This undated file photo provided by Cuyahoga County Jail shows Ariel Castro.CLEVELAND – The man accused of keeping three women in captivity for about a decade will plead not guilty but it’s uncertain if he can receive a fair trial anywhere, a member of his defense team said Wednesday.
Craig Weintraub, a former prosecutor representing Ariel Castro, 52, on rape and kidnapping charges, said in an interview that the location of a trial is “always an issue when you have a case that has such fantastic notoriety.”
Castro’s defense team, including Weintraub colleague Jaye Schlachet, must decide at some point whether to ask to have any trial moved out of Cleveland, Weintraub said.
“Then that begs the question: ‘Well, where can he get a fair trial based on the circumstances?’ This is such a sensationalistic type case which has received international coverage.”
Castro, a former school bus driver, was arrested May 6 shortly after Amanda Berry kicked out part of a locked door of his house and yelled to neighbors to help her and call police.