let's back up. seeing that slide before you right now, is that the actual page where it says "i am a

sexual predator." >> yes. >> now, before you is a photograph of a full-face motorcycle helmet. how many motorcycles did you know mr. castro to own? >> multiple motorcycles. >> how many helmets? >> there were also multiple helmets. >> fair to say many more helmets than there were motorcycles at the time of this investigation of the scene? >> fair to say, yes. >> this slide here, this light brown wig. is that evidence in the investigation? >> yes. >> what manner? >> the investigation showed that the limited number of times that some of the survivors were allowed outside, they were instructed to wear a wig.

or a wig and multiple other elements of disguise. >> now, moving away from the photographs for a moment, we talked about some cash that was found in the house. did mr. castro use his assets in terms of his cash money that he had on hand to run an internal bar economy, if you will, with his victims? >> on occasion. >> and would he -- after sexually abusing them, throw money at them saying "here, you're being paid for the sex" in essence? >> there were reports of that. >> and would he then turn -- if they wanted something special from the store demand payment from them from those monies to get items they were requesting? >> occasionally as well, yes.